The Audience Doesn’t Deserve That. The Audience Paid

In a revealing chat on Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast, Kiss frontman Paul Stanley reflected on the recent onstage altercation during Jane’s Addiction‘s Boston show, which ultimately led to the cancellation of their remaining tour dates. When asked if tensions within Kiss ever got so heated that band members almost fought onstage, Stanley laid down a simple rule (via Blabbermouth): “Cardinal rule: you don’t hit. And you don’t bring your problems on stage. You leave your ego — well, that’s more difficult. But you leave your anger and resentment at the bottom of the stairs.”

Stanley emphasized that despite occasional behind-the-scenes friction, professionalism always took priority on stage. “We would go on stage and have a great time sometimes playing and then walk off stage and not be talking to each other. The audience doesn’t deserve that. The audience paid. And that goes back to that same philosophy of being the band we never saw.”

He added: “People get one chance to see you, possibly on a tour. It doesn’t matter about last night or about the night after — that’s their night, and for them to see you not interacting with your bandmate, that’s kid shit. That’s disrespectful to the people who paid.”

Stanley candidly admitted that during Kiss‘s heyday, there were times when certain band members simply didn’t speak offstage: “There were a few times where there were two people who wouldn’t be talking to two other people. You go up on stage and rock out and have a great time and then you walk off stage and you don’t have anything to do with them. It’s your job.”

Back in 2022, during a Q&A on the Kiss Kruise, Stanley shared insights on his long-standing relationship with fellow Kiss co-founder Gene Simmons. Reflecting on their 50-year working relationship, Stanley pointed out the key differences between the two but noted their shared work ethic. He revealed that learning to accept Simmons for who he is took time: “We’re very different, but we certainly share a pride in what we do, a work ethic. Maybe because our parents came from Europe where I think that that’s important stuff, is that pride in the work you do and to work hard for your money. Other than that, I think one of the things that took me a long time to learn — and I think Gene, by the way… I mean, he’s family to me; he’s a brother.”

Ultimately, Stanley concluded that understanding and acceptance were the foundations of their partnership: “I remember there were things about him that used to drive me crazy. Then I realized that that’s not his issue; that’s my issue. When people do things and it bothers you, you need to figure out why it bothers you, not expect them to change. It’s not about them. And things that used to bother me about Gene, I just had to kind of figure out, ‘Wait a minute. That’s my issue that bothers me. And why does it bother me?’ Because he can only be the best he that he can be; he’s never gonna be me, and I’m never gonna be him. So it’s just a matter of putting a lot of that stuff aside. We’re not gonna change anybody else, so we need to figure out why it bothers us.”