Gene Simmons has shared fresh details about the physical cost of being the Demon. The KISS bassist and co-founder, now 77, spoke to NewsNation’s The Hill about the band’s decision to stop touring, pointing directly at the two-hour makeup sessions and the heavy gear that came with every show. His comments arrived just weeks before the band’s farewell tour documentary, KISS: End of the Road, premieres on November 19, 2026.
Simmons described a routine that went far beyond music. Fire-breathing, flying through the air, and keeping his trademark tongue out for the length of a concert were only part of the job. The real weight came from what he wore. “Wear 70 lbs., as much as that, or as little as 50 to 60 lbs. of armor, studs, guitars, and all on seven-inch platformed boots for two hours,” Simmons told The Hill. “It’s exhausting”.
The Two-Hour Makeup Routine Behind the Demon
Simmons has spoken about his makeup process for years, and the details have stayed remarkably consistent. The Demon face is not a quick paint job. In past interviews, Simmons confirmed that applying the full KISS makeup takes approximately two hours every single night. The process starts with a white foundation — Simmons has repeatedly referred to it as Stein’s Clown White — followed by a freehand black outline around the eye, filled in with black pigment.
The work is done by Simmons himself, not a team of makeup artists. “We physically and literally have put on the makeup every single time,” Simmons told CNN in an earlier interview. “There have never been makeup people on the side. The process takes about two hours”. Removing the makeup afterward added more time to the routine, cutting into rest before the next show.
The physical demands did not stop with the face paint. Simmons has described wearing seven-inch platform dragon boots, each weighing roughly the same as a light bowling ball, along with leather, studs, and armor pieces that together pushed the costume weight into the 50 to 70-pound range. On top of that, he carried a bass guitar weighing several pounds and performed stunts that included spitting fire and flying above the stage.
KISS: End of the Road Documentary Premieres November 19
Simmons’ comments about the exhausting routine came during promotion for KISS: End of the Road, a documentary that follows the band’s final tour. The film is directed by DJ Viola and produced by Leslie Greif of Big Dreams Entertainment and Elemeno Productions. It will debut on November 19, 2026, through a special livestream on KISSOnline.com, powered by streaming technology partner Kiswe.
Virtual tickets for the premiere start at $14.99, with regional pricing available, and buyers get a seven-day viewing window after the livestream. A trailer for the documentary arrived in late October 2026. It includes footage from the farewell tour and a moment where a dehydrated Simmons had to play sitting down during a concert in Brazil.
The film chronicles the End of the Road World Tour, which launched in January 2019 and concluded with two final shows at Madison Square Garden in New York City on December 2, 2023. The tour was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and stretched across multiple years before the final curtain came down.
Why KISS Stopped Touring: Respect, Not Vanity
Simmons framed the decision to stop touring as a matter of respect for the audience rather than a surrender to age. “You’ve got to know when to gracefully and proudly step off that stage,” he told The Hill, “because you have to understand that KISS was and continues to be the only band of its type”.
The group built its reputation on giving fans what Simmons called “bang for the buck.” He recalled the early days when the four members of KISS — Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss — saw a gap in live music. “We had a very strange idea,” Simmons said. “Let’s put together the band we never saw on stage”. The goal was bombast and spectacle, and the band delivered it for five decades.
Simmons has consistently tied the retirement to preserving that standard. “I’m 77 now, and boy, do I look good,” he said. “But you’ve got to know — you’ve got to respect the fans enough to know when to get off that stage”.
Pophouse Entertainment Owns the Makeup and Publishing
The business side of KISS changed significantly in early 2024. The band sold its entire music catalog, likeness, brand name, and the four iconic makeup designs to Swedish entertainment company Pophouse Entertainment. The deal included the Demon, the Starchild, the Spaceman, and the Catman — the visual identities that defined KISS for half a century.
Simmons confirmed the arrangement in his conversation with The Hill, stating that Pophouse bought the makeup and the publishing and that the band is proud to have the company as a partner. The sale also means that KISS cannot perform live again without Pophouse’s permission, a detail Simmons has shared in other interviews.
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Avatar Shows and the Future of KISS on Stage
Physical touring may be over, but KISS is not leaving the stage entirely. The band has been working on an avatar-based show that will bring digital versions of the members to a Las Vegas stage. The project is scheduled to launch in 2028, with Simmons stating that approximately $200 million is being invested to take the technology to the next level.
The avatars follow the model set by ABBA’s digital concert production in London, which uses virtual versions of the group’s members to perform for live audiences. Simmons has been open about the ambition behind the project, saying the technology will allow KISS to remain “forever young and forever iconic”.
Simmons also had a blunt message for musicians who are uncertain about artificial intelligence. Asked whether AI will help or hurt the music industry, he said: “It doesn’t matter. The future is here. You’ve got to learn how to use it, otherwise it will use you”.
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