Kiss will always be known, above all else, as the band without a face. Until 1983, when the group removed its distinctive comic-book makeup, the four members' faces supposedly had never been photographed (although pictures of them applying their makeup for an early photo session ran in Creem magazine in the early Eighties).
Theatrics and basic hard rock have been a main calling card for Kiss, who were one of the biggest-selling acts of the Seventies and who inspired the Kiss Army, as fans refer to themselves. The quartet formed in the heyday of glitter and rock theater, and it set out to define, at first, evil cartoon-character personas, highlighted by Gene Simmons' bass-playing, fire-breathing, tongue-wagging ghoul.
The group was founded by Simmons and star-eyed rhythm guitar-playing frontman Paul Stanley, who met in a band in 1970. They found "Catman" drummer Peter Criss through his ad in Rolling Stone. After rehearsing as a trio, the group took out an ad in the Village Voice for a guitarist with "flash and balls" and discovered Ace Frehley, who adopted a "Spaceman" persona. At the time, they were all working dead-end jobs, with the exception of Simmons, who taught school at P.S. 75 in Manhattan. Their visual image and game plan were in place from the start. After a few New York shows, Kiss met independent television director Bill Aucoin, who helped the group get a deal with Casablanca Records.
The critics hissed at the anonymous heavy-metal thud rock on the band's first three albums and howled at its mock-threatening image. Nonetheless, Kiss hit it off with its fans (the Kiss Army) from the very start. After some hard financial times (an entire 1975 tour was reportedly financed on Aucoin's American Express card), the band took off with Alive! (Number 9, 1975), which contained the Top Twenty hit "Rock and Roll All Nite."
In 1976 the band's sound and image shifted toward not necessarily softer but certainly more commercial fare, beginning with Criss' ballad "Beth" (#7, 1976), a million-seller that he wrote for his wife, Lydia. Accordingly, Kiss' audience grew from mostly male adolescent heavy-metal fans to include more teenyboppers. As the group racked up more and more platinum records - six between 1976 and 1979 - it became increasingly less threatening. Young fans were frequently photographed wearing the makeup of their favorite Kiss member.
On June 28, 1977, Marvel Comics published a Kiss comic book. The red ink used supposedly contained a small amount of blood from the band members themselves. It sold over 400,000 copies. In the fall of 1978 NBC broadcast a feature-length animated cartoon entitled Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park, and Marvel issued a second Kiss comic. But the group's popularity was beginning to wane. Four simultaneously released solo LPs sold poorly — Frehley's was most popular — although the group had several hit singles, including the disco-metal oddity "I Was Made for Loving You" (Number 16, 1979).
In 1980 Criss left for a solo career. He was replaced by Eric Carr, who drummed into the Nineties but died of cancer at age 41. The group then briefly changed its image, abandoning the comic-book characters for a New Romantic–influenced look. Music From "The Elder," an overambitious concept album, featured songs cowritten by Lou Reed and was the group's first album not to go gold. Kiss quickly reverted to its ghoul makeup and primitive hard-rock music, and Creatures of the Night eventually sold 500,000 copies and was certified gold.
What to do? Change image again. Lick It Up (Number 24, 1983) depicted the group (now with Vinnie Vincent in place of Frehley) without its makeup and sparked a commercial resurgence. By the early Nineties, Kiss had sold more than 70 million albums. And as proof that in rock & roll anyone can become a legend if he sticks around long enough, 1994 saw the release of Kiss My Ass, on which artists as diverse as Garth Brooks, Lenny Kravitz, and Anthrax recorded their favorite Kiss songs as a tribute to the band critics loved to hate.
The success of the album anticipated the 1996 reunion of the original Kiss for the taping of MTV's Unplugged (Number 15, 1996), which in turn led to a full-on reunion tour — the year's highest-grossing concert attraction — complete with makeup, stage blood, and pyrotechnics. With Carnival of Souls (Number 27, 1997) already recorded, the recombinant Kiss released Psycho-Circus in 1998. Though much of the album was reportedly performed by session musicians, the album reached Number Three.
