Gene Simmons on First Solo Band Shows Since KISS Farewell Tour: 'No More Makeup for Me' (Exclusive)

Gene Simmons is putting away his makeup and saying goodbye to his time with KISS.

On Monday, the 74-year-old rocker spoke with ET's Denny Directo from the Godzilla x King Kong: The New Empire premiere in Los Angeles and gave an update on his life and career after completing KISS' last world tour. The group played their final show in December, four years after embarking on the End of the Road tour in 2019.

For Simmons, the completion of the tour is now allowing him to focus on his solo music career. Up first is a gig in South America, which includes Simmons and his bandmates, Brent Woods, Zach Throne and Brian Tichy, playing at the Summer Breeze music festival in Brazil in late April.

"We've got a little side band called the Gene Simmons Band, and we'll be headlining festivals across Europe, South America... no more makeup for me," Simmons said.

Simmons said that while he may be bidding farewell to one chapter of his life, it does not mean that he is completely ignoring his past with the band, which made up 50 years of his life.

"But we're the luckiest people in the world," he said of his KISS band members. "And yes, yes we were old enough to watch the very first season of ET, before it was ET, it was just Entertainment Tonight."

The group first assembled in 1971 and played their final live show in December 2023 at Madison Square Garden. At the time, they shared that while they were saying goodbye officially, they wouldn't be falling off the face to the earth entirely.

"The end of the road is the beginning of another road," said band member Paul Stanley during their last performance. "We're not going anywhere. You’ll see us in all different things all the time. We’ll see you in your dreams."

The legacy of the rock group lives on forever, especially in the hearts of fans and music lovers alike. One of those fans just happens to be Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire star Brian Tyree Henry, who also talked with ET from the carpet of the film's premiere.

While discussing the new installment in the franchise, the 41-year-old actor described returning to the Godzilla x Kong story for a second time as "more punk rock" and feeling "like a KISS concert."

When ET pointed out that the KISS icon was in the building for the event, Henry called Simmons "legendary" and said that the appearance was serendipitous.

"I didn't know that. I've literally -- on this campaign -- have been comparing this movie to a KISS concert the whole time," he said. "Oh, well that's perfect."

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire releases in theaters on March 29.

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