Last Friday, KISS kicked off the first of eight Canadian stops, which will include shows in Ottawa, Windsor, Quebec City, Montreal, Halifax, and more. Iconic tongue-man Gene Simmons said in a recent interview with The Canadian Press, “This is less of a tour and more of a warm-up – you know, when you go to the gym and really push it hard and sweat it.” The band is gearing up for a bigger highly-anticipated fall tour, which will encompass more than 60 North American cities (including several Canadian ones), and is promised to include crazy new outfits as well as new songs.
The fall will also mark the release of KISS’s first studio album since ’98’s “Psycho Circus.” Produced by Paul Stanley and written only by the bandmates, the upcoming album promises to deliver good, old-fashioned, bare-bone rock. "No strings, no keyboards, no synths, no tambourines, no nothing – just meat and potatoes," Simmons said.
The marketing marvel is also looking for up-and-coming Canadian talent to possibly sign to his new record label, Simmons Records. Last Sunday he announced he’d be signing his first Canadian band (yet he won’t say who that is). However, Simmons was spotted taking in a live show by the group Hey Ocean!. And frontman Ashleigh Ball said that, although they spoke for several hours, no deal was made between the two parties.
Look for KISS’s fall tour, which is scheduled to kickoff in September, as the band plans on making another few stops in the Great North. "We're gonna hit Canada again," Simmons said, "because you've been very bad and you need to be punished."
KISS rocks north of the border
Canadian fans take in one of eight northern stops.
