Kiss has announced more special guests for their upcoming Kiss Army Storms Vegas convention and reunion show, including additional bandmates, fellow rockers and industry professionals who helped guide the band to stardom.
Principal members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley will be joined by longtime Kiss lead guitarist Tommy Thayer for an unmasked electric show — their first since concluding their farewell tour in December 2023 — during the weekend-long event, which takes place from Nov. 14 to 16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
Thayer’s former band, Black ‘n Blue, will also take part in the event, as will former Skid Row frontman and avowed Kiss superfan Sebastian Bach. Other musical guests include the tribute acts Mr. Speed and Kiss Nation: The Kiss Tribute Show.
Additionally, Kiss Army Storms Vegas will feature Q&A sessions with members of the band, a panel with the band’s longtime manager Doc McGhee and special appearances from Kiss Army founders Bill Starkey and Jay Evans. Fans can also look forward to a previously announced performance from former Kiss lead guitarist Bruce Kulick.
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Simmons recently spoke to UCR about the appeal of the Kiss conventions, which allow the band to engage more directly with fans.
“The Kiss conventions begat the Kiss Kruises,” he said. “We decided to do that, in essence, to get closer to the fans. Because when you’re up on that stage, whether you’re playing a stadium or arena, there’s all that energy going off the stage, visual and sound and all that. And even though there’s lots of energy coming from the fans up there, it’s not as personal, because there’s a lot of them.”
Simmons also attempted to distinguish Kiss Army Storms Vegas from a regular Kiss show. “The fans are taking over the Virgin Hotel, yes. So we’re attending to celebrate in the party,” he said. “But this ain’t a Kiss concert, so we’ll be doing Q&A, and of course, we’ll play, we’ll get up there. So it’s much more informal. It’s kind of like a gathering of the tribes. We promised we would never tour again, and we’re not, but it’s a party celebrating the legacy and the fans, and we should be there, and that’s what’s going on.”
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Gallery Credit: Jeff Giles
