THE DEMON SPEAKS
Kiss bassist Gene Simmons defends high ticket prices for “End Of The Road” tour
Blabbermouth — Gene Simmons has defended KISS over the high prices of tickets to the band’s “End Of The Road” tour.
On the recently completed first North American leg of KISS‘s farewell trek, ticket prices reportedly ranged from $25 to $1,000.
“Unless you’re willing to live in your mother’s basement and have a job and do music as a hobby, which is wonderful, being in a touring band is big business,” Simmons told the Financial Times. “You’ll see a show out there that is as good, or better, than anything else. If you’ve got one guy with an acoustic guitar, you can charge less. We’ve got 60 people on the crew and 20 trucks and who knows how many buses, and a jet.”
The standard VIP package for “End Of The Road” costs $1,000 and includes a photo op, a lithograph, a $100 merchandise voucher, a laminate, a private venue entrance and “access to crowd-free merchandise shopping.” The “very limited” Ultimate Kiss Army Experience package, which runs for $5,000, includes a private backstage meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with the band and the opportunity to “(w)atch the whole show from the pit (no fans have ever had access to the pit).” It also includes a “backstage tour with your personal KISS Concierge” including access to areas that only the band and limited members of the crew can visit; beginning by “stepping foot on the holy ground that is the KISS stage.” Those purchasing the package can can also “sit on” Eric Singer‘s “drum stool at his drum kit” and “stand at Paul[Stanley], Gene and Tommy‘s [Thayer] microphones.” They can also hold Stanley‘s Cracked Mirror guitar, Simmons‘s Axe bass and Thayer‘s signature Epiphone guitar. In addition, they can visit the band’s wardrobe, “where you can see the band’s outfits up close and try on the real KISS boots. Along the way, we’ll visit all areas of the KISS production and you’ll meet many members of the crew that keeps the KISS machine going strong,” the original tour announcement said. Purchasers also get a host of other perks, including access to the “VIP Bar with wine, beer and the KISS ‘End Of The Road’ Signature Cocktail'” and “Lifetime Membership for the Official Kiss Army Fan Club.”
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