In 2000 and 2001, the band's original lineup toured, theoretically for the last time. But in 2003, a new lineup — with Tommy Thayer as "Space Ace" lead guitarist and Eric Singer as "Catman" drummer augmenting Stanley and Simmons — went on the road, earning the seventh highest total gross for music tours that year. Kiss toured again in 2004, but performed only occasional shows for the next few years, not hitting stadiums in earnest again until 2008. Then in 2009, the band put out Sonic Boom, its first new studio album in 11 years. Intended to mark a return to their classic Seventies glam-stomp sound, it hit Number Two in the U.S., Kiss's highest album-chart position ever, and helped kick off another tour of North America and Europe.
Whatever Kiss's future status might be, the band's legacy is ensured by the savvy merchandising of its instantly recognizable, cartoonish image, which has inspired pinball games, plastic action figures and more comic book spinoffs. Career retrospectives such as 2002's The Very Best Of Kiss (Number 52), and live albums such as 2003's Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (Number 18) will almost certainly continue to appear. Meanwhile, Simmons has enjoyed a long-term second career expanding his own, obnoxious personal brand — taking on radio host Terri Gross on National Public Radio in 2002, starring in the Gene Simmons Family Jewels reality show on the A&E network since 2006, and playing the occasional movie villain. All of which goes along with what could be this band's real credo: Rock & Roll all nite, and market yourself every day.
In February 2003, Kiss traveled to Australia and recorded Kiss Symphony: Alive IV with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra at Etihad Stadium (then known as Telstra Dome) in Melbourne. Thayer once again replaced Frehley, while Peter Criss returned to the group. This album was the first released on Sanctuary Records, which has since been sold to Universal Music Group – owners of the rest of Kiss' catalog.
Despite claims made prior to the Farewell Tour that it would be the group's last, Kiss announced a co-headlining tour with Aerosmith in 2003. Frehley announced that his departure from the band was permanent, stating that he believed the Farewell Tour would be Kiss's last and that he did not want to open for Aerosmith. He was permanently replaced by Thayer, as Kiss moved into a post-reunion phase that saw the band easing into a new line-up, permanently featuring Thayer as "Space Ace" and Singer as "the Catman". On this tour, still featuring Peter Criss, the group introduced the "Platinum" tickets package, with the most expensive packages costing $1,000. This package included a seat in the first five rows, a meet-and-greet with Kiss after their performance, and a photograph with the band. The tour earned more than $64 million in 2003, which ranked number seven for the year. Simmons and Stanley did not renew Criss' contract when it expired in March 2004. Criss, on his website, stated that "No one, again, no one has called me, or my attorney about an extension for future touring. As a founding member I find this to be disrespectful to me, and to the fans that have made us one of the biggest bands in the world." Criss stated in a radio interview in 2004 with Eddie Trunk that Simmons and Stanley were going to start a new Kiss, and felt that he was getting too old to play the drums for two hours (Criss is 4 years older than Simmons).
During the summer of 2004, Kiss headlined the Rock the Nation 2004 World Tour, with Poison as the opening act. The tour ended in August with a sold-out show in Mexico City. Selected dates on the tour were filmed for the Rock the Nation Live! concert DVD, released on December 13, 2005. Stanley, who had been experiencing increasing difficulty with his hip, had his mobility limited during the tour. He has already had two hip surgeries performed, with more likely in the future. After the conclusion of the Rock the Nation Tour, Kiss performed only sporadically for a number of years. The group played two shows in 2005, and another six in 2006. Four of the 2006 shows were July concerts in Japan, including two dates (July 22 and 23) as a headlining act at the 2006 Udo Music Festival. Kiss performed four July 2007 concerts, three of which were dubbed the Hit 'N Run Tour. Prior to the final show on July 27, Stanley was hospitalized with an extremely rapid heartbeat. In his absence, Kiss performed in concert as a trio for the first time since 1982. This was the first Kiss concert Stanley had missed during his then 34-year tenure with the group.
