KISS Postpone Show After Paul Stanley Tests Positive for COVID-19
UPDATE: KISS have now rescheduled the postponed dates that came about after both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons tested positive for COVID-19. Five shows have been added to the end of their current tour leg. Dates in Hartford, Milwaukee and Raleigh will be moved to 2022. See below for the new dates:
Oct. 10 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
Oct. 13 - Burgettstown, Pa. @ The Pavilion at Star Lake
Oct. 15 - Clarkston, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Oct. 16 - Tinley Park, Ill. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Oct. 17 - Dayton, Ohio @ Wright State University Nutter Center
KISS were forced to postpone their concert in Burgettstown, Penn. last night (Aug. 26) after it was learned that singer and guitarist Paul Stanley had tested positive for COVID-19.
News of the postponement spread quickly on social media as fans posted about being turned away at the gate without explanation before the band made an official announcement disclosing Stanley's diagnosis.
"More information about show dates will be made available ASAP," wrote KISS, who also noted, "Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated. The band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows. The tour also has a COVID safety protocol officer on staff full-time that is ensuring everyone is closely following all CDC guidelines."
Evidently, some panic and worry set it amongst fans, which prompted Stanley to take to Twitter to reassure everyone that he was not in any sort of dire condition. "PEOPLE!!! I am fine! I am not in ICU! My heart allows me to do 26 miles a day on my bike! I don’t know where this came from but it’s absolute nonsense," he tweeted.
An hour later, offering more clarity as well as a health update, Stanley shared, "A full press release will be issued shortly about upcoming KISS shows. I had been sick with flu-like symptoms and was tested repeatedly and was negative. As of late this afternoon I tested positive. The crew, staff and band have all tested negative once again. More to follow.
It is important to note that breakthrough infections among fully vaccinated people is not a sign of ineffectiveness as vaccines are not intended to be a bulletproof-type solution, but instead reduce the severity of symptoms should you become infected. Vaccines have proven to drastically reduce the likelihood of hospitalization and/or death from COVID-19 when compared to individuals who have not been vaccinated at all.
A new CDC study revealed earlier this week indicated unvaccinated individuals are 29 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 and five times more likely to contract it than those who have been vaccinated.
A mid-August report from the New York Times offered a state-by-state breakdown of hospitalization and death percentages among fully vaccinated individuals compared to those who have not received any of the available vaccines.
In all but three states, the percentage of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 who are also vaccinated is between 0.1 and 2 percent, meaning over 98 percent of COVID-19 hospitalizations are among unvaccinated persons.
A total of 47 states also have recorded COVID-19 death percentages of less than 3.5 percent for vaccinated individuals, meaning over 96 percent of COVID deaths are among those who have not been vaccinated in all but three states in America.
As bands returned to the road over the summer, multiple rock and metal musicians have tested positive for COVID-19. Former Trouble singer and doom metal icon Eric Wagner died of COVID pneumonia after being admitted to the hospital last week, Vio-Lence singer Sean Killian was recently hospitalized with COVID-19 and Korn's Jonathan Davis, Tesla's Frank Hannon, Lynyrd Skynyrd's Rickey Medlocke, Sebastian Bach, Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, Pop Evil's Leigh Kakaty, Twisted Sister's Dee Snider, Trivium's Matt Heafy have all tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of July.
Loudwires wishes Paul Stanley a quick and full recovery.