A look back at 50 years of Kiss-tory as the legendary band prepares to take its final bow

Who hasn't slid across the floor in their socks'N'jocks - Risky Business-style - with "Rock And Roll All Nite" on full blast?!

KISS epitomizes what rock music used to be all about - fun, positive energy, having a good time.

Then along came the 90s, with grunge single-handedly destroying that vibe with a bunch of sad boys singing about how depressed they all were. Boo-frickin-hoo.

Give us KISS, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Gunners, ACDC et.al any day of the week. May they live on forever!

What a bunch of garbage money moochers no talent hacks

GWAR was better.

Hardly one of the biggest bands in the world.

runner3Today 11:44 am JST

Hardly one of the biggest bands in the world.

LOL. Tell me you don't know anything about RocknRoll without telling me you don't know anything about RocknRoll. They were huge and lauded by all the Metal mags back in the day. I loved them as a kid growing up in Australia.

They simply were one of the Biggest bands in the world, and sold out Budokan 5 times, compared to the Beatles 4.

As the articles says, yet another “farewell” tour/gig? That nineteen years is longer than Sinatra’s protracted farewell tours of the 1970s.

spinningplatesToday  12:30 pm JST

Tell me you don't know anything about RocknRoll without telling me you don't know anything about RocknRoll. 

They simply were one of the Biggest bands in the world, and sold out Budokan 5 times, compared to the Beatles 4.

Pot meet kettle.

The Beatles came to Japan just once. In 1966. At the end of their last set of public gigs. How many times did Kiss come to Japan……..? And with a much longer career span.

JayToday  07:34 am JST

Who hasn't slid across the floor in their socks'N'jocks - Risky Business-style - with "Rock And Roll All Nite" on full blast?!

Me, for one. Prefer to swing my arm like Townsend, or duck walk like Page/Berry.

Give us KISS, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Gunners, ACDC et.al any day of the week. May they live on forever!

The only decent band in that list is ACDC. But then, they’re all just watered-down versions of Led Zeppelin. A band that none could dream of coming close to.

Their early albums showed they can play hard rock albeit simple but became real bubblegum crap in later years. But they've been around for over 50yrs..no simple feat so love'em or hate'em, they remain popular and have longevity. Few bands have worked as hard with over 30 tours and 2,000 concerts. Stanley and Simmons are also good businessmen who were able to effectively use merchandizing to boost popularity and make millions.

Never a huge fan, but saw them when they were one of the opening acts for the New York Dolls. The other band that opened that night was a group called Aerosmith. I liked them.

aaronagstringToday  01:21 pm JST

As the articles says, yet another “farewell” tour/gig? That nineteen years is longer than Sinatra’s protracted farewell tours of the 1970s.

Another 'farewell' tour. How many times have we heard this before? 1999. No wait, 2010. No no no, 2020 - oops the pandemic and Trumpian terrorism put a quwatus (sp?) on that. Oh my my my, it's now. It's NOW. It's NEEE-OWWW!!! Git yo tickets this very instant!

KISS probably won't even stop until every one of them is dead and even then they may make holograms like ABBA did so all the suckers and their money will be parted.

Why not? Donald Fagan calls himself 'Steely (STEALy) Dan', Don Henley calls himself and a collection of Jow Schmucks 'The Eagles' and I read even Bill Medley alone goes by the moniker 'Righteous Brothers'.

Another money-stealing gimmick. And what has KISS done during the past 30 years that amount to anything? Doodley squat, that's what.

aaronagstringToday  01:21 pm JST

The only decent band in that list is ACDC. But then, they’re all just watered-down versions of Led Zeppelin. A band that none could dream of coming close to.

None of those bands intended to sound like or actually sound like Led Zeppelin which had much more progressive, skillful, and talented musicians who had eclectic musical tastes.

spingingplates,

Looks like I hurt your feelings. I never intended to do that. But would you seriously even put kiss in the top 100 bands? There're an act but not a serious band. I could see someone liking them as a kid, but come on. Kiss would rehears in Vancouver before they went on tour. I was working at the pacific coliseum were they had their rehearsals. It was really funny watching trying to move around on stage, and they sounded terrible live.

Haha, no hurt feelings runner3, just wanted to put some facts out there. It's true it was a long time ago, like them or not, in 1976-78 they were one of the biggest bands around. It's a fact.

Eagerly awaiting the 2024 Comeback Tour

Kiss has a few good songs. 20 or so. Not bad.

They are all here.

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-kiss-songs/

I have seen them live. Yep. Twice. Well, wait. I was dragged against my will. LOL.

Paul is very good vocalist and rhythm player who can jump in and out lead. I use the exact same heads based on the R. Blackmore model, but powered with EL84s instead of the stock 5881s" As Paul does. I can get raunchy delayed tones out of heads without using those cheesy effects pedals. Through hand strength. Paul's playing is the same way. Ace F. too.

If they just dropped the costumes and the drama and the endless final tour stuff. It would be cooler.

Let Paul control the band and not Ego maniac Gene Simmons who by the way is so hated by many in the Rock scene. With Gene. Its all. I , me, myself. Big Bad Gene Simmons. Van Halen is because of me. Bla Bla.

You want to give real respect to a real rock band? Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Saxon, Slayer, Ozzy, Sabbath who never really disbanded. These are real rock bands that deserve respect.

Simple fact: KISS ROCKS!

I saw them the first time in either 76 or 77. Awesome & raw rockers.

Since then I've seem them at least a dozen times.

Here's the point, folks : enjoyable entertainment!

I saw them at Tokyo Dome in 2019, part of the farewell "End Of The Road" tour (interrupted by a certain "flu"). It was a great show.

Snobs notwithstanding.

I remembered the boys in my class singing their song "Beth, I hear you calling.' I can still hear them singing that song, ugh. Truly, I was not a KISS fan, however, I watched Gene Simmon and his family in their reality show JEWELS, and Gene was funny to watch as a father and he is not that good of an actor to fake the things he did that were hilariously funny and or what he did to their friends if they stepped out of line.

I was never a fan but they can write some good songs and play and put on a great performance.

light years beyond the likes of the endlessly media hyped Beyonce.