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Put American actor Nicolas Cage and Australian musician Nick Cave in the same room, and it seems no one can tell the difference – at least that’s what the former has claimed in a recent interview.
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Cage (that’s the actor, not the musician) is currently promoting his recently-released film The Surfer, which was both filmed and set in Cave’s home country. Speaking to The Guardian, Cave responded to a reader’s question about a 2022 tall tale from Cave which recounts the pair apparently meeting based on their similar names.
“I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where I’m not mistaken for Nick Cave,” Cage explains. “People also say: ‘Hey, Nick, you were great in The Hunger,’ which is this great David Bowie movie.”
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Though Cage didn’t appear in Tony Scott’s 1983 film The Hunger (and neither did Cave), the actor turned his attention to an anecdote in which he claims to have met the musician.
“I do remember that Cave was very nice,” he continued. “We were at an animal sanctuary, I believe – I think Sealy Animal Hospital in Texas – and he was terrific. I said hello and wanted to shake his hand. I said: ‘Only one letter separates us – G. Nick Cave, Nick Cage.’”
Cage’s comments somewhat echo the 2022 story which Cave shared on his Red Hand Files website, responding to readers who respectively asked if Cave has ever met Cage, or added an “untrue component to a story to make it more interesting than it actually is.”
“People mix me up with Nicolas Cage all the time,” Cave recalled. “Like, I’ll be going through customs and the customs officer will look at my passport and say, ‘Happy to have you with us, Mr Cave. Loved you in Face/Off’. Or whatever. Sometimes it can be a bit of a pain in the neck, but you get used to it.”
Cave then continued with a lengthy tale about how he was apparently mistaken for Cage while purchasing a didgeridoo for his late son Arthur from the gift shop of the Healesville Sanctuary in his home state of Victoria. On their way home to Melbourne, Cave claims their meal at a local pub was interrupted by an apparent interaction with Cage.
“I follow the security guy into a small private room, adjacent to the main bar. Sitting there is Nicolas Cage,” Cave writes. “He is wearing a pork-pie hat and holding a didgeridoo. Nicolas Cage shouts, ‘Only one letter separates us!’ and leaps from his seat and eagerly pumps my hand. I’m pretty confused by all of this, but say, ‘It’s an honour to meet you, Mr Cage. Have you just been to Healesville Sanctuary?’ and he shouts, ‘Yes!’ and I say, ‘Well, me too.’”
Though it remains to be seen whether Cage’s own claims of mistaken identity are truthful (and for that matter, where the truth – if any – lies in Cave’s own story), Cage also used his interview with The Guardian to comment on the existence of Australian band Nicolas Cage Fighter.
“I think they’re terrific,” he explained. “Their songs are empowering. The lyrics are all about taking ownership of your mistakes, never being a victim, figuring out how you can fix your problems.”
John Lydon took an unexpected swipe at The Rolling Stones during an appearance on a British morning show Wednesday (May 7).
Appearing on the U.K.’s Good Morning Britain to promote his upcoming tour with Public Image Ltd., the former Sex Pistols frontman brought his fellow veteran rockers into the conversation while defending his own career longevity. “If I just sat back and retired, that’s just not me. I’m not that kind of person,” the artist formerly known as Johnny Rotten said before musing, “By all means, The Rolling Stones should retire.”
As the program’s hosts burst into laughter, Lydon couldn’t resist making another jab, saying, “I’m not short of a song idea or two, so there’s a difference.” However, quick to acknowledge his comments had the potential to cause a stir, he jokingly added, “Hold on, I’ve offended music lovers!” while screwing his face up into a cheeky scowl.
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“I’m not sure that you’d worry about causing offense, would you?” host Charlotte Hawkins pressed, to which the 69-year-old firebrand replied, “Certainly not! I mean, to compare music lovers with The Rolling Stones is absurd!”
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As the hosts tried to pivot to a different topic, Lydon laughed off his comments by making a giant pot-stirring motion and saying, “Give me a big spoon!”
Of course, the Stones last released new music with their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds, which was notable for serving as the band’s first full-length of original material in nearly two decades. The LP, which featured lead single “Angry” as well as Lady Gaga collab “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums chart. (It also topped the chart in the band’s native U.K. and eventually took home the Grammy for best rock album the following year.)
