Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has emerged unscathed after a platform carrying the The Demon malfunctioned during the band's performance at the MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, FL, on Saturday.
The Spinal Tap-style incident occurred as the God Of Thunder was being propelled towards the stage during the band's opening number, Detroit Rock City. As Simmons, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer descended, the platform carrying the bassist suddenly tilted alarmingly on its axis, but Simmons swiftly regained his balance and carried on performing.
The drama wasn't over, however. The platform eventually righted itself and descended further towards the floor, but remained unstable and was clearly wobbling as Simmons cautiously waddled towards the safety of the stage as road crew arrived to attend to the stricken machinery.
The rest of the set proceeded without incident, with Simmons recovering from the scare in time for his traditional fire breathing showcase during I Love It Loud just five songs later. Sir, we salute you.
Kiss postponed seven shows in August and September after Paul Stanley, and then Gene Simmons, tested positive for Covid. Both musicians were breakthrough cases who'd been vaccinated against the virus.
Even though vaccines are highly effective - offering strong protection against hospitalisation and death - breakthrough cases are expected before population immunity reaches sufficient levels to decrease transmission further.
The band returned to the stage at the FivePoint Amphitheatre in Irvine, CA, on September 9.
Last week Kiss announced that they're celebrating the 45th anniversary of their biggest-selling studio album, Destroyer, by releasing it as a multi-disc super deluxe edition box set. The 4CD/Blu-ray box will be released via UMe on November 19.
