KISS pause Brazil show after Gene Simmons falls ill and performs sat down

KISS were forced to pause one of their live performances earlier this week when Gene Simmons was taken ill when onstage.

The incident took place on Wednesday night (April 12), when the band were performing in Manaus, Brazil, as part of their ongoing farewell tour.

While mid-set, the iconic bassist – who is aged 73 – had to take a seat on the stage and temporarily halt the performance while crew members looked after him. According to a review by ACritica, the show was only paused for around five minutes before he returned to the stage again and continued performing for the remainder of the set.

“We’re gonna have to stop,” frontman Paul Stanley said to the crowd when he noticed Simmons was seated. “You know how much we love Gene, and he’s obviously sick. And we’re gonna have to stop to take care of him, ’cause we love him, right?”

He then asked the crowd to chant “Gene” as the bassist was being tended to by the crew. While seated, Simmons plated some of the bass parts to KISS’ 2010 track, ‘Say Yeah’ before returning to the front of the stage. Find fan-captured footage from the moment below.

Durante show do Kiss em Manaus, o baixista Gene Simmons passou mal em meio ao forte calor que fazia na Arena da Amazônia. Ele precisou de oxigênio. A apresentação precisou ser interrompida por alguns instantes e foi retomada sob muitos aplausos dos fãs. pic.twitter.com/Njju7WzhIs

— Mário Adolfo Filho (@marioadolfo) April 13, 2023

Hopefully Gene is okay. ??
Yesterday KISS resumed their End Of The Road tour in Manaus, Brazil which is the start of their “final 50 shows”. Early in the show, while performing “Say Yeah” Gene Simmons was not feeling well and had to sit in a chair for the song.
**UPDATE**
I’m… pic.twitter.com/F2PygWJ9B4

— ?? ??????? (@evilonline) April 13, 2023

The following day (April 13), Simmons took to social media to discuss the reasons for his illness – explaining that it was caused due to dehydration. “Hey everybody, thanks for the good wishes,” he wrote.

“I’m fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, [I] experienced weakness because of dehydration. We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious.”

He also confirmed that the band will continue to perform all scheduled dates, including tomorrow night’s (April 15) performance at Colombia’s Monsters Of Rock Festival, where they will share the stage with other rock icons including Deep Purple, Helloween, Saxon and Scorpions.

Hey everybody, thanks for the good wishes. I’m fine. Yesterday at Manaus Stadium in Brazil, experienced weakness because of dehydration. We stopped for about five minutes, I drank some water, and then all was well. Nothing serious. Tomorrow, Bogota Stadium. See you there!

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) April 13, 2023

KISS launched their ‘End Of The Road’ tour in 2019 and confirmed that it would mark their last ever live performances — although some fans have questioned the claims. Their last ever live performances will take place at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on December 1 and December 2. Find all tour dates and ticket information here.

Earlier this year it was announced that a KISS biopic is set to arrive on Netflix in 2024.

News of the biographical film first arose in 2021, when Stanley revealed that he had read a “really good” script for the project. Originally, it was reported that the project had Pirates Of The Caribbean 5 director Joachim Rønning attached to it and was set to be called Shout It Out Loud.