KISS are coming back to Scotland this summer in a bittersweet tour that will see them say goodbye to their UK fans, and singer Paul Stanley is preparing to shed a tear.
The star, who is now 71 and formed the famous rock group 50 years ago with bandmate Gene Simmons, 73, will play their final ever UK gig in Glasgow on July 8 at the OVO Hydro.
And it will come 40 years after their legendary debut at the iconic venue, the Apollo in the city in 1983, with The Starchild only happy to wax lyrical about the theatre they played twice before it shut in 1985.
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Speaking from his LA home, he told the Daily Record: “The stage seemed to be up at the balcony level and I remember trying to make sure I didn’t fall off the stage with my heels.
“It was an amazing experience to feel that close to our audience who were incredible. I’m not going to take anything away from arenas or stadiums but there’s something about theatres, especially the Apollo.”
And it seems Paul is delighted that it's Scotland where they can say goodbye to their UK fans, with just three more announced gigs set to take place after, two in Sweden and one in Norway, and a rumoured gig in their home town of New York, before they lay down their guitars forever.
Paul said: “It’s a special place to say goodbye. Together, we will make it momentous and bombastic. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a tear or two shed – and that will be me.
“Scotland has always been so warm and so gracious to us. They are also some of the most demonstrative people in the world.
“I do believe everyone realising that this is the last show in the UK is going to bring out the best in the audience and then the best in us. We bring the cake but the icing is what we will do together.
“I think it being in Scotland and being the last ever show in the UK will elevate the gig to another level. Knowing we won’t be back is monumental.”
Though they can’t wait to play Scotland, Paul joked that he wouldn’t be changing the famous Starchild facepaint he's known for to Mel Gibson’s Braveheart blue or wearing a kilt, stating: “My legs only look good in tights.”
Paul and Gene formed KISS in 1973 from the ashes of their previous New York bands Rainbow and Wicked Lester.
Going further than other glam rock bands of the 70s, they created characters with make-up and costumes. Paul was Starchild and Gene was the Demon. Original members Ace Frehley was the Spaceman and drummer Peter Criss was the Catman. Since 1991 Eric Singer has been drummer and Catman and in 2002 Tommy Thayer became lead guitarist and the new Spaceman.
The band announced their farewell End of the Road World Tour in 2018 with the Covid pandemic postponing the last leg until 2023.
While the group – who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and have sold 100million records around the world – are at their best live, there is no chance they will change their minds.
Paul said: “It’s gruelling to do what we do. If I could go out on stage in my jeans and a T-shirt, we could do another 10 or 15 years but we have to be athletes. We are running around stage with 30 or 40 pounds of gear and 8in platform heels.
“It will reach a point where it will be impossible, so when it’s still possible we would like to be able to bow out.”
Despite their fame, KISS have always felt like outsiders and see their final shows as a “victory lap” and a last chance for their fans, KISS Army, to say goodbye.
Paul said: “Our victory is also the victory of our fans. We couldn’t have done it without them. Our last night in Scotland will be a celebration of what we all created together.”
KISS play Glasgow OVO Hydro on July 8.
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