When legendary rockers Kiss reunited to perform live at their Landlocked in Vegas event in November, fans wondered if there might be more shows to come – or even new Kiss music.
Amid the speculation, the band’s lead guitarist Tommy Thayer tells MusicRadar: “There’s a lot in the works for Kiss moving ahead. We’re not touring anymore, of course, but there’s still a ton happening behind the scenes.”
He adds: “Fan events like we just did in Vegas are really great to do, and we’ll probably do more.”
The Landlocked in Vegas event was an alternative version of the long-running Kiss Kruise series, and saw the band performing electric and acoustic sets without their signature makeup.
These were the first Kiss performances since their End Of The Road farewell tour finished at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 2, 2023.
Thayer says there is still a powerful chemistry between himself, drummer Eric Singer and the band’s founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.
“We hadn’t played together for almost two years,” Thayer recounts, “so we rehearsed for seven or eight days. And it’s funny how quickly everything felt like we hadn’t been apart that long – like it was just another rehearsal.
“Honestly, a lot of it is muscle memory. After a couple of rehearsals, the instincts kick right back in.
“It’s like riding a bike. Of course, you need a little rehearsal time to get your playing and singing muscles back into shape, and there’s a physicality to it, too, but it was surprising how quickly everything fell back into place, maybe even better than before."
Thayer smiles: “The Vegas event was fantastic, and it really exceeded our expectations. You could feel that everybody was having a great time. I know the fans absolutely loved it, and I can definitely see it happening again.
“Prepping for the acoustic set, we wanted to keep it loose, mostly spontaneous or impromptu. We had an outline of what we were going to do, but we didn’t want to overthink it either.
“The electric set had more planning behind it. We wanted to work in a few deeper cuts like Take Me and Watchin’ You, songs we hadn’t played live in a long time. To me, our shows had just the right balance of songs.
“The Saturday night electric show had an amazing edge and energy to it. We didn’t really expect that. I think we came out a little hungrier, wanting to show the crowd why we’re still one of the greatest rock bands in the world.”
Thayer says it was an interesting experience to perform in Kiss without makeup.
“Getting up on stage without the makeup feels natural,” he explains. “But it’s a different kind of intimacy with the crowd. You’re a bit more exposed – but it lets the music shine as it should.
“We actually have played concerts without makeup several times through the years on the Kiss Kruises, and the fans have always embraced it big time, which always makes the experience that much more fun for everyone.”
There was surprise for the fans in Vegas when one of the band’s former lead guitarists, Bruce Kulick, got up to jam at the end of the electric set.
“Bruce was great,” Thayer says. “He came out for the last two songs, and it just felt solid. We’ve always been close friends, so sharing that moment with him was a lot of fun and pretty special for everybody.”
But will there be even bigger surprises to come?
The last Kiss album, Monster, was released way back in 2012. Is there a possibility they could make another?
Thayer remains cautiously optimistic.
“As for another Kiss record, I’m honestly not sure yet,” he says. “It really depends on where things go and how everything evolves over the next year or two.
“But,” he adds, “I do feel like we all still have a lot of great ideas and a desire to keep creating and doing all the things we love doing.”
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