KISS bassist Gene Simmons toured the world for many years, taking with him the big highway crews required for large — and costly — productions on a few of music’s largest levels. Since KISS’s closing present in December final 12 months, Simmons has been touring lighter because the frontman for the Gene Simmons Band, enjoying KISS favorites, some hardly ever heard Simmons solo tunes and acquainted classics by the likes of Van Halen and Motorhead.
Talking on Billboard’s Behind the Setlist podcast, Simmons acknowledged that he has stripped down the tour to the important components — the musicians — and pockets extra cash from a Gene Simmons Band present than what he earned as a member of KISS.
“The native promoters present the again line, and we simply rise up there and play,” Simmons stated.
As a solo artist enjoying festivals and theaters, Simmons has “no managers, no non-public jets, no 20 tractor trailers, no 60-man crew, no big reveals — and the pyro alone for each [KISS] present is ten grand, typically 50 [thousand dollars] should you go outdoor,” he explains.
“Monumental, monumental prices for doing that.”
Simmons is definitely “proud” to have carried out these huge productions. Nevertheless, the Gene Simmons Band tour isn’t attempting to duplicate the KISS stage present.
“It’s virtually as should you determined to hire some amps in a storage and plug in,” he says, “after which everyone from the neighborhood is available in … It’s very casual and quite a lot of enjoyable.”
Outdoors of the 4 band members, the band takes two extra individuals on the highway, says guitarist Brent Woods, who manages the journey and live performance manufacturing particulars: an assistant who helps with enterprise duties and Simmons’ safety, and one crew member for the musicians.
Relating to the tools, Woods stated that the band — which additionally consists of guitarist Jason Walker and drummer Brian Tichy — takes solely its guitars and pedal boards, and Tichy might take his personal snare drum on the upcoming tour. In any other case, all the things is rented.
“It does save some huge cash,” says Woods. “After which in flip, everyone advantages, proper? The band included. Everyone makes more cash.”
Simmons readily admits he didn’t pioneer this method to touring. “It was performed by black musicians on the Chitlin’ Circuit, what was the black golf equipment, as a result of they couldn’t play white golf equipment,” he stated.
Rock pioneer Chuck Berry took it a step additional, touring solely together with his guitar and arriving in every metropolis with an area band that had discovered and rehearsed his songs. (Bruce Springsteen as soon as performed in Berry’s backing band for a live performance in 1973.) “Now, I don’t do this,” stated Simmons.
“I take my band with me, however Berry would present up and would, you already know, he’d inform the fellows, ‘Examine the data, study these songs, I’m going to indicate up,’ and no rehearsal, nothing.”
