After 45 years of big boots, big hair and even bigger personalities Kiss announced that they will launch their final tour ever in 2019, appropriately named End of the Road.
The initial announcement was made a month ago on NBC’s America’s Got Talent which sent the internet into overdrive with fans hoping their city would get one final Kiss show. The band announced today the first set of North American dates and cities. International markets were also announced simultaneously today.
The glam rock legends will launch their End of the Road Tour on January 31st in Vancouver, BC, at Rogers Arena and play an additional 43 dates throughout North America, wrapping up this leg of the tour in Birmingham, AL at the BJCC Arena on April 13th.
The End of the Road Tour will include band members Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer for the multi-year run that promises dates until at least 2020.
“Earth is a big place and we’re going to go to every corner,” said 69-year-old bassist and singer Gene Simmons.
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“One thing for sure is that this is the last tour. What goes beyond that is really hard to say,” said guitarist Paul Stanley of what will happen to the band beyond their End of the Road dates. “The tour may go three years, but once we play your city, it is done. That is our big thank you.”
When asked about the decision to call it quits, Simmons said, “How pathetic and sad would it be to see the band, and you’ve seen lots of them, (where) you remember their glory days and they’re out there a little bit too long. We have too much pride and self-respect in us, and too much love for our fans, to not live up to our self-imposed mandate,” he added. “You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest band in the world.”
In fact, it sounds like Kiss is stepping it up a notch for their finale, promising bigger than ever stage theatrics, technology and even brand-new attire.
According to Simmons, “These are new outfits that we took a long time to craft. All of us design our own stuff. At the end of the day we are fully complete by ourselves. We’re not only in Kiss, we’re fans of the band. I’m on stage with these guys. I look across the stage, and wow. We’re the greatest band on earth.”
Kiss promises that at each show on the tour they will perform hits and fan-favorites from their expansive catalogue with songs from their 1974 debut album to well into the 1990s and beyond.
“For all the audience saying ‘When are you going to record a new album or will you play a deep cut?’ Why? We have ‘Detroit Rock City,’ ‘Love Gun,’ ‘Rock and Roll All Night,’ “Shout Out Loud,’ ‘Firehouse,’ ‘Hotter Than Hell,’ and the list goes on and on,” said Stanley. “There isn’t room for some obscure song. Songs that are obscure are obscure for a reason.”
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“This tour is really the last chance for everybody to come, but especially those people who have never seen Kiss before. This is the last opportunity to come and see the wow that [Simmons] is talking about,” added guitarist Tommy Thayer. “Not only that, it is the last opportunity for the tried and true Kiss army to come out and see us one last time as well. So be there.”
Kiss will be offering VIP experiences and special Kiss Army fan presales. Kiss Meet & Greet Experiences will be available beginning Tuesday, October 30th at 10am local time through kissonline.com. Kiss Army fan club presales will begin Wednesday October 31st at 10 am local time also through kissonline.com.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday (Nov. 2) at 10 am local time. Check out upcoming tour dates below.
Kiss’ END OF THE ROAD 2019 Tour Dates:
Jan. 1 – Vancouver, BC, Canada @ Rogers Arena
Feb. 1 – Portland, OR @ Moda Center
Feb. 2 – Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
Feb. 4 – Spokane, WA @ Spokane Arena
Feb. 7 – San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
Feb. 8 – Fresno, CA @ Save Mart Center
Feb. 9 – Sacramanto, CA @ Golden 1 Center
Feb. 12 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
Feb. 13 – Glendale, AZ @ Gila River Arena
Feb.15 – Las Vegas, NV @ T-Mobile Arena
Feb. 16 – Inglewood, CA @ Forum
Feb. 19 – Corpus Christi, TX @ American Bank Center
Feb. 20 – Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center
Feb. 22 – New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
Feb. 23 – Memphis, TN @ FedEx Forum
Feb. 26 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
Feb. 27 – Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
March 1 – Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
March 2 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
March 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center
March 6 – Sioux Falls, SD @ Denny Sanford PREMIER Center
March 7 – Omaha, NE @ CHI Health Center Omaha
March 9 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
March 10 – Moline, IL @ TaxSlayer Center
March 12 – Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
March 13 – Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
March 16 – Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
March 17 – Clevland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
March 19 – Monteral, QC, Canada @ Bell Centre
March 20 – Toronto, ON, Canada @ Air Canada Centre
March 22 – Lond Island, NY @ NYCB LIVE’s Nassau Coliseum
March 23 – Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
March 26 – Boston, MA @ TD Garden
March 27 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
March 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
March 30 – Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
April 2 – Quebec City, QC, Canada @ Videotron Centre
April 3 – Ottawa, ON, Canada @ Canadian Tire Centre
April 6 – Raleigh, NC @ PNC Arena
April 7 – Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
April 9 – Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
April 11 – Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
April 12 – Jacksonville, FL @ Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
April 13 – Birmingham, AL @ BJCC