Meanwhile, Lydon and the rest of Public Image Ltd. also unveiled their eleventh studio set, End of World, in 2023, which bowed at No. 33 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart.
Watch a clip of Lydon’s pot-stirring chat on Good Morning Britain below.
He brought ‘Anarchy to the UK’ nearly 50 years ago, but after sadly losing his wife Nora in April 2023, and his best friend and manager just 8 months later, former Sex Pistol John Lydon thought he’d never tour again.But two years on, the pioneering godfather of punk is back… pic.twitter.com/Nr7oN6WBSZ— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) May 7, 2025
In July 2020, on the brink of a major life change, English Teacher’s Lily Fontaine laid down a statement of purpose for the journey that lay ahead. “It is less than three weeks until I move back to Leeds to try and become a rock musician,” she wrote in an edition of indie magazine Come Play With Me. “I hope that if I succeed, a young Black girl might see me and think she can be [successful] too one day.”
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Having recently graduated from Leeds Conservatoire, where the Colne-raised songwriter met her future bandmates, these were the words of a young woman ready to transform the way she envisioned her life. Within four years, she and the rest of English Teacher would go on to experience a watershed moment at the iconic Abbey Road Studios, where the group scooped the prestigious Mercury Prize last September for its richly charismatic debut album This Could Be Texas.
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“We just thought we’d make a band,” said Fontaine during the band’s acceptance speech, lost for words at the magnitude of the accolade. The four-piece thanked the venues and charities that had supported during their early days in Leeds, struggling to find the words to express their gratitude. It was a deeply affecting moment, one that speaks to the tenacity, talent and passion that has fueled them to these heights.
“I can barely think about the [Mercury Prize] night without getting emotional,” says guitarist Lewis Whiting, speaking to Billboard UK via Zoom. “We could barely speak when we won. Maybe we should just keep up our own trend of never having a winners’ speech at the ready!”
Winning the Mercury Prize may have helped English Teacher sail to the forefront of the next wave of British guitar music, but its the uniform strength of their impassioned live show that has made them breakout stars. The band will kick off a summer of touring – including appearances at Glastonbury and Green Man – by topping the bill of Billboard U.K.’s Live experience on May 16. Headlining The Deep End venue, Brighton, as part of The Great Escape 2025, it will be joined by a series of rising artists, including Westside Cowboy, the latter for whom Whiting has recently worked with as a producer.
Following an appearance in the 2021 virtual edition of The Great Escape due to COVID restrictions, English Teacher performed at the weekender the following year in support of its Polyawkward EP. Around this time, the outfit’s quirky, lightly rumbustious songs began to resonate across British press and radio; accessible while containing a marked dose of strangeness, Fontaine’s songwriting – at once emotionally raw and witty – boasted a strong multi-generational appeal.
That EP invited a bigger audience into English Teacher’s world, preceding an inexorable rise. Now, having earned first BRIT Award nomination and bagged Fontaines D.C. support slots this year, Whiting discusses how it feels for the band to be playing to increasingly frenzied crowds while working on “tighter and more focused” new music in the background.
You have a storied history with The Great Escape. Looking back at those earlier gigs, how does it feel to think about the band that you were then?
There wasn’t a single part of me that thought we’d be anywhere near where we are now as a band. Those early gigs feel like a different lifetime, for sure – a lot has changed since those early appearances at The Great Escape. I remember the 2022 edition of the festival felt like quite a significant kind of turning point for us. At the time, it felt like things had started falling together for us, and we were like, “D–n, people are actually coming to our shows, something is happening here!”
What memories do you have of the festival over the years?
When we first went to The Great Escape, I think there was a collective kind of giddiness among the band. At that point, we’d never properly experienced a festival like that, so we were pretty over the moon with the response we got from the crowds there. We made some friends along the way, including [the band] Sprints, who we are still close with now. A lot of my memories from The Great Escape revolve around bumping into people around Brighton; it often feels like you’re walking past you know every two minutes!
Since you won the Mercury Prize, have you been surprised by anything that’s changed in your life?
Last year was absolutely huge for us, which is something I am still adjusting to. So many elements of our lives have changed: there’s been an extra layer of public attention on us, which we obviously have never experienced before. It all still feels quite alien, but 2024 was one of the best years of my life. Looking back, it feels like something new happened for us each week.
