Kiss’ Gene Simmons was recently interviewed by Steve-O’s Wild Ride! where he discussed his solo band touring and if he’s active with it.
Here’s what the bassist said:
“Yes. Gene Simmons Band already headlined, oh, goodness. We were in South America, São Paulo (in April)… So we’re going to Europe (this summer) to headline festivals and other stuff. And we’re just having a lot of fun.
“By the way, I designed a business model that is just semi-genius. I show up with my guitar pick. That’s it. There’s no manager, no roadies, no trucks, no equipment. Everything is provided by the promoter. The flights, the hotels, all the amplifiers, the drums, everything is rented locally. That’s the promoter’s cost, and whatever six-figure or more amount there is, I pocket.
”And I literally make more money per gig being Gene Simmons and the Gene Simmons Band than I did in Kiss, not counting the ancillaries and all that, because you don’t have a 60-man crew, three double-deckers, private jet that’s on call seven days a week and 20 to 24 tractor trailers.”