Kiss (along with Queen, Def Leppard, and Judas Priest) were honored at the inaugural "VH1 Rock Honors" event, held May 25, 2006 in Las Vegas. On April 9, 2006, The Associated Press announced the event by saying "the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looks to be getting some competition." A tribute band, consisting of Rob Zombie (vocals), Slash (guitar), Scott Ian (bass), and Supernova bandmates Tommy Lee (drums) and Gilby Clarke (guitar), performed "God of Thunder" with Ace Frehley.
In June 2006, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley attended the opening of the Kiss Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. On October 15, 2006, Simmons, Stanley, and Criss were inaugural inductees into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame, along with performers such as Neil Diamond, Billy Joel, Louis Armstrong, The Ramones and Tony Bennett.
Stanley released his second solo album, Live to Win, on October 24, 2006, and undertook a brief solo tour in support. On October 31 the same year, the group released Kissology Volume One: 1974–1977, the first of 10 possible DVD sets featuring complete concert footage, interviews, and never-before-seen clips. As of January 2007, the set is certified 5X platinum in the United States. A second volume was released on August 14, 2007. It was certified 6X Platinum by the R.I.A.A. on October 24.[114] What seemed to be the final entry, Kissology Volume Three: 1992–2000, was released on December 18, 2007 and has been certified 8X Platinum by the R.I.A.A.[115] Stanley insisted that there are more volumes forthcoming in an interview with Norwegian broadcasting in the summer of 2008, but no details have been given.
In April 2007, tragedy struck Kiss again. Their former guitarist, Mark St. John, died from an apparent cerebral hemorrhage at age 51.[116] After being fired from Kiss in 1984, St. John formed the short-lived glam metal group White Tiger. In 1990 he briefly collaborated with Peter Criss in a band called The Keep, which only performed once and released no recordings. St. John largely dropped out of public view in later years, but did make occasional appearances at Kiss fan conventions.
Though Kiss has been eligible for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (whose rules state that an act is eligible 25 years after its first release) since 1999/2000, they were not nominated until 2009. While this snub displeases some fans, Stanley and Simmons maintain that it is meaningless to them. Nevertheless, a group of about 200 Kiss fans held a protest rally in front of the Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio on August 5, 2006. It was the first known organized demonstration seeking the induction of a band into the Hall. On December 15, 2009, it was announced that Kiss would not be among the Hall's 2010 inductees.
In 2007, a new comic book series featuring the band was released by the Kiss Comics Group in association with Platinum Studios. Entitled Kiss 4K: Legends Never Die, the first issue came out in a regular size and a giant 1.5' x 2.5' size, dubbed the Destroyer edition. Kiss were scheduled to play in Whistler in mid September, but the concert plans were cancelled late August because of passport problems.
Then, in 2008 saw the band picking up the pace, doing their first proper tour of Europe in nearly a decade. On January 30, 2008, guitarist and vocalist Paul Stanley confirmed that Kiss would launch the Kiss Alive/35 World Tour, playing arena and stadium shows in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. On March 16, 2008, Kiss closed the Formula 1 ING Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit as well as performing in Brisbane and Sydney as part of this tour. Kiss played at the Rock2Wgtn two-day festival held inWellington, New Zealand on March 22 and 23, 2008; a festival which also featured Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Poison, Alice Cooper, Lordi, Sonic Altar and Symphony of Screams with special effects provided by WETA Workshop of Lord of the Rings and King Kongfame.
Throughout the summer of 2008, Kiss headlined festivals as well as their own shows and played to a record audience of about 400 000 people. As part of this tour Kiss headlined the Download Festival in Donington, England, on June 13. Three days later they headlined the Arrow Rock Festival in Nijmegen, Netherlands. On June 28, Kiss headlined the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium. It was the last show in the European leg of the 'Alive 35' tour. Monday, Aug. 4, Kiss played at Rockin' The Rally at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally as part of the tour. South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds proclaimed August 4, 2008, to be "Kiss Rock and Roll Day" in South Dakota. In September 2008, both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley confirmed rumors that the Kiss Alive/35 Tour would continue with a big tour of North America in the beginning of 2009, a big tour in South America, when Kiss played in April 5 in Argentina, April 7 and 8 in Brazil, April 14 in Peru (first Kiss show ever in Peru) and other concerts in Venezuela (first Kiss show ever in Venezuela) and Chile, in the mid-end of the 2009 year Kiss came back to North America to continue the Alive/35 tour, starting at July 18 in Halifax, NS.
