TOMMY THAYER And DORO PESCH To Appear At '50 Years Of Kiss In Germany' Official KISS Fan Celebration

The "50 Years Of Kiss In Germany: Official Fan Celebration" will take place on October 30, 2026 at Mitsubishi Electric Halle in Düsseldorf, Germany

KISS lead guitarist Tommy Thayer will appear as the event's featured special guest, joining the KISS tribute act KISS FOREVER BAND during its live set. A limited number of signing and photo opportunities with Tommy will also be available.

KISS FOREVER BAND will perform live. German metal queen Doro Pesch will be part of the wider celebration and will join Thayer and KISS FOREVER BAND for the musical finale. Ossy Hoppe and Didi Zill will also appear as special guests.

Discover a rare KISS artefact, exclusive products and event merchandise, limited music releases and more surprises still to be revealed.

KISS will not perform as a band.

Tickets go on sale on August 11, 2026.

Register your interest at www.kissonline.com.

Registration is not a ticket purchase and does not guarantee admission.

In 2018, Thayer admitted to Argus Leader in an interview that his addition to KISS in 2003 as the replacement for Ace Frehley was met with some backlash from the band's fans. However, now that he has been in KISS even longer than Frehley's combined years, he said that he has become more comfortable in the lead guitar role.

"I have to be honest, when I first came into the band, there was some pressure," Thayer said. "It was kind of a no-win situation when you're replacing somebody like that. There's a lot of fans who are unhappy with this and I understand. They followed the band for a long time and it's hard to see things like that change sometimes. After a few years went by, I got more confident and more comfortable in the situation, as time goes on, it continues to be a growing experience and something that I get more used to."

In December 2021, Thayer told Guitar World about what he thinks his legacy with KISS will be: "I don't know if many people realize this, but I've been the lead guitarist in KISS longer than any other KISS guitar player. But I will always be known as 'the new guy' though — no matter what happens. I'm 'the Ronnie Wood' of KISS.

"My legacy will be a guy who came in, worked hard, and was the glue that kept the band together for a long period of time," he continued. "I think the kind of character and personality that I have is that of a team player and somebody who can bring people together and bind things together.

"And I think the reason that we've done so well and so consistently in the last 20 years is because of the personalities, the give and take, and the ability to keep everybody happy… and keep working together on a professional level.

"It works well. I'll probably be that guy that has been in the band longer than anybody else besides Gene and Paul [Stanley], that kept things together, and was the glue that made it work."

Gene Simmons executive-produced Doro's second solo album, 1990's "Doro". She later said in an interview that the experience of working with Simmons "was a dream come true. Gene always showed me when you start a new record you start from zero again," she said. 'I was always a big fan of him and became a big fan of the person after working with him. So intelligent. I love that! It's was so great to watch him working with all the musicians. He was a great motivator, fantastic! Every time before I went into the studio, I was driving my car like maybe 20 minutes and I was very happy. Right before I went into the studio, my knees were shaking. 'Not again!' [Laughs] He made me very happy in so many ways. He really tried his best. I remember one song the mix wasn't coming out right. I was totally bummed out. I was really nervous. Gene said, 'Just go to your room and wait there.' I was in L.A. At 9 o'clock in the morning, the receptionist called me and said there was a gentleman here and left the tape for you. I couldn't believe it was nine o'clock, and I said, 'Okay.' I listened to it and Gene makes the call. It was the song 'Mirage' and it was so good. It moved me to tears when I wrote it. It came out so good. He definitely made sure the mix was perfect. He was there for us in so many ways. I think he was the best producer we ever had."

Tommy Thayer image credit: Gibson / Doro Pesch photo credit: Frank Dursthoff (courtesy of Suspicious Activities PR / Metalville)