Gene Simmons makes promise to fans amid solo tour
Gene Simmons has announced the end of his makeup days as he vows not to wear the iconic Kiss makeup again.
More so even than their music, Kiss’ makeup made them recognisable. It started quickly after their first gigs as the members began to each don their own unique face design. Paul Stanley was the Starchild, Ace Frehley was a spaceman, Peter Criss was painted like a cat, while Gene Simmons was always caked in his iconic demon makeup with flaming eyes.
The makeup became one of the clearest symbols of the 1970s and ‘80s glam rock and hair metal eras. They were maximalist in every sense of the word, from their outfits to their sound, and their black and white makeup showed that best.
However, in December 2023, the band played their last shows and waved goodbye on their own terms. The band’s final ever gig took place on December 2nd at Madison Square Garden, a show that was also available to watch on a pay-for-view livestream, and marked the end of a legendary group.
That’s not the end for the members, however. Simmons, the band’s lead vocalist and bass player, is already planning to head out on the road with a new project. Simmons was a member of Kiss from the very beginning and stuck it around to the end, so his move to a new project is a major moment for fans. He’s had plenty of strange side quests before, like launching a magazine or starring in films, but this will be the first clear Simmons solo music.
“We’ve got a little side band called the Gene Simmons Band, and we’ll be headlining festivals across Europe, South America,” he told Entertainment Tonight. He was quick to clarify that the look will be very different as he added, “No more makeup for me.”
Helping to transition between moments in his life, Simmons’ decision to leave the makeup behind feels almost like a mark of respect for his old band and their importance in his life. As their final shows wrapped up, they seemed to lay those characters to rest and wipe off the foundation at the end as a goodbye to the band that made them. Now, as he embarks on a new journey, it would feel wrong for Simmons to bring the demon along without his friends.
For Kiss fans, though, there will be a chance to see the makeup again in the near future. As they did their final shows, the band announced a “new era” of the group with the help of the hologram technology used at the ABBA voyage shows. At their last show, they debuted the digital versions of themselves that they plan to pump millions of dollars into making work.
“There’s so much being planned, even beyond my comprehension. But they’re spending, oh, about 200 million [dollars] to take it to the next level,” Simmons said of the project. For the musician, the prospect of holograms feels like the chance at immortality for the group that can no longer perform live together.
“We can be forever young and forever iconic by taking us to places we’ve never dreamt of before,” he said in a video online. “The technology is going to make Paul [Stanley] jump higher than he’s ever done before … If you think you are going to get rid of us then that’s not going to happen.”
Whether you see Simmons bare-faced with his new band or hold out to see holograms of Kiss take over digital arenas at some point in the future, the musician is not going anywhere.
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