Watch: GENE SIMMONS Performs First Two 2025 Reveals With His Solo Band

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and his solo band, GENE SIMMONS BAND, kicked off their 2025 tour Friday evening (Could 2) at Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree Metropolis, Georgia. The band — consisting of Gene on bass and vocals, Jason Walker on guitar and vocals, Brian Tichy on drums and vocals and Brent Woods on guitar — reportedly performed solely six songs earlier than the remainder of the gig was scrapped because of dangerous climate. A second present adopted Saturday evening (Could 3) at Beaver Dam Amphitheater in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Fan-filmed video of each concert events may be seen under.

Simmons just lately postponed almost 20 dates on his solo tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND to 2026. Gene presently has dates scheduled by way of August 3 in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In a latest interview with 95.9 The Rat‘s Carl Craft, Gene mentioned the “Private Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day” expertise he’s providing to his followers throughout his tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND. The expertise in query, known as “The Final Gene Simmons Expertise”, presents followers the chance to not solely meet Simmons and his band however to help him with load-in on the venue and establishing the stage, attend soundcheck and spend time backstage. The roadie can even be part of Simmons for a meal, and the 75-year-old rock legend will introduce the fan in the course of the gig. The expertise prices $12,495 — plus the unique ticket worth and comes with a bass guitar Gene beforehand used — and is simply out there to at least one fan per venue.

Requested how he got here up with the worth tag of $12,495 for the expertise, Simmons mentioned: “This is the deal: after I was a child and I went to see [Jimi] Hendrix or any person, in fact I loved the present and actually obtained off on it — we talked about it eternally and stuff — however I did not know what it was like. What is the starting of the day like? What’s it like to take a seat and have breakfast or lunch with my favourite rock stars, after which get within the limo, go to the gig, arrange the drums, do soundcheck after which be on stage along with your video, ‘trigger these days all the pieces’s on video. You may’t take a poop with no digicam coming in underneath the stall. And then you definately get pulled up on stage to sing together with them. Now, having mentioned that, we solely do one roadie for a day per present. And I will inform you why — as a result of these days all the pieces is so litigious. That is a giant phrase, like gymnasium. Which means everyone sues everyone for no cause. So should you get a paper reduce, any person will get sued. And that is simply the best way life is right here in America — far more in California, by the best way. It is loopy out right here. So, I can not even, if I wished to, carry out do roadie for a day with 10, 20, 30, as many individuals [as we would like]. So we do one, as a result of the insurance coverage prices for which are astronomical. And so this ain’t low cost. It is not for everyone. And for that one particular person, you do should pay premium numbers. That is simply life.”

Gene went on to say that the $12,495 price ticket would not “simply” embrace “the basic stuff. It is also publicity, monetary and authorized publicity,” he defined. “Any person has a nasty expertise and so they sue you and it prices you lots of of 1000’s of {dollars}. You want insurance coverage for all the pieces. Do you may have a automobile? You have obtained insurance coverage. Every thing in life, apparently… In reality, you purchase something — a instrument — they provide you insurance coverage. Would you just like the one-year or three-year? Every thing’s insured.”

Simmons is providing one other bundle known as the “Gene Simmons Bass Expertise”, which provides one fan and three friends the possibility to satisfy the KISS icon backstage. With this bundle, the fan will be capable to take residence certainly one of Simmons’s bass guitars, which may be signed and customized for $6,500 for a “non-stage-played” instrument, and $12,500 for one which Simmons beforehand performed at a present along with the ticket price.

Simmons‘s $12,495 “Private Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day” expertise is restricted to at least one per present and contains the next perks:

* You’ll meet up with Gene and GENE SIMMONS BAND members early within the day (both at his resort or designated location) to go over the band’s present day schedule.
* You may be on the GENE SIMMONS BAND group crew for the complete day!
* You’re going to get a GENE SIMMONS BAND crew member shirt and hat
* You’re going to get a GENE SIMMONS BAND crew member VIP laminate
* You’ll have a meal with Gene Simmons (on the resort or backstage on the present)
* You’ll arrive and cargo in to the venue with the band
* You’ll assist the band arrange for the present
* You’ll hang around backstage
* You’ll sit in on soundcheck
* Gene Simmons will carry you on stage in the course of the present and introduce you
* You’re going to get a setlist signed by Gene Simmons
* You may take images all through your total expertise
* It’s possible you’ll carry one visitor
* It’s possible you’ll carry 4 gadgets for Gene to signal (no devices, elements, and so on.)
* And… you get a Gene Simmons (KISS-rehearsal-used) bass signed by Gene Simmons

For extra info, go to GeneSimmonsAxe.com.

