Saying goodbye can be big business
The band Kiss will play what it’s calling its last ever show at Madison Square Garden in New York City this weekend. The band, like many other musicians, has said farewell before — on a tour that took place more than 20 years ago.
Andy Janoschka, 58, paid nearly $1,000 for two tickets to see Kiss in concert this week.
“But if you’re gonna see them, you want to feel the fire,” he said. As in, the actual fire. The show has plenty of pyrotechnics.
Janoschka has been a fan of the band since the ’70s and was excited to bring his 24-year-old son to see them for the first time.
“They say you never forget your first Kiss,” he said. “I’ve seen them a couple times, and I think at this point that this is probably it.”
Having just a few shows left also makes for good marketing, per Steven Hyden, author of the book “Twilight of the Gods: A Journey to the End of Classic Rock.”
“I think it’s easier to justify a higher ticket price,” he said. “It just changes I think the calculus in people’s brains.”
Many farewell tours can last years, and lots of bands end up performing again. But Hyden notes that older musicians will slow down at some point and do have a limited number of shows left.
“It does become a more precious commodity,” he said.
For his part, Andy Janoschka said he’s fine if this ends up not being Kiss’s last tour. “I’d rather see them keep going than, like, die,” he said with a chuckle.
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