Gene Simmons recently spoke to UCR on his thoughts of touring during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Kiss are to resume their End of the Road Tour on August 18. The tour is to also run deep into 2022, with Simmons saying that the band are to add "anywhere between 150 to 200 cities additionally".
“My druthers would be that everybody is mandated to get vaccines", Simmons said. “I hope everybody is going to be wearing their masks. But we can only control what we can control and different states and different countries have different rules".
The band were also planned to include meet and greet packages along with these tickets. However, due to health and safety precautions, that has been removed from the tour.
“Backstage, we’re not doing any meet and greets. Obviously, we’re giving up a pretty penny, because fans pay a premium to come up and take photos and stuff. That’s gone", Simmons added.
“We are not allowing roadies or anybody else to be anywhere backstage unless they’re vaccinated and the masks are on the whole time".
Simmons also added, “'I have my rights, don’t tell me what to do.' Which is curious, because you do not have the right to drive down the highway in a car without a seatbelt. You must stop at a red light. That’s not a right you have".
“And you don’t have the right to walk naked down the street. These are not life-threatening ideas. We’re talking about a f*****’ pandemic and people are fighting it".
“I blame our former president", Simmons said referring to Donald Trump. “I knew the man before he entered politics. But he got vaccinated and so have most of the other party".
Simmons had also spent time with the former president on the reality TV show Celebrity Apprentice.
Simmons also declared that he is less concerned with people who choose to stay unvaccinated then those that they impact.
“I’m not worried -- and it’s unkind to say this -- I’m not worried if an idiot gets COVID and dies", he said.
He also added, “I’m worried he takes other people with him. Who didn’t have a choice. It doesn’t have to be death. Being in a hospital is horrific. There are so many cases of people who were deniers and who are begging in the hospital to get the vaccine. But it’s too late".
After the End of the Road Tour was paused, Gene Simmons rediscovered his love of passion for drawing and painting. This Fall will also see Simmons show some of his artwork publicly for the first time.
This artwork called Gene Simmons ArtWorks will run from October 14-16 at Vegas' Animazing Gallery.
Simmons will also give fans the chance to write a song in his very own recording studio. Check that out here.
Recently, Dee Snider became the latest musician to dismiss Gene Simmons' claims that "rock is dead". More on that story here.