Given that it’s been a pretty mental 12 months, I think as a band, we’ve been making more of a conscious effort to check in and see where everyone’s at [mentally]. All our lives are now so different, more chaotic and busy, so it’s been really important to keep tabs on each others’ well-being – especially as we are on the road far more often.
How has touring extensively impacted your sources of inspiration for writing the next album?
This has definitely been a big thing for us. A lot of the first album was about the idea of home and all of the emotions that come entangled with that. There’s still a lot of the second album to still be written but we’ve all been through so many changes – and so many new experiences gained through travelling and touring – that I feel will definitely feed into the music too. We’re in a very different place to where we were at for the debut.
Has the meaning of some of your older material changed for you over time?
100%, which is actually a really nice feeling. It’s interesting — because I’m not the lyricist for the band, but as we’ve been on tour, I’ve found that my personal meanings of some of the songs have changed quite a bit. “Mastermind Specialism” is one that really stands out, as it’s a song about indecision; when we play it, I find that I start thinking about all the little decisions that have led us up to this point as a band. “Nearly Daffodils” is another one, as it’s about a relationship that could have been, and all the changes you can go through in life in quite quick succession.
Which song have you written that still gives you goosebumps?
“Albert Road” has really taken on a new significance, however – it’s become sadder! Sometimes, in a live setting, it gets me good. It makes me think of home and I end up feeling reflective about our journey so far. There’s definitely been a couple of pivotal moments over the last year, where we have all looked at each other on stage and started welling up.
How did it feel to walk your first major red carpet at The BRIT Awards this year?
The whole experience was so ridiculous and surreal that I found it really entertaining. It was an honour to be f-king nominated for a BRIT in the first place, that was crazy and something I never, ever expected. It was mad, too, seeing all these celebrities walking around. We got chatting to JADE, she’s so sound. We very briefly said hi to Louis Theroux, too; I felt really shy in his presence — as he is so cool, I almost felt like I had no business talking to him!
You recently worked with Westside Cowboy, who will be joining us at Billboard U.K.’s Live experience at The Great Escape. What attracted you to working with them?
I love everything about that band. Sonically, they’re very much on my street and I really like the confidence with which they approach their songwriter. I admire how they don’t overcomplicate things. They’re fans of Big Thief, but I also feel as though there are elements of Lou Reed, Pavement and The Velvet Underground in their music; they write really concise, strong songs, which is super refreshing.
I first met them when they were playing a gig at Soup Kitchen in Manchester. I became a fan immediately and just knew I had to find a way to work with them. They have some brilliant material in the pipeline which really shows off the range of what they can do together as a band.
How does production allow you to use your skills differently?
It’s still an ongoing journey but one that I have really enjoyed. I’ve always been in bands, and I’ve engineered plenty of demos, but I have never really dived into being a producer in my own right until now. It’s something I would love to do more of in the future, and it’s also nice to take a step outside [of being in English Teacher] and build the confidence to forge a different creative outlet for myself. It feels like opening a different part of your brain, it’s very rewarding.
With dozens of live dates in the pipeline, what mindset are you approaching the rest of the year with?
The main aim is to start road-testing some new songs at festivals. We’re deep in writing mode at the moment, it has been non-stop for us. The [creative] process has been great, if a little fragmented; we all don’t really live in the same city anymore, and we are still figuring out what we want some of this album to sound like. Overall, however, I am feeling really positive.
Personally, I think I’m going to be more happy with the second album than the first one. They’re still in the early stages, but we’ve had a couple of ideas that we perhaps intended to make work in the past, though they feel a little more refined. For me, that’s what I want to get out of the second album: for the first record, we threw a lot of things at the wall, but I like the idea of these songs being a little tighter and more focused. It’s like a puzzle: when you figure out the way the pieces should fit together, it’s so satisfying. That feeling is what keeps you going.
Sam Fender has teamed up with Adolescence director Phillip Barantini on a video for new single “Little Bit Closer.”
The clip, which was shot in the Lake District in the north west of England, follows Owen Cooper — who played Jamie Miller in the Netflix drama — and a group of friends on a trip to the Lakes, where Cooper’s character contemplates questions of faith.
Lifted from February’s People Watching LP, the track itself sees Fender dive deep into his relationship with religion, depicting the emotional complexities of growing up in the Christian faith.
