KISS legend Gene Simmons joined Michael Franzese for an unforgettable conversation about his journey from surviving adversity to becoming a global icon with the legendary band. In the clip below, Gene opens up about his mother’s incredible story of surviving WWII Germany and how her resilience shaped his life and career. They dive into KISS’ meteoric rise to fame, the origins of their signature face paint and look, and the secrets behind their enduring success. Gene also shares insights into his early life, music influences, and his transition to becoming a successful businessman.
Following is an excerpt from the chat, with Simmons recalling the band’s first foray in full make-up.
Simmons: “Between that first application of the makeup to about three weeks later, I called up a local club, the Coventry, and convinced them to book us sight unseen or anything else for 35 bucks. And I remember there may have been 10 or 15 people there; my girlfriend at the time, a girl named Jan, her brother’s girlfriend, Lydia, the drummer’s (Peter Criss) wife, and a few others. And that was it. But we were on stage in makeup, getting off. There was something going on. And within a year and a half of the band forming, end of 1973, we were headlining Anaheim Stadium, before MTV, before digital. We didn’t even have hit records. Something happened. It just pervaded culture. All of a sudden, young kids started talking about this. And in those days you could make a career from magazines because that’s how things spread before.”
“In a very strange way, KISS became a very big band without hit songs. It was about the live shows. And if people are curious, if you go to YouTube, we would literally blow away any act that dared put us on stage. We’d just blow them off the stage. Some of it was smart. We had a KISS logo that was about six or seven feet tall; these bright lights that spelled out KISS. And nobody hung their name above them like a Las Vegas show. That was not considered cool, but we thought it was cool. So that when the next band came on after we were off, a half hour later, if you closed your eyes, you could still see KISS in your eyelids, if you know what I mean. They didn’t have enough time to clear the stage. So while they were on, the KISS logo was still on stage. And very quickly, we ran out of bands to open up for.”
Gene Simmons Band, the touring act around KISS singer/bassist, Gene Simmons, recently announced a string of 2025 tour dates. The Demon has added more shows to his 2025 slate, including dates in San Antonio, TX, Bethlehem, PA, and Rohnert Park, CA.
Simmons’ tour dates can be found below, and tickets are available via genesimmons.com.
2025 tour dates:
April
5 – The Event at Graton Resort & Casino – Rohnert Park, CA
25 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL
26 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore
28 – The Moon – Tallahassee, FL
29 – Florida Theater – Jacksonville, FL
30 – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL
May
3 – Beaver Dam Amphitheater – Beaver Dam, KY
5 – Basie – Red Bank, NJ
6 – Wellmont – Montclair, NJ
8 – Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem, PA
9 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
15 – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON
20 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN
22 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
23 – Tobin Center – San Antonio, TX
24 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX
