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KISS frontman Paul Stanley admitted his misgivings about his upcoming retirement from his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band.
Kiss's 'End of the Road' tour is expected to wrap up this year. The band has tour dates announced for South America and Europe from April through July, though an announcement about the final show(s) is forthcoming.
Despite the physical demands of each Kiss live show, going on 50 years in the band Stanley says it's hard to imagine moving on, no matter how much his joints are begging him to do so.
"Being on tour is pretty much three hours of elation, and 21 hours of being away from home, which honestly is not fun," Stanley confessed. "There are nights when I'm going to bed and going, 'What the hell am I doing here? Why am I here when I have a family home?' So there certainly is a push and pull, but there's nothing like being on stage, the gratitude that I feel."
As Stanley and his longtime counterpart Gene Simmons have maintained since announcing the 'End of the Road' tour in 2018, they can't deliver a full-force Kiss live show forever; it's better they call it a career on their own terms than hang on for too long.
"There are two things that are inevitable: death and taxes," he explained. "And it's inevitable the demise of us playing as a live band. Do I want to see that day? No. But it's necessary. Before we have no choice, I'd like to end it."
He added that the thought "doesn't make me happy," but retirement will give him some time to reflect on all Kiss has accomplished and give him more time to spend on other things, namely, his family.
For his part, Simmons confirmed in an interview last year that while he's having "the best time" on the road, he's certain he will be "crying like a baby" at the band's final show.
While the pair will look into ways to keep the brand Kiss going after their time in the band ends, for now they are focused on the tour.
Before the COVID pandemic disrupted their itinerary, Kiss's final show was scheduled for July 2021 in New York City. While the band has yet to announce the new date for the last show, the band has reportedly settled on a date and location.