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“I was wondering if it was my time” Kiss’s Paul Stanley on recent illness
The band was forced to cancel the Ottawa, Toronto and Knoxville dates on their ‘End of the Road’ tour.
Image: Francesco Prandoni / Getty Images / X
Kiss frontman Paul Stanley has spoken about his harrowing experience with a recent bout of illness that forced the band to cancel three shows on their ongoing farewell tour.
The band, who are on the final leg of their ‘End of the Road’ tour, returned to stage on Saturday night (25 November) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
During a pre-show soundcheck and Q&A session, Stanley confesses that the experience was so dire it left him “wondering if it was my time”.
“I’ve done shows with cracked ribs, I’ve done shows with a 102 [degree] fever,” says the guitarist. “I was wondering if it was my time.”
The three cancelled shows were supposed to take place in Ottawa, Toronto and Knoxville on 21, 22 and 24 November respectively, though due to the close proximity in time to the final shows, they are not expected to be rescheduled.
Last Wednesday, Stanley posted a photo of himself attached to an IV drip on X, writing: “I’ve done everything possible to get onstage and be a part of the incredible 2 1/2 hour celebration we planned but this flu has made it impossible. I along with Gene, Tommy and Eric couldn’t be more disappointed and send our deepest apologies.”
Toronto And Ottawa… I’ve done everything possible to get onstage and be a part of the incredible 2 1/2 hour celebration we planned but this flu has made it impossible. I along with Gene, Tommy and Eric couldn’t be more disappointed and send our deepest apologies. pic.twitter.com/6RmgbeiqoV
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) November 22, 2023
In the meantime, the band has announced that their last ever show (2 December) at New York’s Madison Square Garden will be available to stream as a pay-per-view event via cable and various satellite operators.
Fellow Kiss member Gene Simmons has also recently said that while it might be the end of touring for the band, it certainly isn’t the end of the road for the Kiss brand.
“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.”