Francis Stueber, the longtime guitar tech of KISS’ Paul Stanley, has passed away following a battle with COVID-19. Stanley issued the following statement:
“My dear friend, buddy and guitar tech for 20 years, Fran Stueber died yesterday suddenly of Covid. Both on and offstage I depended on him for so much. My family loved him as did I. He was so proud of his wife and 3 boys as they were of him. I’m numb.”
During a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, KISS frontman Paul Stanley discussed the band’s ongoing farewell tour. According to him, the trek will likely wrap up “by the beginning of 2023.”
Stanley said the following:
“I believe strongly by the beginning of 2023 we will be finished. It’s a different time than we had pondered [farewell tours] in the past.
The fact is that, physically, it’s incredibly demanding to do what we do. Look, we played [recently] in Austin, an outdoor show, 100 percent humidity. We’re running around for two-plus hours, not only with guitars, but I’ve got 30-plus pounds of gear on. There’s a point where you go, ‘You know what? This is more challenge than I want.’ And I only want to do it as long as I can do it smiling.
There’s really no thought about changing our minds. It has nothing to do with personalities in the band or tensions or a difference of opinion or musicality. It’s purely practical. You can play beat the clock, but ultimately the clock wins.”
He went on to say that the band’s final show will probably take place in New York:
“It seems only natural to be in New York. That is where the band started, and that was really the background for the band getting together and writing these songs and played loft parties and played clubs starting with an audience of probably 10 people. It seems we should go full circle.”
He continued when asked if former members of the group will take part in the last show:
“Honestly, we haven’t’ really thought that far down the road. We’re having a ball. The show is everything that I would like to see the band history culminate in. In one way or another, every night all the former band members are represented by the songs we’re doing. We’re hitting all eras for the band, and I salute everybody who’s been in the band and champion not only their participation but their contribution. As to where that will lead, I have no idea.”
Stanley also added that he doesn’t believe that the band will ever truly fade away:
“KISS has a life of its own. I couldn’t stop KISS if I wanted to. The band is so much more than music.”
KISS have shared a previously unreleased “acoustic mix” of their song “Beth.” This version of the track will appear on the 45th anniversary edition of “Destroyer,” which will be available on November 19. More details on that release can be found HERE.
During an interview with Talking Metal, KISS manager Doc McGhee offered more details on the band’s new biopic “Shout It Out Loud.” According to him, the film will focus on the band’s first four years.
McGhee said the following
“Actually, we have a script that’s completely done. Mark Canton, who is a very, very powerful producer and production company who has the TV series ‘Power’ and ‘Ghost’ and all that stuff, and he was a president of Sony and all that, he’s done 300 films — a really, really great guy — his team and Universal Music and ourselves have partnered up with Joachim Rønning, who is a very sought-after director that did things like ‘Pirates Of The Caribbean’, and ‘Kon-Tiki’ was up for an Academy Award. And the script is about the first four years of KISS. Basically, it’s before they were famous — it was up to Cadillac High, that kind of thing. And I think it’s a very interesting look at the formation of KISS, the mindset of how that came about, the social pressure that everybody was in in the ’60s and ’70s that brought something like KISS to the forefront, that it could actually happen. So it’s a very interesting, and I think it’s a well-written movie. And our partners right now is Netflix. It’ll be a theatrical release, then Netflix.”
He also added:
“We’re finishing our deal with a couple of distributors in Europe and the U.S., and then we’ll get into casting. I believe before Thanksgiving we’ll be in the casting.”
[via Blabbermouth]
KISS will be releasing a 45th anniversary edition of “Destroyer” on November 19. The effort will be available in the following formats: Super Deluxe 4-CD + Blu-ray audio box set, standard double black vinyl, limited edition yellow and red double colored vinyl, 2-CD set, and digital.
Here’s the track listing for the super deluxe box set:
Disc One:
“Destroyer”: Original Album Remastered:
01. “Detroit Rock City”
02. “King Of The Night Time World”
03. “God Of Thunder”
04. “Great Expectations”
05. “Flaming Youth”
06. “Sweet Pain”
07. “Shout It Out Loud”
08. “Beth”
09. “Do You Love Me?”
