KISS's GENE SIMMONS: 'Our Legacy Is Going To Be That We Raised The Stakes'

In a recent interview with The Northern Echo, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked what will come "next" for KISS after the final show of the "End Of The Road" tour. He responded: "The good part is that KISS continues in other ways. Whether it's Tom Morello in RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, Dave Grohl, NINE INCH NAILS, METALLICA or any number of people. There is a reference point and that reference point is a band who dared to get up on stage and give you more.

"I'm not saying we're the best songwriters in the world, the best singers in the world or anything like that, but I think that our legacy is going to be that we raised the stakes," he continued. "Once we came out, it was no longer enough to just get up on stage and strum an acoustic guitar. We give people more bang for their buck. You don't have to stick your tongue out or breathe fire, but at least give them a show and give them something for their eyes and ears. Our legacy is that we raised the stakes, and whether you're going to see Sir Paul on stage and there's fireballs and explosions going on or anybody else, that came from one place. A band that dared to break the rules. We were four knuckleheads from the streets of New York City who decided to put together the band that we never saw on stage.

"KISS will not be over. Our legacy will remain in all of those bands that follow, and what a legacy that is.

"KISS may well continue with Vegas shows, movies, cartoons and all kinds of stuff, so this will not be the end of KISS by any stretch of the imagination, but you'll have to wait until the tour is over to see what happens next."

As most fans remember, back in 2000 and 2001, KISS already performed a "farewell" tour. The trek, which was the last to feature both original guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, played 142 shows over five legs, covering North America, Japan, and Australia.

Guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley previously said that KISS's tumultuous "Farewell Tour" in 2000 was nothing more than an attempt by the group to "put KISS out of its misery" after years of ego clashes and disagreements over songwriting credits between the band's original members.

Stanley has repeatedly said that the band could one day continue without him and Simmons, explaining in an interview: "Once the original [KISS lineup] was no more, it just became clear to us that, in some ways, we're much more a sports team. We don't fall into the limitations of other bands, because we're not other bands. So, yeah, at some point, I'd love to see somebody in the band in my place, and it's because I love the band."