2008–10: Sonic Boom
More than ten years after their last studio album, and following years of denials about ever wanting to do a new album, Stanley and Simmons changed their minds. In November 2008, Paul Stanley stated to rock photographer Ross Halfin that a new Kiss album was in the works. Stanley himself would be the producer, and the album would have a "real 70s Kiss sound" to it. Later that month, Simmons and Stanley both publicly confirmed the information about a new Kiss album.
"We have 4 tunes recorded. If you're a fan of our stuff from about 1977, you'll feel right at home. All of us have taken up the songwriting call to arms in the same spirit we once did – without a care in the world and without outside writers. Nothing to prove to anyone. Just doing what comes naturally. Ignoring fashions, trends and with a personal vow from all of us: no rapping. There are plenty of people out there doing this and they don't need four palefaced guys pretending they're from the hood. Besides, I'm not sure how to correctly pronounce 'wassup.' See you all there...Or maybe later!"
The band appeared on American Idol in May 2009 performing with Adam Lambert, singing "Detroit Rock City" and "Rock and Roll All Nite".
In July 2009, Paul Stanley announced a release date of October 6, 2009 for the new album Sonic Boom. It included a CD of new material, re-recorded versions of famous Kiss hits (previously released as Jigoku-Retsuden, a Japanese exclusive album in 2008) and a live DVD in Buenos Aires, Argentina. "Modern Day Delilah" was announced and released as the lead single from Sonic Boom on August 19, 2009 to radio. The song was Kiss' first single release in 11 years, the song's predecessor being "You Wanted the Best" which was released in 1998 off the band's Psycho Circus album. Due to early previews of the album, the song has gained positive feedback from both critics and fans, and has been compared to the band's '70s work. In support of the new album, Kiss appeared live on Late Show with David Letterman on October 6, 2009 and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on October 7, 2009. Sonic Boom debuted at Number 2 on the Billboard 200, selling 108,000 copies in its first week of release.
On September 25, 2009, the Kiss Alive/35 North American Tour kicked off at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan; both nights were filmed for future DVD release. These were the band's final performances there, as the venue was scheduled to be closed, however it is still holding events to this day (such as the Carnage Tour with Slayer & Megadeth, in August 2010). The tour was originally scheduled to conclude on December 6, 2009, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, however, several additional shows have been added and the last performance is now scheduled for December 15 in Sault Ste. Marie.
Kiss headlined Voodoo Fest 2009 held at City Park in New Orleans, Louisiana on Halloween Night.
During their performance at the MTS Centre on November 9, 2009 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, one of the lighting trusses caught on fire from a pyro cue. The truss had to be lowered in order to have the fire put out. During the five or so minutes it took to extinguish the fire, the band broke into the song "Firehouse". No one was hurt and the show continued on.
Kiss started the European leg of the Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour in May 2010. Tragedy struck Kiss for a third time, when their former manager Bill Aucoin died of cancer on June 28, 2010 at the age of 66. Stanley and Simmons said he was like the fifth member of Kiss. The tour included their first UK arena shows in 11 years and their first visit to Slovakia. Kiss later played at two dates in US cities Cheyenne, Wyoming and The North Dakota State Fair in Minot, North Dakota in July 2010. They also played at the Indiana state fair in August and the Minnesota State Fair in September. They also made a brief appearance at S.P.A.C. (Saratoga Performing Arts Center) in Saratoga, New York on August 17, 2010. On July 23, Kiss started The Hottest Show on Earth Tour in the United States. The tour saw the band play numerous shows throughout the US, Canada and Mexico.