Disc Two:
“Destroyer”-Era Demos:
Paul Stanley Demos:
01. “Doncha Hesitate”
02. “God Of Thunder And Rock And Roll”
03. “It’s The Fire*
04. “Detroit Rock City”
05. “Love Is Alright”
Gene Simmons Demos:
06. “Bad, Bad Lovin'”
07. “Man Of A Thousand Faces”
08. “I Don’t Want No Romance”
09. “Burnin’ Up With Fever”
10. “Rock N’ Rolls Royce”
11. “Mad Dog”
12. “Night Boy”
13. “Star”
14. “Howlin’ For Your Love”
15. “True Confessions”
Disc Three:
“Destroyer”: Outtakes, Alternate Versions / Mixes, Single Edits:
01. “Beth” (Acoustic Mix)
02. “Shout It Out Loud” (Single Edit)
03. “Flaming Youth” (Single Edit)
04. “Detroit Rock City” (Single Edit)
05. “Shout It Out Loud” (Mono Single Edit)
06. “Flaming Youth” (Mono Single Edit)
07. “Detroit Rock City” (Mono Single Edit)
08. “Beth” (Mono)
09. “King Of The Night Time World” (Live Rehearsal Instrumental)
10. “Do You Love Me?” (Mono Instrumental)
11. “God Of Thunder” (Early Instrumental Mix)
12. “Ain’t None Of Your Business” (Instrumental)
13. “Detroit Rock City” (Instrumental)
14. “King Of The Night Time World” (Alternate Mix)
15. “Great Expectations” (Early Version)
16. “Flaming Youth” (Early Version)
17. “Do You Love Me?” (Early Version)
18. “Shout It Out Loud” (Alternate Mix)
19. “Ain’t None Of Your Business” (Outtake)
20. “Beth” (Take 6 – Instrumental)
21. “Beth” (Instrumental)
22. “Do You Love Me?” (Alternate Mix)
Disc Four:
Live In Paris – L’Olympia – May 22, 1976:
01. “Deuce”
02. “Strutter”
03. “Flaming Youth”
04. “Hotter Than Hell”
05. “Firehouse”
06. “She” / Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
07. “Nothin’ To Lose”
08. “Shout It Out Loud” / Gene Simmons Bass Solo
09. “100,000 Years” / Peter Criss Drum Solo
10. “Black Diamond”
11. “Detroit Rock City”
12. “Rock And Roll All Nite”
Blu-ray Audio:
“Destroyer”: Dolby Atmos 48kHz 24-bit, Dolby True HD 5.1 96kHz 24-bit, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 96kHz 24-bit, PCM Stereo 96kHz 24-bit:
01. “Detroit Rock City”
02. “King Of The Night Time World”
03. “God Of Thunder”
04. “Great Expectations”
05. “Flaming Youth”
06. “Sweet Pain”
07. “Shout It Out Loud”
08. “Beth”
09. “Do You Love Me?”
Bonus Tracks:
10. “Beth” (Acoustic)
11. “Sweet Pain” (Original Guitar Solo)
In addition to the above discs, the set will also feature the following:
Additionally, the Super Deluxe box features an extravagant array of collectable KISS memorabilia and ephemera, including a complete recreation of the original KISS Army Kit with the original folder and following items:
* KISS Army newsletter Volume 1 – No 2 announcing “Destroyer”
* 2x 8″x10″ “Destroyer” Press Photos
* Discography Sheet
* Gene, Paul, Ace & Peter Bio Sheet
* KISS Army Member Certificate
* KISS Army Membership CardAlso included in the Super Deluxe set:
* KISS logo Iron-on
* KISS Army Sticker
* “Detroit Rock City” Bumper Sticker
* “Destroyer” Cover Sticker
* 11″x17″ KISS on Westminster Bridge UK Poster
* 4 brand new 8″x10″ Band Member Photos
* 8″x12″ “Destroyer” Foil Flyer
* 8″x12″ “Destroyer” Canadian Flyer (super rare)
* 4x Band Member Trading Cards (newly created for this boxset)
* 16″x24″ KISS Over New York Skyline Poster
* 16″x24″ KISS Halloween 1976 Concert Poster
* 2x 9″x12″ “Destroyer” Tour Stage Blueprints on Transparent Vellum (never been seen before)
* 16-page “Destroyer” 1976 Tour Program
* Gotham Rock City News Volume 1 Newspaper that is a track-by-track interview with all 4 band members, Bob Ezrin and crew
* 68-page hardcover book with extensive liner notes by Paul Elliott and Ken Sharp featuring interviews from Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, then-manager Bill Aucoin, album producer Bob Ezrin, and many more about the album’s writing and production process, U.S. and European tours, photo shoots, promotional stories, band member memories from their TV appearance on “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special”, and an intoxicating amount of unreleased photos and imageryThe entire contents are housed in a lift top- style box and features artist Ken Kelly’s original “Destroyer” cover art, arguably one of the most iconic album covers in rock, making this the ultimate KISS “Destroyer” souvenir.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” Ace Frehley was asked if he would be open to performing with KISS again. The guitarist responded with the following:
