Gene Simmons is once again boasting that no one can do what he does on stage.
“You got to understand we love [Mick] Jagger and Bruno Mars and Bono and anybody else, they're all great,” the 72-year-old KISS rocker told Entertainment Tonight, “but if you put those guys – Beyoncé, put Beyoncé – in my outfit with seven- to eight-inch platform heels, dragon boots that each weigh as much as a bowling ball, the entire outfit, studs, leather and armour is about 40 pounds. The guitar and the studs is 12 pounds by itself. Then, you got to spit fire, fly through the air and do that for two hours. They would pass out within a half hour.”
Simmons added: "We are the hardest working band out there and take pride in it.”
MORE: Gene Simmons Says Keith Richards Can't Do What He Does
Of course, it’s not the first time Simmons has compared his stamina and strength to other music artists. Last year, he told the Toronto Sun why KISS is packing it in when the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney are still touring.
“If you took those esteemed gentlemen and stuck them into my outfit with dragon boots that are seven inches high, they will feel the pain,” he said. “Each dragon boot weighs close to a bowling ball. All in, I’ve got 40 pounds on with the bass I’m carrying around on stage. I’ve got to do that for two hours, spit fire and fly through the air.
“Respectfully, if Keith Richards, who I can’t tell you how much I admire him, but if he got into my outfit, he would pass out in half an hour. The physicality of what we do … we are simply the hardest working band in show business — period.”
KISS launched The End of the Road World Tour in Vancouver in January 2019 but had to hit pause in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tour resumed last August. KISS is set to wrap things up in October.