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KISS show paused as bassist Gene Simmons falls ill on stage

The band are currently on their End Of The Road tour.

Gene Simmons

Image: Francesco Prandoni / Getty

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KISS were forced to put a pause on their live show at Manaus, Brazil (12 April) after bassist Gene Simmons fell ill onstage.

As reported by Brazilian publication G1 (via Loudwire), fans had brought the bassist’s distress to the attention of frontman Paul Stanley, who paused the performance.

Stanley then addressed the audience, saying: “We’re gonna have to stop. We know how much you love Gene. He’s obviously sick, and we’re gonna have to stop to take care of him because we love him, right? Let’s give Gene a really loud, ‘Gene!’”

Thankfully, Simmons was able to recover and finished the gig by sitting down for the rest of the show.

Some media outlets and fans have speculated that heat exhaustion may have caused Gene to feel unwell, though nothing has been officially confirmed by Simmons himself, or the band.

According to G1, the temperature in Manaus at the time of the concert was between 26.9 degrees Celsius (80.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit).

A fan video has captured Simmons playing his bass from a chair whilst the band continued to perform:

VEJA! 😳 Gene Simmons passa mal em show da Kiss em Manaus e banda interrompe apresentação. SERÁ QUE FOI O CALOR??!! 🤨🎥 Reprodução/Twitter

Posted by Portal Holofote on Thursday, April 13, 2023

KISS’ run of shows in South America continues Saturday 15 April in Bogota, Colombia, and concludes at the end of the month. The band are then due to headline the Sonic Temple Festival in Ohio in May before heading to Europe.

Throughout Autumn, the band will play shows in the US and Canada, with their last shows taking place in early December at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Get tickets for their upcoming shows at KissOnline.com.

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