Throughout an look on a December 2024 episode of Billboard‘s “Behind The Setlist” podcast, Gene spoke about how he now excursions and performs together with his solo band. He responded: “I assumed I may avoid the stage [after the completion of KISS‘s ‘End Of The Road’ farewell tour]. It bears noting that there is a magic that occurs up there that phrases do not actually form of describe. It is a feeling, and it is powerful to speak about emotions. It is in all probability nearer to… There was a man named Dr. [Arthur] Janov and he had a form of an odd hippie standpoint about individuals having their stuff pent up. So you set individuals in a padded room. And it was known as scream remedy. You go in there and also you simply let unfastened and reportedly — I used to be by no means a part of that, however reportedly — individuals would come out drenched in sweat and relieved and drained and also you expel all these items. And going by way of life, there are guidelines. You may’t praise ladies an excessive amount of. There is no extra hugging. There’s all these guidelines. You may’t do trans jokes, homosexual jokes, Jew jokes, black — you possibly can’t do any of that stuff as a result of we’re very form of… There are refined guidelines that all of us have to concentrate on. Not on stage. You’re free. You simply expel all this vitality, and it is this celebration of life with the followers and also you, and also you get to this type of joyous place. So the GENE SIMMONS BAND is an opportunity for me, with some buddies who’re monsters on their devices, to go on the market and simply have a good time. It bears noting we do not have managers, highway crew, nothing. No vehicles, nothing. The native promoters present the backline, and we simply rise up there and play. And there aren’t any set-in-stone setlists. Followers can yell, ‘Hey, why do not you do ‘Virtually Human’ from 1804?’ You betcha. And also you break into it. Or, ‘Do you guys know ‘Complete Lotta Love’?’ ‘Yeah, I believe so.’ And also you break into it. Otherwise you jam. And at each present we carry followers up on stage. ‘Are you able to sing?’ ‘Are you able to play? Let’s have a celebration.'”

When requested how the concept for touring with out managers and a highway crew took place, Simmons replied: “Truly, it was achieved by black musicians once they performed the Chitlin’ Circuit, what was the black golf equipment, ‘trigger they could not play white golf equipment. So Chuck Berry, for instance, famously would present up together with his guitar, and there was an area band. Now, I do not do this — I take my band with me — however Berry would present up, and he’d inform the fellows, ‘Research the information, be taught these songs, I am gonna present up,’ and no rehearsal, nothing. Simply let it occur. And you’ll be as tight as THE [ROLLING] STONES. I do not know should you’ve ever seen THE STONES stay. Irrespective of how a lot they rehearse, there’s this type of sloppy, greasy manner of doing it. And also you by no means fairly know the place the tip of the tune is — it by no means fairly ends — as a result of there is no finish; you simply form of really feel it. So it is very straightforward. Now we have lots of enjoyable. The followers are, as they are saying on the road, digging it. And then you definately die. That is all there may be.”

Concerning what the distinction is to him financially when he performs exhibits together with his solo band in comparison with the way it was with KISS, Gene mentioned: “I make extra [with my solo band]. Yeah, there isn’t any managers, no personal jets, no 20 tractor trailers, no 60-man crew, no big exhibits. And the pyro alone for each [KISS] present was 10 grand, generally 50, relying should you go outside — huge, huge prices for doing that — however proud to have achieved that with [fellow KISS founder] Paul [Stanley] and the remainder of the fellows within the band. However it is a decidedly totally different factor. It is nearly as should you determined to lease some amps in a storage and plug in after which everyone from the neighborhood is available in and you’ve got a a lot totally different relationship. There’s none of that form of ready factor. It’s totally casual and an terrible lot of enjoyable.”

Along with Simmons, the GENE SIMMONS BAND members embrace guitarists Brent Woods (WILDSIDE, SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) and Zach Throne (COREY TAYLOR) alongside drummer Brian Tichy (LYNCH MOB, THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, PRIDE & GLORY, SLASH’S SNAKEPIT).

Again in 2017 and 2018, the GENE SIMMONS BAND performed a lot of exhibits with a lineup that consisted of Simmons alongside guitarist/bassist Jeremy Asbrock, guitarist Ryan Prepare dinner, guitarist Phil Shouse and drummer Brent Fitz.

Six years in the past, Simmons said about his solo exhibits: “Doing these smaller live performance halls, which maintain a thousand to 3 thousand individuals, means they get stuffed up by actual diehard followers. They do not wish to hear the ‘usual, usual.’ They wish to hear nuggets, as they are saying. It is a hoot for me as a result of I’ve by no means actually had an opportunity to do that stuff stay. It has been lots of enjoyable.” Gene informed the Chicago Solar-Instances: “By the tip, I get the possibility to carry as many individuals from the viewers as we are able to match on the stage to sing with me.”

Concerning how the concept for a solo tour took place, Simmons informed Australia’s Advertiser in a 2018 interview: “The GENE SIMMONS BAND was not a plan or something. A few 12 months in the past, a company occasion requested me to be keynote speaker … then they mentioned, ‘Will not you rise up and sing a couple of tunes?’ I defined which you could’t simply do this, you have to have a band and rehearse and all that. They mentioned, ‘Nicely, we’ll pay you X {dollars} extra,’ and I mentioned, ‘I such as you!’ “So I put collectively a band from Nashville — these guys again up Child Rock and plenty of different individuals — and with no single rehearsal, I simply informed them which songs I wished to do and so they realized them. It simply sounded pure — there may be such a factor known as chemistry. They do not train that wherever — I imply, they do train ‘chemistry’ however not the type I am speaking about. It felt proper and as quickly because the movies went on YouTube and such, individuals have been calling. This little GENE SIMMONS BAND by no means tried to be KISS… It was just a bit little bit of enjoyable and stuff. Now impulsively, we’re headlining festivals within the Czech Republic, Canada, Germany… It is loopy.”