Summary Answer: How Many Farewell Tours Has Kiss Completed
Kiss announced two distinct farewell tours: the original Farewell Tour (also called the End of the Road World Tour kickoff) from 2019 through 2021, and the 2023 Return Farewell Tour marking their final arena and stadium run. These are widely reported final run tours in major markets, though one-off final shows may be labeled farewell events by promoters.
What Counts As a Farewell Tour for Kiss
A farewell tour for a legacy act typically means a planned, marketed final run intended to be the last major touring cycle for the artist. For Kiss, this requires looking at official announcements from the band, their management, and long-term promoters rather than one-off gigs billed as a finale by third parties.
Defining Farewell in Legacy Acts
Farewell tours for veteran arena acts usually share characteristics: multi-year road schedules, special ticket tiers, TV or documentary tie-ins, limited-edition merch, and statements that this is the last time the classic lineup will tour together. Kiss’s situation is complicated by the fact the band has retired and unretired, and has had partial lineup changes over decades.
Kiss Farewell Tour #1: The 2019-2021 Run (Officially the End of the Road World Tour)
The most widely recognized farewell tour began in 2019 with the End of the Road World Tour announcement. This was presented as the final large-scale trek for the classic lineup, with North American stadium dates and arena shows stretching into 2020 and ultimately extending into 2021. Kiss framed this explicitly as their last world tour.
Key Events and Scope
The tour launched with intentions of concluding after a final push through 2020, but the pandemic paused and reshaped the schedule. Kiss performed a symbolic final show at Dodger Stadium in late 2021, televised as Farewell, marking the end of the 2019-2021 farewell cycle. In interviews, the band repeatedly called it their last stadium run together.
Kiss Farewell Tour #2: The 2023 Return Farewell Tour
In 2022 and into 2023, Kiss announced another major final tour, coined variously as the Return Farewell Tour. This leg featured a restaged End of the Road show with updated visuals and a recalibrated set list, and it targeted arenas and stadiums across the United States during the summer of 2023.
Announced as the Last Arena Run
Promoters and the band stated this was intended to be Kiss’s final large-scale arena and stadium tour in many major territories, with specific language about retirement from touring after 2023. Ticketing campaigns leaned heavily on the scarcity narrative, emphasizing that this was a last chance to see the classic lineup in big venues.
Documented Timeline of Kiss Farewell Announcements
A timeline of official announcements helps clarify how many distinct farewell tours Kiss publicly committed to, versus promotional iterations of shows near the end of a long career.
| Date or Period | Event | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| November 2019 | End of the Road World Tour announced as final large-scale tour | Marked the start of the widely reported farewell cycle |
| 2020-2021 | Pandemic pauses and reschedules, culminating in Dodger Stadium final | Television special framed as the farewell show |
| Late 2022-2023 | Return Farewell Tour announced and executed across U.S. arenas | Presented as the last arena/stadium run by the classic lineup |
| 2023 onward | Occasional one-off final shows and localized events labeled farewell by promoters | These may not reflect band-level announcements, but appear in regional marketing |
How Kiss Has Framed Their Farewells in Interviews
Throughout their farewell cycles, Kiss members have used phrases like final tour, last big run, and last time doing this the traditional way, while also acknowledging that retirement has never been 100% irreversible in practice. This ambiguity sometimes leads promoters to revive farewell language for later shows.
Official Statements vs Promotional Language
The band’s own press releases and interviews provide the most reliable lens. For the 2019-2021 tour and the 2023 return, Kiss leadership explicitly tied the runs to retirement narratives. Third-party promoters may apply farewell branding more loosely to individual final dates.
Notable Details and Common Questions
Frequent confusion arises around whether a show billed as a farewell is an official band farewell or a promoter’s marketing choice. Kiss has rarely announced a third full farewell tour, though isolated late shows sometimes carry farewell language. The band has also explored non-touring revenue streams, further reducing reliance on new touring cycles.
- Two primary multi-year farewell tours have been announced by Kiss: 2019-2021 and 2023.
- Each tour was framed as the final major live run, though one-off final shows continue to appear.
- Variations in how venues and promoters use farewell language can inflate perceived count.
Why the Count Can Be Confusing
The word farewell is used loosely in ticketing, press releases, and retrospective coverage. A promoter may call any last local show a farewell, while the band may only refer to their planned, multi-year final runs as true farewells. Distinguishing between official band announcements and marketing language is essential for an accurate count.
What to Watch Going Forward
As Kiss continues to focus on catalog monetization, licensing, and legacy projects, new large-scale touring may be unlikely. Any future multi-year tour marketed as a farewell would represent a significant departure from their current strategy and would be widely reported by credible music industry outlets.
Conclusion
Kiss has officially announced and executed two distinct, multi-year farewell tours: the End of the Road World Tour cycle (2019-2021) and the 2023 Return Farewell Tour. While promotional farewell shows may occur at the local level, these two cycles represent the band’s verifiable final large-scale touring efforts.