Fender previously collaborated with Barantini back in 2021, working alongside him and fellow Adolescence star and co-writer Stephen Graham for the video to stirring single “Spit of You.” In a press release, he said, “It’s so great to be working with Phil [Barantini] again, I had no doubt he was the right director for this piece, his video for ‘Spit of You’ was my favorite.
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“Phil called to say he’d asked Owen if he’d like to be in the video, and that Owen was keen,” he continued. “I was elated that he could do it after seeing his incredible performance in Adolescence. Alongside Semera Khan [Creative Director] and the rest of the cast and team, they have created something beautiful.”
Barantini added: “To have the opportunity to direct another video for Sam was an immediate yes — an absolute no-brainer for me! Not only is Sam an incredible artist but he’s a beautiful human and a great friend! Also, the opportunity to direct Owen again so soon after Adolescence was an absolute joy!”
Adolescence took the U.K. by storm when it hit screens earlier this year; upon release in March, episode one pulled the largest ever audience for any streaming TV show in the country in a single week. The four-part series, which explores complex issues such as toxic masculinity and the dangers of online radicalization, is set to be made freely accessible to secondary school pupils through a partnership between Netflix and the Into Film+ streaming service.
Speaking to Billboard U.K. in April, Barantini discussed the show’s ongoing impact and the vital discussions it has encouraged in recent months. “I always wanted [Adolescence] to be a conversation starter, or certainly for people to take different things away from it and have their own experience with it,” he said.
“There was definitely that feeling when we were on set,” he continued. “When we screened it to people, the audience were having the same reaction, but I did not think for one second it would be doing what it’s doing and still continues to do.”
Fender, meanwhile, has had a banner year so far. People Watching took the No. 1 spot on the Official Albums Chart upon release with 107,000 units sold across physicals and streaming. He becomes the first British solo artist to surpass 100,000 sales in an opening week since Harry Styles’ Harry’s House in 2022. He then scooped the alternative/rock act going at the BRIT Awards in March, and is now gearing up for a run of U.K. headline stadium shows this summer with dates in London and Newcastle.
After nearly 50 years as a band, Pulp has finally made an appearance on an airplay-based Billboard chart. The English band’s “Spike Island,” the lead single from its upcoming album More, bows at No. 38 on the Adult Alternative Airplay survey dated May 10. The Jarvis Cocker-led act first appeared on any Billboard tally in […]
Sleep Token nabs its third No. 1 in a row on Billboard’s Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, bowing atop the May 10-dated survey with “Damocles.”
In the week ending May 1, “Damocles” earned 8.9 million official U.S. streams and sold 2,000 downloads, according to Luminate.
Its No. 1 coronation follows three-week reigns each for the band’s “Caramel” (April 19-May 3) and “Emergence” (March 29-April 12).
In fact, Sleep Token has now replaced itself twice on Hot Hard Rock Songs, having led for the past seven weeks. That’s the first time any act has done so with three different songs since the ranking began in June 2020. Previously, Linkin Park accomplished the feat with two songs; “The Emptiness Machine” reigned between Sept. 21, 2024, and Feb. 8, followed by a one-week lead for “Heavy Is the Crown” (Feb. 15) before “The Emptiness Machine” returned to No. 1.
Sleep Token becomes the sixth act with at least three No. 1s on Hot Hard Rock Songs, following Foo Fighters and HARDY (also three), Linkin Park (four) and Bring Me the Horizon and Falling in Reverse (six apiece).
It also becomes the first act to hold the entire top three of the chart (as “Caramel” and “Emergence” rank at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, on the latest tally) since Linkin Park did so on the Nov. 30, 2024, list.
Concurrently, “Damocles” also bows at No. 1 on Hard Rock Streaming Songs and Hard Rock Digital Song Sales, Sleep Token’s third leader on both.
“Damocles” starts at No. 11 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs ranking, and on the all-format Billboard Hot 100, it begins at No. 47.
“Damocles” is the latest taste of Even in Arcadia, Sleep Token’s fourth studio album, out May 9 via RCA.
Ghost’s Skeletá debuts atop a trio of Billboard rock albums charts, including the flagship Top Rock & Alternative Albums survey dated May 10.
The full-length studio set earned 86,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of availability (April 25-May 1), according to Luminate. Of that sum, 77,000 units are via traditional album sales.
