Kiss Frontman Gene Simmons Falls Ill During Concert, Performs Seated
Gene Simmons, the notoriously bombastic and energetic frontman for rock icons KISS, performed seated during a concert in Manaus, Brazil, earlier this week after reportedly becoming dizzy onstage. The band has not yet made a comment on the event, which was likely due to heat-related exhaustion, given the high temperature at the time of the show and the extensive makeup and costuming that goes into performing as KISS. Simmons needed to take a break during the show, and while fans worried, bandmate Paul Stanley kept things moving, indicating that Gene was going to be fine, but that they "needed to take care of him."
As seen by Brazilian journalist Igor Miranda (via Consequence), "Simmons appeared woozy during the performance and eventually asked a member of the road crew for a chair." After performing seated, Stanley paused the show for a few minutes while Simmons was being checked out, and led the audience in chants to encourage the rocker. Local reports said that Simmons appeared to fare much better after taking a break.
"We'll need to stop to take care of him because we love him, right?" Stanley said as Simmons left the stage. "Let's give Gene a very loud 'Gene': 1, 2, 3! Ok! We'll see each other soon, we love you."
You can see footage and a report on the incident from Rock Feed below.
In the decades since their 1973 debut, KISS have become a part of the pop culture lexicon, spanning countless pieces of merchandise, animation, and comic books. KISS' relationship to the world of comic book and nerd culture has been a bit of an open secret over the years, and has even intersected with some of the medium's other icons.
"Gene Simmons came up to the office, followed by these other guys." Marvel icon Stan Lee recalled during a 2017 convention appearance. "He said 'I wanna ask you a question, Stan.' I said 'Alright.' He said 'Do you think this outfit looks too outrageous?' And he put on these shoes that, the heels were about six inches. And he stood [very] high when it was all finished, in costume."
"And I'm used to guys like Doctor Doom and The Vulture, so I said 'No, that's not outrageous at all!'" Lee explained. "And he said 'Thank you!' ...I like to think that I'm the reason that KISS looks the way they look. If I had said it looks too outrageous, he'd probably have thrown it all away."
KISS's current tour, called the "End of the Road" farewell tour, is supposedly the "absolute final" shows that they will perform together. They're currently on the South American leg, but will return to the U.S. later in the year, culminating with a pair of concerts at New York's Madison Square Garden in December.
Tickets to KISS's upcoming "End of the Road" dates are available here.