KISS have announced their final tour ever, set for 2019, appropriately named End Of The Road. Guitarist Tommy Thayer recently spoke with HysteriaMag.com about the tour and living the rock star dream. Following is an excerpt from the story:

Thayer has the unique experience of covering all bases with the band–being a fan from the beginning, working for the band, then being in the band–he has a unique perspective that nobody else has. From having the best of both worlds, Thayer has become part of the shape of music that is not only universal, but spans generations–another mind-boggling reality for him. 

“I have to pinch myself sometimes, it’s like, too good. That’s not to say I haven’t worked hard in my life–having diligence and perseverance is important– it’s worked for me. It has happened. It has to do with staying in the game. I never looked at it like 'I’m gonna be a big rock star, I’m gonna be in KISS.' I’ve heard some people tell their stories like that but I looked at it like, maybe I can have a garage band with my friends. I always focused on the things you might be able to receive in a few months. I never looked too far ahead.” 

The passing of time and the accruement of success over said time is what baffles Thayer. Time is the ultimate constant, though. KISS march around those stages with heavy costumes, armour even, they command the stages, and if they were wearing jeans and t-shirts they might be able to reach their 90s doing this–but they don’t, so one would hope KISS have some failsafe against the ravages of age considering the tremendous amount of work over they’ll undertake in the next three years. 

“That’s the thing, though,” begins Thayer, “None of us is going to be around forever – a band like KISS is different to the Rolling Stones or Paul McCartney, even – KISS is a whole different animal. There’s physicality to it that has to be there and honestly, where Gene and Paul are at, they want to do this tour now while they still can do it in top form even though they’re not getting any younger either, but we can still go out and kick some ass, though! Who knows what could happen in a few years–the wheels could fall off. But in rock music all these bands we all love and grew up with, everybody’s getting old, so bands have to decide what they want to do.

KISS is timeless, the logo, the brand, the whole look, the imagery. That’ll always sustain itself. The thing that’s ending now for this band is being a touring band. I don’t think there’s any definitive plan."

Read the complete story here.

After selling more than half a million tickets at their initial on sale, KISS announced the second leg of their final tour ever set for 2019, appropriately named End Of The Road. The initial tour announcement was made at Halloween and featured a first set of dates, some of which sold out instantly.  The band announced today the second leg of the tour in North America starting this summer, produced by Live Nation, as well as new international markets being announced simultaneously. Tour itinerary detailed below. KISS will be offering VIP experiences and special KISS Army fan pre-sales.

KISS Meet & Greet Experiences will be available Tuesday, November 27th at 10 AM, local time through KISSOnline. KISS Army fan club pre-sales will begin Wednesday, November 28th at 9 AM local time. Head here for more information. Tickets to the general public will go on sale starting Monday, December 3rd at 10 AM, local time at LiveNation.com.

Known for their trademark larger-than-life blistering performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock n roll. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide have said this tour is devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans.

"All that we have built and all that we have conquered over the past four decades could never have happened without the millions of people worldwide who've filled clubs, arenas and stadiums over those years. This will be the ultimate celebration for those who've seen us and a last chance for those who haven't. KISS Army, we're saying goodbye on our final tour with our biggest show yet and we'll go out the same way we came in... Unapologetic and Unstoppable," said KISS.

Tour dates:

January
31 - Vancouver, BC, Canada - Rogers Arena

February
1 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden Moda Center
2 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
4 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
7 - San Diego, CA - Viejas Arena
8 - Fresno, CA - Save Mart Center
9 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
12 - Anaheim, CA - Honda Center
13 - Glendale, AZ - Gila River Arena
15 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
16 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
19 - Corpus Christi, TX - American Bank Center
20 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
22 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
23 - Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum
26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Chesapeake
27 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center

March
1 - Milwaukee, WI - Fiserv Forum
2 - Chicago, IL - United Center
4 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
6 - Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford Premier Center
7 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Center
9 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
10 - Moline, IL - Mark of the Quad Cities
12 - Louisville, KY - KFC Yum! Center
13 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
16 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
17 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
19 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
20 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
22 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
26 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
27 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
29 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
30 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena

April
2 - Quebec City, QC - Videotron Centre
3 - Ottawa, ON - Canadian Tire Centre
6 - Raleigh, NC - PNC Arena
7 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
9 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
11 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
12 - Jacksonville, FL - Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
13 - Birmingham, AL - BJCC

August
6 - Sunrise, FL - BB&T Center
8 - Charleston, NC - North Charleston Coliseum
10 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
11 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
13 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
14 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
16 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
17 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
20 - Brooklyn, NY - Barclays Center
21 - Hershey, PA - HersheyPark Stadium
23 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater
24 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
27 - Syracuse, NY - St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
29 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
31 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center

September
1 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
3 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
5 - Little Rock, AR - Verizon Arena
7 - Bossier City, LA - CenturyLink Center
8 - San Antonio, TX - AT&T Center
9 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
11 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
12 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
14 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
16 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena

(Photo - Jen Rosenstein)