Farewell Tour

Showtime presents

October 07, 2000

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley chat with fans about KISS's history, their music, and their farewell tour.

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Showtime: Please welcome KISS lead singer Paul Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons. The band's 27 year career will culminate with The Last KISS, a 90-minute pay per view show of one of their last concerts from the Farewell Tour, on October 7 at 8 PM ET (check your local listings for telecast times in your area). The original band members, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss are on stage for the tour. KISS has sold over 80 million albums and are second only to the Beatles in the number of Gold albums they have sold. Now, please welcome, Paul and Gene.

Paul: Hi Everybody! Glad to be here!

Vincent O: Some bands say that they are on a farewell tour, and then end up touring again a year later. Is this really the Farewell Tour?

Paul: This is absolutely the farewell tour. We have never played that game and we're not about to start. It's more important to us to leave while people are saying "Why are you quitting?" than to stay too long and hear them say "Why don't you quit?". It's important to me to go out while I'm physically capable of living up to my and everyone else's expectations, which can be pretty tough. We're in a position that's unique. We're musicians, super heroes and athletes. And from a physical standpoint, to perform at the top of your game there is a limit to how long that is possible.

Seweeli: What do you guys plan to do after the Farewell Tour? Are you going to work on other projects, or are you going to the beach to retire?

Paul: I have no plans to stop being creative and find myself vegetating or turning into a vegetable by doing nothing. It's a sad day when you have no challenges ahead of you, and I'm certainly not of that viewpoint.

Ambere77: What is your driving force to be continually different from other artists?

Paul: I think that, besides trying to live up to the expectations of the fans, there is nobody who is a tougher judge of me than I am. I know what my potential is and could not rest easily if I didn't feel I was constantly pushing the limits.

Devoted One9: Paul, are there any Broadway shows that you are contemplating right now?

Paul: There are a few. I've been lucky enough to be offered more than most performers will ever be in a position to pick and choose in the course of their entire career. It looks like I will be doing something within six months. There is a standing invitation to do "Phantom Of the Opera", which I have an ongoing fondness for. There is also a new musical being written which I would originate the starring role. And there are others, so as you can see the plate is not full, it's overflowing.

Mtifo: Paul, will you play the Phantom again after this tour?

Paul: I'm trying to put my schedule in order and as I said, after my 6 months run in Toronto, I felt that the work would not be done until I did it on Broadway. So now it's just a matter of when.

Manic Mann: What do your parents think about what you guys do on stage?

Paul: My parents are proud of what I've accomplished. As any parent I imagine would be. Facing the odds of trying to succeed in a business filled with obstacles and failure is an accomplishment that they hold in high regard.

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