Longtime KISS lead guitarist Tommy Thayer will join the band’s founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for a performance without makeup at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as part of the three-day “KISS Army Storms Vegas” event, which runs from November 14 to November 16. Also newly added to the lineup of artists who will appear at the event are Thayer’s former band BLACK ‘N BLUE, as well as former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach and the tribute acts MR. SPEED and KISS NATION: THE KISS TRIBUTE SHOW.”KISS Army Storms Vegas” celebrates the KISS fan club’s 50th anniversary and will be the band’s first live performance since Simmons, Stanley, Thayer and drummer Eric Singer wrapped up their “End Of The Road” farewell tour at Madison Square Garden in New York in December 2023.There will also be question-and-answer sessions with Stanley and Simmons, as well as KISS’s longtime manager Doc McGhee, where they will share stories, behind-the-scenes moments and answer fans’ most burning questions. Also making special appearances will be Kiss Army founders Bill Starkey and Jay Evans. In addition, there will be a guest performance by former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.”We will not do the makeup,” Gene told Las Vegas Review-Journal about “KISS Army Storms Vegas”. “We will hold true to the promise [of never playing another KISS show in makeup]. There’s no stage show. There’s no crew. We won’t have 60 people levitating drum sets and all that stuff. This is more personal gathering of the tribes, where we meet them, greet them, maybe have a Q&A.”Regarding what else fans can expect from “KISS Army Storms Vegas”, Simmons said: “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. What they are, how long, I don’t know.”When KISS officially announced the “KISS Army Storms Vegas” event, the band said that Stanley and Simmons — along with “special guests” — would play at least one show “unmasked,” meaning without their iconic makeup.KISS had previously set a 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022 but ultimately canceled all of the dates.50 years ago in Terre Haute, Indiana, a small group of fans lit the spark that would become the loudest and proudest fan movement in rock history: the KISS Army. Now, five decades later — and 30 years since the first official KISS convention — KISS is cranking it up to 11 in Las Vegas for the ultimate celebration.Head over to kissarmystormsvegas.com for more information.Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden “End Of The Road” concert would mark “the final KISS-in-makeup appearance.”Kulick was a member of KISS from 1984 until 1996.According to Billboard, Kulick is one of only two musicians to have not worn makeup while a member of KISS, the other being Mark St. John.Kulick had performed with the band again at their Kiss Kruise events in 2018 and 2021.Simmons recently postponed nearly 20 dates on his forthcoming solo tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND to 2026.Image courtesy of Gibson TVTOMMY THAYER, LEAD GUITARIST OF KISS, WILL JOIN GENE SIMMONS AND PAUL STANLEY FOR A ONE-OF-A-KIND KISS UNMASKED ELECTRIC…Posted by KISS on Monday, April 7, 2025