Credit: Jen RosensteinDuring a recent appearance on NBC’s America’s Got Talent, KISS announced that they’d be launching a 2019 farewell tour called the End of the Road trek. Now, the rock legends have unveiled initial dates for the outing.
The North American leg begins January 31 in Vancouver, Canada, and is currently scheduled through an April 13 show in Birmingham, Alabama.
KISS co-founder Paul Stanley tells ABC Radio the End of the Road tour will feature “the most bombastic, biggest, most explosive, most revolutionary show we’ve ever done.”
As for why the band has decided to stop touring now, Stanley explains, “Some retire when they’re over the hill…We’re at the top of our game. We’ve never been better…It’s a great time for us to say, ‘Well, we’ve played beat the clock, and sooner or later the clock’s gonna win. Before that happens, let’s go out.'”
Fellow KISS founder Gene Simmons has a more poetic way of putting it.
“[I]f you’re a mountain climber and you’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro or the highest mountains on earth, why would you go back down if you’re only halfway up?” he poses “Only come down when you’re at your best and you reach the top of that mountain…That’s what we’re gonna do.”
Fans will have plenty of opportunity to say goodbye, because Stanley says, “This is a three-year tour, more or less.”
And could former KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss make guest appearances? “We’re not ruling anything out,” says Simmons.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday, November 2, at 10 a.m. local time. KISS Army fan club members can grab them starting Wednesday, October 31, at 10 a.m. local. Visit KISSOnline.com for more details.
Here’s a full list of KISS’ confirmed North American tour dates:
1/31 — Vancouver, BC, Canada, Rogers Arena
2/1 — Portland, OR, Rose Garden Moda Center
2/2 — Tacoma, WA, Tacoma Dome
2/4 — Spokane, WA, Spokane Arena
2/7 — San Diego, CA, Viejas Arena
2/8 — Fresno, CA, Save Mart Center
2/9 — Sacramento, CA, Golden 1 Center
2/12 — Anaheim, CA, Honda Center
2/13 — Glendale, AZ, Gila River Arena
2/15 — Las Vegas, NV, T-Mobile Arena
2/16 — Inglewood, CA, The Forum
2/19 — Corpus Christi, TX, American Bank Center
2/20 — Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center
2/22 — New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center
2/23 — Memphis, TN, FedEx Forum
2/26 — Oklahoma City, Chesapeake
2/27 — Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center
3/1 — Milwaukee, WI, Fiserv Forum
3/2 — Chicago, IL, United Center
3/4 — Minneapolis, MN, Target Center
3/6 — Sioux Falls, SD, Denny Sanford Premier Center
3/7 — Omaha, NE, CenturyLink Center
3/9 — Grand Rapids, MI, Van Andel Arena
3/10 — Moline, IL, Mark of the Quad Cities
3/12 — Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
3/13 — Detroit, MI, Little Caesars Arena
3/16 — Columbus, OH, Nationwide Arena
3/17 — Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
3/19 — Montreal, QC, Canada, Bell Centre
3/20 — Toronto, ON, Canada, Air Canada Centre
3/22 — Uniondale, NY, Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
3/23 — Uncasville, CT, Mohegan Sun Arena
3/26 — Boston, MA, TD Garden
3/27 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden
3/29 — Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
3/30 — Pittsburgh, PA, PPG Paints Arena
4/2 — Quebec City, QC, Canada, Videotron Centre
4/3 — Ottawa, ON, Canada, Canadian Tire Centre
4/6 — Raleigh, NC, PNC Arena
4/7 — Atlanta, GA, Philips Arena
4/9 — Nashville, TN, Bridgestone Arena
4/11 — Tampa, FL, Amalie Arena
4/12 — Jacksonville, FL, Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
4/13 — Birmingham, AL, BJCC
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