Kiss Farewell Tour

The Kiss Farewell Tour was a concert tour performed by the rock group Kiss, four years after they reunited the group's original line up for a record-breaking Reunion Tour in 1996, "Kiss Worldwide Alive". A follow-up tour in 1998 in support of their then recent release, Psycho Circus, saw lower ticket sales in the United States and the tour was limited to the East Coast in America, but did better overseas. Two years after this, the "Farewell Tour" was announced. This trek was more successful than the 1998 tour and it covered the entire USA and was brought overseas as well.

It was intended to be Kiss' last tour. However, in late 2002 they announced that they were not going to retire as planned. Although Kiss continued performing after the conclusion of the tour, this was the final tour with the original, reunited classic lineup. The initial Japanese leg of the Farewell Tour was announced by promoter UDO artists on September 15, 2000 but cancelled six days later due to "scheduling problems." Peter Criss had effectively left the band following the final "Farewell" show in North Charleston, South Carolina in October 2000; however, this was not publicly known at the time. His reunion contract had essentially expired and he and Kiss were unable to come to terms for him continuing with the band for the Japan/Australia 2001 tour. As a result he was replaced by Eric Singer.

In an interview with Ace Frehley at the show in Ames, Iowa, he stated that after the Australian leg, would be 5 final shows in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Those were cancelled. Skid Row and Ted Nugent were the opening acts for most of the shows on the US leg of the tour. One notable aspect of the tour was the fact that for the first time since returning to wearing makeup, the band began to include songs not recorded with the classic lineup in their setlist. Lick It Up and Heaven's On Fire were played representing the bands' non-makeup era, and I Love It Loud was included from their late-makeup era which did not involve the original lineup.

Kiss opened the show by synching an explosion sound with bursting lights as a large black curtain blocking the stage dropped away to reveal the band descending from the lighting rig on a chrome platform spewing sparks underneath. The group stepped off onto center stage, and it raised up back into the lighting rig as they began playing. Initially all four members rode the platform down, fists in the air; soon, however, the band was already playing the first song as it started to lower, and drummer Peter Criss descended on his own platform, playing his drum kit, in synch with the front platform. On June 27, 2000, the band filmed their show at East Rutherford, New Jersey for a pay-per-view concert film, "The Last KISS", which was released later on home video.