The bow of Skeletá atop Top Rock & Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums gives Ghost its fourth No. 1 on both, following the reigns of Impera (2022), Prequelle (2018) and the EP Popestar (2016).
Additionally, its No. 1 on Top Hard Rock Albums is the band’s seventh, with the aforementioned albums joined by 2024’s Rite Here Right Now soundtrack, 2023’s Phantomime EP and 2013’s Infestissumam.
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With seven No. 1s on Top Hard Rock Albums, Ghost moves into a three-way tie for the third-most rulers since the ranking began in 2007, alongside Five Finger Death Punch and Foo Fighters.
Most No. 1s, Top Hard Rock Albums:
9, Linkin Park
8, Pearl Jam
7, Five Finger Death Punch
7, Foo Fighters
7, Ghost
6, Disturbed
6, Korn
6, Nickelback
As previously reported, Skeletá is Ghost’s first No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 and the first hard rock release to top the ranking since AC/DC’s Power Up in 2020.
Concurrently, nine songs from Skeletá‘s 10-tune tracklist dot the multimetric Hot Hard Rock Songs chart, paced by “Peacefield,” which rises 13-4 largely from 2.6 million official U.S. streams and 1,000 downloads.
“Lachryma” and “Satanized” follow, moving 7-10 and holding at No. 11, respectively, though both songs boast higher peaks on the ranking so far — No. 3 (“Satanized” in March, “Lachryma” in April).
The week’s top debut of the group, meanwhile, is “Guiding Lights” at No. 15 (1.1 million streams).
Lead single “Satanized” returns to its previous best of No. 7 (rising one spot) on Mainstream Rock Airplay. Upon its entrance into the top 10, it became Ghost’s 10th top 10 since first appearing on the tally in 2015, including five No. 1s.
After 61 years, The Song is Over for rock titans The Who. On Thursday (May 8) the band announced they’ll play their final run of shows in North America this coming August and September as part of a farewell tour. The announcement was made by guitarist Pete Townshend at a press conference in London with singer Roger Daltrey appearing via video link.
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The tour – named after their 1971 song “The Song is Over” – kicks off in Newark, N.J. on Aug. 19 and runs through major cities including New York City, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles and more. See the full run of shows below. The band has not announced any further shows outside of the U.S. and Canada at this time.
Tickets will be available through The Who Fan Club, beginning May 13. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general sale starting May 16 at 10 a.m. local time. See the full information here.
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“Well, all good things must come to an end,” Townshend said in a statement. “It is a poignant time. For me, playing to American audiences and those in Canada has always been incredible.”
“The warmth and engagement of those audiences began back in 1967 with hippies smoking dope, sitting on their blankets and listening deeply and intensely. Music was everywhere. We all felt equal,” he continued. “Today, Roger and I still carry the banner for the late [drummer] Keith Moon and [bassist] John Entwistle and of course, all of our longtime Who fans.”
Daltrey added, “Every musician’s dream in the early 60’s was to make it big in the U.S. charts. For the Who, that dream came true in 1967 and our lives were changed forever. The warmth of the American audiences over the years have been inspirational to me, and reflect the feeling I remember getting after hearing the first rock records coming across the radio. Musical freedom! Rock gave us a feeling of generational rebellion.”
“To me, America has always been great. The cultural differences had a huge impact on me, this was the land of the possible,” Daltrey continued. “It’s not easy to end the big part of my life that touring with The Who has been. Thanks for being there for us and look forward to seeing you one last time.”
Daltery, Townshend and Entwistle first performed live together as The Detours in 1962, and officially became The Who in 1964, with drummer Moon completing the classic lineup in May of that year. They toured primarily in the U.K. and Europe and first hit the U.S. in 1967 to support their third LP The Who Sell Out.
Their hell-raising tours continued with the releases of rock operas Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973). Their 1970 live collection Live at Leeds is widely considered one of the defining live rock albums of its era.
This isn’t the first time that The Who have announced a ‘farewell tour.’ In 1982 the band played a final run of shows in the U.K. and North America and immortalised the show with live album Who’s Last. They reunited for short performances at Live Aid in 1985 and 1988, and a year later in 1989, the group reunited for a 50-show tour.
