Gene Simmons is reflecting on the start on KISS. While scrolling X, the rocker came across a picture of his band from 1973, the year it was founded.
“This photo of KISS was taken on July 13, 1973 at the Crystal Ballroom (the Hotel Diplomat) in New York City,” the original poster wrote alongside the pic of the band. “The band had nothing but the belief that they would become the biggest rock band in the world.”
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Simmons reposted the photo, writing, “1973. Seems like it was yesterday.”
Simmons started the band in ’73 alongside Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. The following year, the band released both their self-titled debut LP and their sophomore album, Hotter Than Hell.
The band behind such hits as “Rock And Roll All Nite” and “Beth,” found popularity in the ’70s and ’80s.
Throughout KISS’ decades-long tenure, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees earned 30 Gold albums and 14 Platinum albums.
What KISS Is Up to Now
Though they played what they billed as their final show in New York City in 2023, KISS has reunited several times since.
For one, the band held a fan fest in Las Vegas, which will host its second iteration later this year.
Set to run from Nov. 13-15, the fan event will feature two unmasked shows with Simmons, Stanley, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Carr. Other performances, Q&A sessions, meet and greets, karaoke sessions, and more are also on the docket for the weekend.
Additionally, during a May interview with KISSbySienna, Simmons revealed that KISS has plans to release new music.
“KISS is in the studio now. So we just recorded a new song, as a matter of fact, that Paul wrote,” he said. “I can’t tell you more about it. And that’ll be coming out at some point.”
On top of that, KISS has announced an avatar show, which will feature holograms of the band members. It’s slated to launch in 2028 in Las Vegas.
Jessica Koravos, one of the people producing the show, told Pollstar that the experience will be “a crazy 4D roller coaster ride through the hits, the comic book worlds and personas of KISS.”
(Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)