KISS are back, well sort of at least. The band have announced a one-off, “unmasked” show in Las Vegas this November. The show marks their first live performance since calling it quits in 2023.
Slated for November 14–16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the gig forms part of the KISS Army fan club’s 50th anniversary celebration. And while the band’s farewell tour ended with a full-blown avatar handover, this Vegas set will see Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and former guitarist Bruce Kulick back in human form.
An email sent to fans teased “exclusive experiences, activities and special guests,” alongside Kulick’s live return. Kulick who featured on five KISS albums between 1984 and 1996 hasn’t performed with the band in nearly three decades.
The announcement follows a quiet reshuffle in Gene Simmons’ own plans. His solo tour, which was due to kick off next month, has been postponed until early 2026. Christina Vitagliano, who runs Simmons’ VIP fan experience, confirmed the delay affects all April shows and the Texas run in May.
In the meantime, KISS have been deep in development on their high-budget avatar show. Overseen by the same team behind ABBA’s Voyage, the virtual gig promises a blend of Cirque Du Soleil theatrics, sci-fi flash, and KISS’s signature bombast. Paul Stanley called it “Cirque Du Soleil meets Star Wars and a KISS concert”. That, quite frankly, sounds just about right.
The band first revealed their avatars at the final Madison Square Garden show in December 2023, handing the torch to their digital selves with a closing performance of ‘God Gave Rock And Roll To You’.
According to Simmons, the avatar project has a $200 million price tag. But before that tech kicks in fully, it looks like fans will get one more flesh-and-blood appearance with the makeup off.
There is no word yet on whether this “unmasked” Las Vegas format means a stripped-down set or just no greasepaint. But with KISS, surprises are all a part of the package. So we’ll just have to wait and see.
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