Iconic ’70s rock band KISS postponed a string of tour dates after announcing bassist Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID. The news comes just as the band’s lead singer, Paul Stanley, recovers from the virus. So instead of rock ’n’ rolling all night and partying every day, Simmons, the band, and their tour crew will be spending the next 10 days quarantine at home.
The band said in a statement:
Kiss will postpone their next four tour dates. While Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from COVID, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms. The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days and doctors have indicated the tour should be able to resume on September 9th at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates once announced.
On Monday, Stanley gave an update as to his condition on Twitter. He wrote, “My COVID symptoms were MILD compared to many others and let me tell you… It kicked my ass. It’s over now.”
Just days earlier, the Simmons blasted Florida and Texas politicians for lax COVID protocols. “It’s shocking that people still believe — there are enough people out there who still believe it’s a hoax and schmoax,” Simmons told the 95.5 KLOS radio station. “And they prefer to listen to politicians of a certain political party instead of doctors and the CDC. It’s fucking nuts. It’s crazy.”
“The idea that somebody says ‘it’s my body and my choice’ is so idiotic,” he said. “It is not your choice, it is not your body when you come to a red light in your car. You don’t have the right to go through it just ‘cause you feel like it and ‘don’t tell me what to do.’ And here’s why: because the rest of the world goes on green and stops on red. Just ‘cause you feel it’s your right doesn’t give you the right.”
“Should there be a mandate, which means a law, that you must get vaccinated Yes, there should be.”
Despite all the farewell tours over the decades (their first was in 2000), the band has continued to play stadiums around the world. Their latest tour, the curiously titled “The Final Tour Ever: End of the Road,” was set to run through October. We look forward to Gene, Paul, and whoever is playing Peter and Ace these days getting back out there.