“Anything’s possible — I’ve always said that. That’s the first question so many people have asked me over the years: ‘Would you ever consider doing a KISS reunion?’ I said, ‘I never closed the door on anything.’ If the money’s right and it’s presented to me in the right way, anything can happen. I’m on good terms with Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons], which is nice, because we created something really special in the early ’70s that has outlasted so many other bands. And God bless ’em. They’re still doing it; I’m still doing it. Peter [Criss] is still around. I’m not quite sure why Peter hadn’t toured over the years as much as I have, but it is what it is.”
[via Blabbermouth]
As previously reported, KISS recently postponed some shows after Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19. Now, most of those concerts have been rescheduled for October 2021. The Hartford, CT, Milwaukee, WI, and Raleigh, NC shows will be rescheduled in 2022. You can find the band’s updated schedule below.
Tour Dates:
09/09 Irvine, CA – FivePoint Amphitheatre
09/10 Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
09/12 Wheatland, CA – Toyota Amphitheatre
09/17 Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater
09/18 George, WA – Gorge Amphitheatre
09/21 Boise, ID – ExtraMile Arena
09/22 West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
09/23 Sparks, NV – Nugget Event Center
09/25 Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
09/26 Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
09/28 Hidalgo, TX – Payne Arena
09/29 Del Valle, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
10/01 Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
10/02 Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
10/05 Biloxi, MI – Mississippi Coast Coliseum
10/06 Lafayette, LA – Lafayette Cajundome
10/08 West Palm Beach, FL – iThink Financial Amphitheatre
10/09 Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/10 Atlanta, GA – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood*
10/13 Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake*
10/15 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre*
10/16 Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre*
10/17 Dayton, OH – Wright State University Nutter Center*
* Rescheduled date
KISS’ Gene Simmons has shared a health update after recently testing positive for COVID-19. Since the musician is fully vaccinated, he has been “really fine.” Simmons tweeted the following:
KISS have postponed their Australian tour due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The trek is now scheduled for spring 2022:
03/19 Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena
03/20 Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena
03/22 Melbourne, AUS – Rod Laver Arena
03/26 Perth, AUS – RAC Arena
03/29 Adelaide, AUS – Entertainment Centre
04/01 Sydney, AUS – Qudos Bank Arena
04/02 Sydney, AUS – Qudos Bank Arena
04/06 Brisbane, AUS – Entertainment Centre
04/09 Townsville, AUS – Old Country Bank Stadium
KISS’ Gene Simmons has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the group have been forced to postpone four more shows. This news comes after they previously postponed three shows due to Paul Stanley contracting the virus. The band and their crew are all fully vaccinated.
KISS issued the following statement:
“KISS will postpone their next four tour dates. While Paul Stanley recently tweeted that he has recovered from COVID, Gene Simmons has now tested positive and is experiencing mild symptoms. The band and crew will remain at home and isolate for the next 10 days and doctors have indicated the tour should be able to resume on September 9th at FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for the new dates once announced. More information will be emailed to ticketholders directly.”
Postponed Dates:
08/26 Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
08/28 Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
08/29 Atlanta, GA – Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
09/01 Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
09/02 Dayton, OH – Wright State University Nutter Center
09/04 Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
09/05 Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater – Summerfest Grounds
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