KISS cancels Knoxville show following band member's illness

Keenan Thomas, Knoxville News Sentinel
Updated ·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Knoxville won't become a "Rock City" after all. Classic rock band KISS canceled its performance at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center, the venue announced on social media Nov. 24, the same date as the scheduled show.

The news comes after KISS canceled its Nov. 21 show in Ottawa, Canada, and its Nov. 22 show in Toronto after band member Paul Stanley got the flu, according to The U.S. Sun. Thompson-Boling Arena posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the Knoxville show was no longer happening either.

The page on Thompson-Boling's website for the concert states that refunds will be available for ticket-holders wherever their tickets were purchased.

Podcaster and music journalist Mitch Lafon announced on X first on Nov. 23 that the Knoxville show was canceled.

"I’m told that KISS’ Knoxville show is canceled. Official announcement should be forthcoming. Staff were apparently notified to not report for work," Lafon posted. A follow-up post included a screenshot of an email sent to AXIS Security employees informing them that the show was postponed due to illness.

The stop in Knoxville, part of the band's "End of the Road Tour," was announced in March.

The band started in 1973 in New York City. KISS was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons as well as Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer are current band members.

KISS has performed in Knoxville before, including during a previous "farewell tour" stop in 2000, also at Thompson-Boling.

This is the third cancellation or postponement of a major band's Thompson-Boling Arena show due to illness this year. The Chicks postponed a July 29 concert to to Sept. 21. More recently, Aerosmith postponed a Knoxville concert that had been set for Jan. 13, 2024, for the band's "Peace Out" tour because of Steven Tyler's larynx injury. A new date for the Aerosmith show has not been announced yet, but previously purchased tickets will be honored.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: KISS Knoxville, TN, concert cancelled due to Paul Stanley's health