Gene Simmons recently challenged the idea that rock bands should keep original members.
In a recent interview with Adam Carolla, he said:
“There’s not misconception but you guys, you’re all dreaming and you’re not qualified to make these rules, ‘Oh, you got to have the original members and all that stuff.’ It’s actually not true,” the bassist shared.
He continued, “In point of fact when Brian came in, AC/DC exploded, got five times bigger than they were. By the way, likewise, even though I prefer [David Lee] Roth by far in Van Halen because of the sleaze and the personality in his look, they got twice as big with [Sammy] Hagar. They just did. They started doing balladry stuff.”
The host said he likes Hagar and he is a good guy and Simmons replied, “I’m not talking about what people like, just how big you get. Like Genesis started off with Peter Gabriel. He left. They didn’t like him and the drummer came on board, Phil Collins. They’re playing stadiums when the drummer came up on top. So there are lots of examples, including the Beatles.”
John 5 also believes that it’s better to keep touring with a new member than stop the band after losing someone. Earlier this year, the guitarist shared his concerns about the decline of rock bands, explaining, “It’s very strange, because all these bands, they’re slowly going away. And it’s totally scary to me, because we have good rock ‘n’ roll.”
He added, “But we need more good rock ‘n’ roll. We need more bands to come out there. We need more bands to say, you know, ‘Look at me!’ I can’t wait to see new rocks. We need them because they’re going away.”
“I’m speaking as a fan. I would love to see AC/DC one more time. I would love to see… I mean, incredible. Just take The Rolling Stones. What if, when Brian [Jones] died, what if The Stones were like, ‘That’s it. No more Rolling Stones.’ We’d have a few records. Unbelievable, huh?” the musician then noted.
Simmons will be touring with his solo band, the Gene Simmons Band, for a spring 2025 tour. The tour will start on April 28th in Tallahassee and include a stop in Red Bank, New Jersey, on May 5th. It will end on May 24th in Houston.
