KISS bassist Gene Simmons recently spoke to Entertainment Tonight’s Kevin Frazier and reflected on his stage outfit and highly energetic shows. The bassist said that Beyonce would pass out within a half-four if she did what he had been doing.
Its members’ characteristic makeup, flamboyant stage outfits, and high effort-requiring live shows became KISS’ trademarks. They made the band instantly recognizable from the others. The group members decided that each would portray a specific stage persona with different costumes and makeup. They were inspired by ’70s glam rock, horror movies, science fiction, comic books, and many others.
Maybe this decision increased their popularity and visibility in the rock music scene, but it also gave them a challenging time during the stage shows they designed. They would try to perform while wearing these heavy costumes and platform heels, which requires serious physical effort. Thus, the band members also always needed to be in good shape to maintain the shows at the same level.
During his recent interview, Gene Simmons touched upon this issue and described KISS as ‘the hardest-working band out there.’ Then, he said he appreciates Beyonce’s success and loves her, but she wouldn’t make it longer than a half-hour if she carried all the weight he has during the stage performances. It is challenging for the other artists to give this kind of performance for the bassist due to the hard work it requires.
Gene Simmons reflecting on his stage outfit:
“You got to understand. We love Mick Jagger and Bruno Mars and Bono and anybody else; they’re all great, but if you put those guys, Beyoncé, put Beyoncé in my outfit with seven-to-eight-inch platform heels, dragon boots that each weighs as much as a bowling ball, the entire outfit, studs, leather, and armor is about 40 pounds. The guitar and the studs are 12 pounds by themselves. Then, you got to spit fire, fly through the air and do that for two hours. They would pass out within a half-hour.“
Simmons also stressed during the interview that the band’s ‘End of the Road‘ world tour would mark their final tour together as a group. They initially hit the road in 2019 and were interrupted by the pandemic, but their tour will conclude by 2023.
