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Monday, July 4, 2022

Gene Simmons Says KISS Adding Another '100 Cities' To Farewell Tour

Gene Simmons has revealed that KISS plan to add "another 100 cities" before wrapping up their "End of the Road Tour."

In an interview with YouTube channel Chaoszine, Simmons said he was unsure when the band would actually end their farewell tour.

"We don't know. We've never retired before. This is our first time," Simmons said. "It's like painting a painting or writing a book. When somebody says, 'When is it gonna be finished?' You're in the middle of it; you don't know."

"The crew is happy. Everybody's happy. So we've decided to add another 100 cities before we stop. I don't know how long that's gonna take," he added.

KISS' farewell tour was originally set to conclude on July 21, 2021, but it was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The group finally returned to the road last fall, which included several postponements due to Simmons, frontman Paul Stanley and various crew members contracting COVID.

Expanding the tour by another 100 cities would probably bring the tour's end date past the 50th anniversary of KISS' first show on January 30, 2023.

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Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish & More Join NBC's Ukraine TV Fundraiser

Paul McCartney, Billie Eilish, Finneas and Sheryl Crow have joined NBC's upcoming "Ukraine: Answering the Call," a special program that aims to raise awareness and funds for Ukraine.

They join previously announced stars including José Andrés, Jon Batiste, Kristen Bell, Brandi Carlile, Brian Cox, Jeff Daniels, Vera Farmiga, Lena Headey, Alicia Keys, Simu Liu, Julianne Moore, Brad Paisley, Rosie Perez and more.

"Ukraine: Answering the Call," which airs Sunday, July 3 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, is an hour-long event that aims to raise awareness and educate audiences, plus raise funds for those whose lives have been impacted by the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will address Americans during the special and will encourage them to use their voices to fight for peace.

Following the event, the entire program will be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

(Photo: NBC)

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U2's Bono Recalls Learning Of Secret Half-Brother

During the course of a recent episode of BBC's Desert Island Discs podcast, Bono recalled how he learnt he had a secret half-brother.

Bono said he was stunned to learn in the year 2000 that his father Bob had had a child with a woman who he now sees as "part of the family."

"I do have another brother whom I love and adore that I didn't know I didn't have - or maybe I did," the U2 frontman told host Lauren Laverne. "My father was obviously going through a lot [when Bono's mother died], but partly his head was elsewhere 'cause his heart was elsewhere. So I think that was part of the problem I was probably pickin' up as a kid."

He continued, "It's a very close family, and I could tell that my father had a deep friendship with this gorgeous woman who was part of the family. And then they had a child, and this was all kept a secret."

Bono explained further that his mother never found out before her sudden death when he was just 14, but that he did get the opportunity to confront his father about the affair years later.

"I asked him, did he love my mother? And he said yes," Bono said . "And I said, you know, 'How could this happen?' And he said, 'It can.' And that he was trying to put it right, trying to do the right thing. He wasn't apologizing, he was just stating, 'These are the facts.'"

During the podcast, Bono also chose the eight records he would bring with him to a desert island.

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