Some unforeseen drama forced legendary rockers KISS to pause their concert in Manaus, Brazil.
With the band currently out on their End Of The Road World Tour, Thursday’s show, which is full of pyrotechnics and theatrics, came to a halt when bassist and singer Gene Simmons became ill onstage.
‘Hold on, hold on,’ singer and guitarist Paul Stanley, 71, told the audience about mid-show, according to fan videos released on social media. ‘We’re gonna have to stop.’
Sounding obviously concerned for his longtime bandmate, Stanley added, ‘We know how much you love Gene, and he’s obviously sick. We’re gonna have to stop to take care of him, because we love him, right?’ he said to the audience.
‘Let’s give Gene a really loud, ‘Gene!’ One, two, three — Gene!’
The show must go on: After becoming ill during a KISS concert in Manaus, Brazil on Thursday, bassist-singer Gene Simmons returned to the stage after five minutes to perform in a chair
Simmons (born Chaim Witz), 73, ended up leaving the stage, but he would return about five minutes later to perform the band’s song Say Yeah while sitting in a chair.
According to a clip posted by the publication ACritica, Simmons looked a bit subdued playing his bass from a chair, but he forged through any discomfort he may have been going through to finish the show upright.
The following day, Simmons would take to his twitter page and let fans know he’s doing alright.
‘Ok, kids. Not a big deal,’ he began his tweet. ‘Thanks for your kind wishes. Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song.’
He concluded the post, ‘We got back on stage in 5 minutes & finished the show.’
Simmons and the rest of KISS have two off days to relax and take any precautions needed before they take the stage for their next gig in Bogotá, Colombia, on Saturday, April 15.
KISS are currently in the midst of their End Of The Road World Tour, which they claim will be their final tour of their illustrious careers that date back 50 years.
It kicked off back on January 31, 2019, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, but plans were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thus forced the cancelation of most of the shows in 2020.
Health concern: KISS co-founder Paul Stanley, 71, stopped the show to inform the audience the Simmons, 73, had become ill and that they needed to halt the show
Show of support: After a few minutes, Stanley led the audience in a ‘cheer’ for Simmons, who then returned to the stage to resume the concert
Taking one for the team: The New York City native returned to the stage and performed the band’s next song, Say Yeah, from a chair; he would eventually finish the show upright
Their final tour would eventually resume in August 2021, and they has since added another 100 shows to their itinerary that will see them return to the U.S. in October for the final push to their last two shows at Madison Square Garden in New York on December 1 and 2.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers chose New York City for its ‘final shows ever,’ in honor of their roots as forming as a band in the city in the 1973.
‘KISS was born in New York City. On 23rd Street. Half a century ago,’ the band shared in a press statement. ‘It will be a privilege and an honor to finish touring at Madison Square Garden, 10 blocks and 50 years from where we first started.’
While band leaders Simmons and Stanley have maintained that they will stick to their retirement from touring, they have been honest about being open to playing the occasional one-off concert, festival or Las Vegas residency.
Along with Stanley and Simmons, the current lineup of Kiss also includes Eric Singer on Drums and Tommy Thayer on guitar.
Health update: Simmons would take to his twitter page the following day and let fans know he’s doing alright: ‘Ok, kids. Not a big deal. Thanks for your kind wishes. Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song,’ Simmons wrote in a statement
The end of the line: KISS are currently out on their End Of The Road World Tour, which they say will be their final tour, that’s slated to end in NYC with show on December 1 and 2
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