“I feel sad and angry that both Ace and Peter aren’t here”: Gene Simmons on the absence of Ace Frehley and Peter Criss at Kiss’s final shows

Kiss tours might be coming to an end, but it’s certainly not the end of the road for the Kiss brand, according to Gene Simmons, who says that the band’s shows will “live on in different ways”.

• READ MORE: Kiss’s last show ever will be streamed on pay-per-view

The bassist makes the statement in a new interview with 519 Magazine, where he opens up about the direction Kiss is headed after their End Of The Road farewell tour officially wraps up next month.

“This tour is the end of the road for the band, not the brand,” Simmons says. “Kiss is a universe of its own – movies, merchandise, maybe even Broadway. The band will end, but the Kiss experience… it’s immortal.”

“It’s the end of touring,” the musician clarifies, adding that the intense physical demands of their shows makes it tough to continue. “I’ve got 40 pounds of armour and all the rest of it and seven-inch platform heels. Each of the dragon boots weighs as much as a bowling ball. Physically, it’s tough to do that.”

That said, Simmons has assured fans that Kiss’s presence would be kept alive, albeit in slightly different ways than before.

“Kiss will continue,” he explains. “There’s a Kiss museum in Las Vegas at the Rio called Kiss World, and oh my goodness, we have Kiss cruises, a movie coming out, and we’re working on a cartoon show, a lot of stuff. And of course, all the fun toys and games that will continue.”

“The Kiss show will live on in different ways. Yes, that’s being planned. It’ll also be four to ten different travelling shows. So, you’ll be able to be in Japan and have Japanese actors, musicians being us, and at the same time you could go to Vegas or New York or London.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Simmons also laments the absence of original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss at the band’s final shows, saying: “I feel sad. I feel sad and angry that both Ace and Peter aren’t here.”

“I mean, they’re alive, but they’re not here to enjoy this unbelievable journey with us. They were there at the beginning and deserve all the credit. And when they look in the mirror, the only reason they’re not here with us is themselves.”

“Inviting them was as much for the fans as it was for us. Kiss has always been about the whole, not the individual. It would’ve been fitting to have all of us there, one last time.”