Gene Simmons & Lita Ford in St. Petersburg

Gene Simmons is an Israeli-born American rock musician, bassist and co-founder of KISS. He formed the band with Paul Stanley in New York City in 1973 and performs in its makeup as the Demon. His voice and bass are central to songs including “God of Thunder” and “Deuce,” while “Rock and Roll All Nite” became one of the group’s signature songs. Gene Simmons spent decades touring arenas and stadiums with KISS, including the Alive/Worldwide Tour, which reunited the original lineup in the 1990s. He later took the Gene Simmons Band into clubs, theatres and festivals for a solo tour in 2017. He returned to large venues for the End of the Road World Tour, which concluded with KISS at Madison Square Garden in 2023.

Lita Ford is an American hard-rock singer and guitarist, born in London in 1958. She first became known as lead guitarist for the Runaways before establishing a solo career led by the 1988 album Lita, which includes “Kiss Me Deadly” and the Ozzy Osbourne duet “Close My Eyes Forever.” The Runaways toured Japan in 1977, and recordings from the visit became Live in Japan. Decades later, she returned to the live-album format for The Bitch Is Back... Live, recorded at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills.