Goodbyes are often opportunities for reminiscence, but for frontman Paul Stanley, Kiss’ global farewell tour is also a chance to reflect on ways the band’s legacy will live on.
Key points:
- Kiss is about to take its End of the Road tour across Australia
- For frontman Paul Stanley, it is an opportunity to reflect on 50 years in the industry
- I sympathize with those setting out today who “can’t pay the rent”
Famed for their face paint, pyrotechnics, costumes, theatrics and stagecraft just as much as their music, Kiss have always prided themselves on their ability to put on a show.
It brings Stanley satisfaction when he recognizes elements of that approach in musicians at much earlier stages of their careers.
“Being at a concert means being immersed in an experience, and for me showmanship and putting on a show is also a responsibility,” he told ABC Radio Adelaide’s Nikolai Beilharz and Stacey Lee this morning.
“I’d like to think that in some ways we were a wake-up call to audiences of what they should expect.
“Everyone else who is out on tour, or who has been out on tour, has Kiss DNA in their show.”
Kiss’ first performance was in early 1973 when Stanley was barely 21. His career has since spanned nearly 50 years.
Those years have naturally been accompanied by great changes in the music industry.
While Stanley stopped short of saying he would be reluctant to get into the game today, he recognized the challenges for those setting out.
“The fact is now that record companies … they’re not obviously record companies anymore,” he said.
A battle to ‘pay the rent’
Things have changed since the days when studios “would nurture an artist or an act.”
“Nowadays it’s really about bottom line, about whether it makes money or not, and reading algorithms and all kinds of things,” Stanley said.
Digitization can be a blessing and a curse. While it is arguably never been easier for those trying to find an audience to distribute their music, there are also downsides.
“You have streaming where people aren’t being paid what they deserve, and it’s a big problem,” Stanley said.
“Artists nowadays who are aspiring to become successful have a very, very difficult path ahead of them and unfortunately some of them find themselves saying, ‘Well I’m only in this for doing music’.
“That’s okay but you’re going to feel otherwise when you can’t pay the rent.”
A 50-year set list
The End of the Road world tour was due to touch down in Australia during 2019 but was postponed when Stanley had to pull out due to illness.
Ahead of concerts across Australia this month, Stanley said it was “insane to think” that the band had “been going on 50 years”.
“We’re playing things from every era,” he said.
“A set list has to be more than a group of songs. It has to have a certain dynamic that builds and ebbs and builds — not unlike, quite honestly, a movie at the cinema or a Broadway show.”
While there might be farewell kisses, the mood onstage will be upbeat.
“This is a celebration for us, as opposed to just deciding after a tour to never go back out,” Stanley said.
“There’s nothing morose about it.
“I go out there every night thinking, boy, we are just going to blow the roof off this place, or if there’s no roof, we’re just going to set the sky on fire.”
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