How KISS became rock’s greatest capitalists

Backstage at the Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, the four members of Kiss — in full make-up, stage costumes and platform boots — stand against a backdrop bearing their band’s logo. Meanwhile, a queue of fans take it in turn to be briefly shuffled into the presence of the band, have a picture taken, and be shuffled away to be presented with a “limited edition lithograph”, before being gestured through the door to the side of the stage.

These are the VIP fans, and they have paid a lot of money for their status. The standard VIP package — which, in addition to the photo op and the lithograph, includes a $100 merchandise voucher, a laminate, a private venue entrance and “access to crowd-free merchandise shopping” — costs $1,000. Should you wish to try the “Ultimate Kiss Army Experience” — the above, with bells on — when they play in the UK next week, you will have to pay $5,000.

“Unless you’re willing to live in your mother’s basement and have a job and do music as a hobby, which is wonderful, being in a touring band is big business,” Kiss’s co-founder, Gene Simmons — “The Demon” — tells me earlier in the afternoon, free of make-up, a baseball cap emblazoned with a drawing of a bag of money atop his head. “You’ll see a show out there that is as good, or better, than anything else. If you’ve got one guy with an acoustic guitar, you can charge less. We’ve got 60 people on the crew and 20 trucks and who knows how many buses, and a jet.”

“I certainly never bought into this idea of being a dumb rock musician who at some point goes, ‘Where’d all my money go?’” says the other co-founder of the band, Paul Stanley (“The Starchild”). “I’ve always believed that as talented as you may be at making money, there’s probably someone who’s just as talented at taking it. So it always made sense to me to monetise what we do. There’s a difference between being an idealist and realist, and the difference is age. The whole idea of a starving artist, or the idea someone isn’t interested in money — well, guess what, you will be when rent comes due.”

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