KISS apparently called it a career last year with their final pair of shows at Madison Square Garden to cap their “End Of The Road” world tour. While it remains to be seen if the band is drawn out of retirement from the stage, bassist Gene Simmons is gigging this year with his solo band.
On a recent episode of Steve-O’s Wild Ride, Simmons talked about his solo band, and shared that he actually makes more money now for performing than he did with KISS.
“I designed a business model that is just semi-genius,” Simmons said. “I show up with my guitar pick. That’s it. There’s no manager, no roadies, no trucks, no equipment. Everything is provided by the promoter. The flights, the hotels, all the amplifiers, the drums, everything is rented locally. That’s the promoter’s cost, and whatever six-figure or more amount there is, I pocket. And I literally make more money per gig being Gene Simmons and the Gene Simmons Band than I did in KISS — not counting the ancillaries and all that — because you don’t have a 60-man crew, three double deckers, private jet that’s on call seven days a week and 20 to 24 tractor trailers.”
Simmons disappointed some KISS fans with the setlist selection for his solo band’s festival dates, which so far has mirrored a lot of what KISS was doing on their final tour. However, he’s hinted that it’s far more likely his solo band will play lesser known and deep KISS cuts once they begin playing shows in the U.S.
See Simmons’ full appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride below.
