Billy Corgan on Why KISS’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley Are “Two of the Greatest Frontmen in the History of Rock”

Billy Corgan has some high praise for Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. In an interview with Consequence, the Smashing Pumpkins rocker called the KISS musicians “two of the greatest frontmen in the history of rock.”

“Obviously, a lot of KISS fans focus on the ’70s because that’s when they broke through and they were literally the biggest band in the world, but what I’m so impressed by with Gene and Paul is they made the transitions to the ’80s,” Corgan said. “If you think about it, some of the late ’70s KISS basically foreshadowed the hair metal phase that was coming.”

“They adapted their songwriting… and had a whole other run of hits like ‘Heaven’s On Fire.’ You have to have real ability to pivot your band’s sound into something completely different,” he continued. “They obviously took off the makeup and they had a whole other run of success. That, for me, I think that’s one of their greatest accomplishments.”

Billy Corgan Comments on KISS’ Avatar Show

During the interview, Corgan also spoke about KISS’ upcoming avatar show, which will feature holograms of the band members.

The show, which is slated to launch in Las Vegas in 2028, has been described as “a crazy 4D roller coaster ride through the hits, the comic book worlds, and personas of KISS.”

“I’ve heard about KISS’ avatar show for years… I think it would be incredible,” Corgan said. “Knowing them, it’ll be amazing if it gets pulled off.”

Even so, Corgan wondered, “People talk about the makeup, and great band, great songs, and Gene and Paul are two of the greatest frontmen in the history of rock, so does that translate to an avatar situation?”

Pophouse Entertainment, the production company behind the show, previously put on a similar experience with ABBA. Corgan noted that, in ABBA’s case, the group’s real-life popularity did translate into the avatar show.

“It’s one of the most successful things, I think, in that whole world yet,” Corgan noted. “… I hope they pull [the KISS show] off, because I think there’s a lot of cool stuff that’s going to happen after that with other artists.”

Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation

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