KISS cancels meet-and-greets due to coronavirus, including at Upstate NY concert

Gene Simmons in Fayetteville

KISS rocker Gene Simmons poses with fans at Tops market in Fayetteville, N.Y., in 2018, to promote his new soda line. Charlie Miller

KISS is saying goodbye to fan meet-and-greets on their farewell tour.

Rolling Stone reports the rock band announced Monday that it has canceled all upcoming meet-and-greets due to concerns about coronavirus COVID-19, which has infected more than 113,000 people worldwide and killed over 4,000. No tour dates have been postponed or rescheduled, but VIP photo opportunities with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer will no longer be available.

“Our meet-and-greets have always offered us and you, our fans, a unique opportunity to literally stand shoulder to shoulder together,” manager Doc McGhee said in a statement. “After many discussions with experts in the field, we have been advised to temporarily cancel these events given the reality that we do this nightly for a hundred or more fans. Shows will continue as scheduled and we look forward to resuming our time with you backstage.”

According to the band, refunds will be offered on VIP upgrades at the point of purchase within 7-10 days.

KISS is currently on its “End of the Road” tour with former Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, which has one Upstate New York stop remaining on Aug. 31 at CMAC (Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands Performing Arts Center) in Canandaigua. KISS and Roth played the KeyBank Center in Buffalo last month.

Tickets (without VIP meet-and-greets_ are on sale through Ticketmaster and Live Nation starting at $40 (plus fees). Additional tickets are available through StubHub, SeatGeek and TicketCity.

KISS began its farewell tour in 2018, performing at Darien Lake, SPAC and the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse last year. The band claims it’s their “final tour ever,” but the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers said the same of a “farewell tour” in 2000.

It’s unclear if KISS could reincorporate meet-and-greets later this year. The band is expected to add more tour dates, as KISS said it wants to have its final show on July 17, 2021, in New York City, where Simmons, Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss formed the famed rock band.

The coronavirus has disrupted events across the globe, including the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, the Coachella festival in California, and the Ultra Music Festival in Miami. Artists like Madonna, Pearl Jam, BTS, Green Day, and Avril Lavigne have postponed or canceled tour dates.

“The tour we’ve been busy planning for months is now in jeopardy," Pearl Jam said in a statement Monday. “We have and will always keep the safety and well-being of our supporters as top priority.”

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