Rockers KISS were forced to stop their show temporarily after bassist and lead singer Gene Simmons became ill on stage.
The I Was Made For Lovin’ You hit-makers were performing in Manaus, Brazil, as part of their End Of The Road World Tour on Thursday when 73-year-old Simmons — real name Chaim Witz — needed assistance.
“Hold on, hold on,” singer and guitarist Paul Stanley, 71, can be heard telling the audience about mid-show, in fan recorded videos ciculated on social media. “We’re gonna have to stop.”
“We know how much you love Gene, and he’s obviously sick. We’re gonna have to stop to take care of him, because we love him, right?” Standly told the crowd.
Adding: “Let’s give Gene a really loud, ‘Gene!’ One, two, three — Gene!”
Simmons ended up leaving the stage, but returned after around five minutes to perform the band’s song Say Yeah while sitting in a chair.
In a clip posted by the publication ACritica, Simmons looked subdued playing his bass from a chair, but he forged through to finish the show upright.
He took to social media the following day to thank fans for their well-wishes and give a health update, putting the incident down to dehydration due to the humidity of the gig’s location.
Ok, kids. Not a big deal. Thanks for your kind wishes. Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song. We got back on stage in 5 minutes & finished the show. 🤟😎 https://t.co/yMJXOEn8uB
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) April 13, 2023
“Ok, kids. Not a big deal,” he wrote on Twitter. “Thanks for your kind wishes. Last night we played Amazon jungle Stadium/Brazil. Humidity and temperature were sky high. I was dehydrated and was forced to sit for a song.”
He concluded the post, “we got back on stage in 5 minutes & finished the show.”
KISS have claimed that their latest tour will be the last of their illustrious careers that date back 50 years.
They now have a day off until they continue their run of shows in Bogotá, Colombia, on Saturday.