In 2015, The Who’s 50th anniversary tour was dubbed as a “long goodbye” by Daltrey and saw them play 70 shows in Europe, North America and Asia. Between 2019 and 2021, the band toured their 2019 album WHO, their first in 13 years.
The news follows a recent concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall which saw longtime drummer Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, sacked from the group for his performance. After a brief period of uncertainty, Starkey was reinstated with Townshend saying, “There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily.
The Who ‘The Song is Over’ North American Tour Dates
Aug. 19 – Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
Aug. 21 – Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
Aug. 23 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall
Aug. 26 – Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
Aug. 28 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell at Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 30 – New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
Sept. 2 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Sept. 4 – Toronto, ON @ Budweiser Stage
Sept. 7 – Chicago, IL @ United Center
Sept. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Sept. 19 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
Sept. 21 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sept. 23 – Vancouver, BC @ Rogers Arena
Sept. 25 – Seattle, WA @ Climate Pledge Arena
Sept. 28 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
The Who’s Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will gather the press in London on Thursday (May 9) for a special announcement tied to a new project titled The Song Is Over.
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According to the band’s official channels, the announcement will include a livestreamed Q&A with fans worldwide, with questions already being collected on social media, building anticipation for what could mark a significant moment in The Who’s six-decade career.
The project’s title references “The Song Is Over,” a deep cut from the band’s 1971 album Who’s Next. The group also performed the track live for the first time in March at London’s Royal Albert Hall, although that rendition was interrupted when Daltrey experienced technical difficulties. “To sing that song, I do need to hear the key,” he told the crowd at the time. “And I can’t hear. There’s no pitch here. I just hear drums, boom boom boom. I can’t sing to that.”
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This would not be the first time The Who has suggested the end of the road was near. In 1982, the band launched what was billed as a farewell tour and appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone with the headline “The Who The End.” At that time, Townshend was 37 and Daltrey was 38. Today, Townshend turns 80 later this month and Daltrey recently turned 81.
Longtime drummer Zak Starkey, who briefly exited the band earlier this year, is expected to be part of any future live plans. Starkey left following the Royal Albert Hall show but was soon reinstated. “There have been some communication issues, personal and private on all sides, that needed to be dealt with, and these have been aired happily,” Townshend said.
The band has not confirmed that The Song Is Over will be a tour. Fans have also speculated the project could be a studio album, a biopic or even a new rock opera. Daltrey has discussed the idea of a Keith Moon biopic for years, although no official updates on that project have been shared recently.
The Who last released an album in 2019. Who debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, marking the band’s highest-charting album since Quadrophenia reached No. 2 in 1973.
Full details of The Song Is Over will be revealed Thursday.
Gene Simmons has clarified that not all members of KISS may appear together at KISS Army Storms Vegas, the upcoming three-day fan event scheduled for Nov. 14–16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.
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“This is much more a fan gathering,” Simmons told 94.3 The Shark radio station in a new interview. “The KISS Army are taking over the Virgin Hotel and we will show up, but I don’t even know if the entire band’s gonna be there.”
Simmons continued, “I know Paul and I are gonna be there, and Tommy. Bruce Kulick probably will show up, and we’ll jam, answer questions and stuff. It ain’t a concert, we’re gonna do none of that stuff. I may even bring my solo band up there just for fun.”
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The event will mark KISS’s first public appearance since the group wrapped its End of the Road farewell tour at New York’s Madison Square Garden in December 2023. Simmons previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in March that the band would not perform in makeup during the Las Vegas event, staying true to their vow that the MSG show was their final appearance in full costume.
“There’s no stage show. There’s no crew. We won’t have 60 people levitating drum sets and all that stuff,” he said at the time.
KISS Army Storms Vegas will celebrate the fan club’s 50th anniversary and will feature Q&A sessions with Stanley, Simmons and longtime manager Doc McGhee.
Additional performances will include sets from Thayer’s former band BLACK ‘N BLUE, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and tribute acts MR. SPEED and KISS Nation: The KISS Tribute Show. Kulick, who played with KISS from 1984 to 1996, is also scheduled to perform. It remains unclear if drummer Eric Singer will participate.
“There might be some KISS tribute bands, almost like a convention, if you will. So it’s much more personal. And of course, we can’t get by without playing, so we’ll get up and do some tunes,” Simmons added. “What they are, how long, I don’t know.”