Kiss has canceled its long-scheduled Las Vegas residency due to “soft ticket sales,” according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The residency, at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood on the strip, was scheduled to open Dec. 29 and run through Feb. 5.
Following a blockbuster New Year’s Eve live concert/livestream in Dubai, the group has been touring extensively this year on rescheduled dates from its pandemic-delayed “End of the Road” tour, though several shows had to be postponed due to co-foundersPaul StanleyandGene Simmonsboth testing positive for COVID, and longtime band guitar tech Francis Stueber dying of complications from the disease on Oct. 17.
Reps for the theater told the paper that ticket providers will contact purchasers with refund information. The venue is also said to follow the band’s kissonline website for further details, although there did not appear to be any on Monday morning.
Representatives for the band, Live Nation and Caesars Entertainment did not reply to requests for comment. Live Nation is under an exclusive booking contract with Caesars Entertainment, which owns Zappos Theater and Planet Hollywood.
A recent Rolling Stone article sharply criticized the band’s pandemic-safety protocols during the U.S. tour, with three crew members, speaking anonymously, said the band “didn’t take strict enough safety measures, which they say sickened several tour workers and potentially cost Stueber his life.”
In response, the band said in a statement: “Our ‘End of the Road’ world tour absolutely had Covid safety protocols in place that met, but most often exceeded, federal, state, and local guidelines. But ultimately this is still a global pandemic and there is simply no foolproof way to tour without some element of risk.”
The band is currently on a cruise with hundreds of fans: a “Kiss Kruise” of the Caribbean aboard Norwegian Gem. The trip began Friday and ends Tuesday, taking the band and fans to Harvest Caye, Belize and Roatan, Honduras.
Beginning in March, the band has extensive dates scheduled for Australia, South America and Europe stretching into the summer.