2011–present: Monster, 40th anniversary and Arena Football League
On April 13, 2011, Kiss began recording a new album due for release later in the year. Gene Simmons stated, the album "is gonna be the next step to Sonic Boom. Very similar – straight rock songs, no ballads, no keyboards, no nothing, just rock." The band also went to use old analog equipment instead of a more popular digital recording gear. Gene Simmons said about it: "Technology is a seductive bitch, she will seduce you. You press this button, you don't have to do anything. But analog is the love of your life. You can push real hard and it always gives back. For the new album, the actual recording process was 24-track tape and an old Trident board. And as many tubes as possible. You need tubes, electricity and thick wood to make that thick sound."
In March 2011, while visiting Israel, Simmons announced that he had plans to bring Kiss to Israel. In May 2011, Kiss announced the first ever KISS Kruise to set sail in October 2011. The cruise will feature many activities such as the Kiss Halloween Party, Kiss Q&A on the Lido Deck and two Kiss shows (one of which is an acoustic show with no make-up), along with other artists.
Kiss spent the summer of 2011 playing venues in the US and Canada, visiting cities to which they have not been in a while. They have dubbed this the "Lost Cities Tour".
On August 21, 2011, it was announced on the band's website that the next album would be called Monster. Monster was originally slated for release in fall 2011, but was then delayed until January 2012, and again until June–July 2012, with an official release for October 2012.
The band organized a KISS Kruise on board a cruise ship during October 13–17, 2011. The show involved acoustic sets as well as other activities. Over 5 days the cruise began in Miami, Florida and ended in Half Moon Cay. The second annual KISS Kruise set sail from October 31 to November 4, 2012, beginning in Miami and ending in Great Stirrup Cay. The third annual KISS Kruise is due to set sail on October 28, 2013.
KISS by Monster Mini Golf was opened in March in 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The facility is an 18-hole indoor miniature golf course, featuring arcade games, gift shop, and numerous pieces of band memorabilia on display. The complete current version of the band attended the grand opening.
Kiss appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on March 20, 2012. A press conference was held on the same day to announce the summer North American tour called The Tour, co-headlined with Mötley Crüe. The Tour started on July 20 and ended on October 1.
The new single, "Hell or Hallelujah", was released on July 2, 2012 internationally and on July 3 in North America along with the Monster Book. Monster was released on October 9, 2012 in North America to much critical and fan acclaim, debuting in the Top 3 in the US and Top 10 in many countries.
Kiss kicked off the Monster World Tour on November 7, 2012 in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the River Plate Stadium following the second annual KISS Kruise and continued the 6 date South American leg with dates in Santiago, Asunción, Porto Alegre, São Paulo andRio de Janeiro until November 18, 2012. The Australian leg began on February 28, 2013 in Perth at the Perth Arena and ran through until March 16, 2013 in Mackay at the Virgin Australian Stadium. They were joined by Mötley Crüe, Thin Lizzy and Diva Demolition. The band extensively toured Europe and Canada with a few US dates in June through August, and then Japan in October.
On October 16, 2013, Kiss was again announced as a nominee for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and was subsequently announced as an inductee on December 17, 2013.
On August 15, 2013, it was announced that Kiss (who performed the night before of ArenaBowl XXVI) had purchased a share of an Arena Football League expansion franchise set to begin play at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California in 2014. The band (in specific, their two lead members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley), their manager Doc McGhee, and league veteran Brett Bouchy jointly own the team, to be called the Los Angeles Kiss. Both Simmons and Stanley are known fans of the AFL.
The LA Kiss offered National Football League free agent quarterback Tim Tebow a contract to join their team and play in the AFL: "Acquiring Tebow would not only be a great investment for the team, but his exciting style of play would definitely send shockwaves through the league," Simmons said in a statement. "We're excited for the opportunity to see him with an LA KISS uniform on, and for the LA KISS fans to be rockin' their Tebow shirts and jerseys."
On March 17, 2014 Kiss announced a co-headlining tour with Def Leppard
Kiss made the cover of the April 10, 2014 (Issue 1206) Rolling Stone magazine, which is their first time being so featured in the band's 41-year history.