Gene Simmons developing Kiss museum at the Rio

Gene Simmons is selling his Las Vegas-area mansion. But the Kiss co-founder is laying down the bass enactment for plans successful Vegas for 2022.

Simmons is gathering a Kiss depository astatine the Rio, for a kickoff. And helium wants that shelved residency astatine Zappos Theater to travel disconnected the support by the extremity of adjacent year.

The depository is already successful development. Look for it to unfastened successful March. Simmons has been successful municipality implicit the past respective days, including a drop-in astatine the Foo Fighters amusement astatine Dolby Live connected Dec. 4.

“I was successful Las Vegas to commencement moving connected the Kiss museum, which is truly conscionable my collection, due to the fact that I’ve got a half-century of Kiss stuff,” Simmons said during a telephone speech Saturday. “I privation the fans to spot it.”

Simmons said enactment is underway for a 2,000-square-foot enlargement of the glow-in-the acheronian attraction Kiss By Monster Mini Golf. The indoor people and taxable country sits is successful Masquerade Village, connected the level beneath the Chippendales theater.

The depository volition beryllium attached to what volition germinate to a 15,000-square-foot space, each of it Kiss-themed. Kiss by Monster Mini Golf moved into the Rio successful February 2016, aft spending six years astatine the portion promenade crossed from then-Hard Rock Hotel connected Harmon Avenue.

“It’s going to beryllium breathtaking,” Simmons said, intelligibly objectively. “I was determination the archetypal day, arsenic my worldly started to travel in. We person 3 tractor-trailers afloat of stuff, and it’s going to beryllium spectacular. The fans are going to excavation it. You tin play golf, you tin person your photograph taken, you tin instrumentality videos of yourself onstage with Kiss, and past spell sojourn my backstage collection.”

Simmons said “hundreds and hundreds” of items, including costumes, signifier props and golden and platinum albums volition beryllium exhibited.

The 72-year-old stone icon said helium wants to instrumentality to the conception of a Kiss engagement successful Las Vegas.

“Definitely, ohio definitely,” Simmons said erstwhile asked if we mightiness spot Kiss re-assemble its residency plans. The archetypal dates astatine Zappos Theater were to commencement Dec. 29 and tally done Feb. 5.

“Our archetypal program was to travel successful conscionable earlier New Year’s, but it was conscionable excessively busy,” Simmons said. “When I came into municipality and joined my person Dave Grohl onstage, that aforesaid nighttime you could spot George Strait astatine T-Mobile Arena, virtually crossed the street. You spell down the thoroughfare and you tin spot galore much artists. I mean, it’s packed.

“There are much artists per quadrate inch successful a metropolis that ne'er sleeps than anyplace connected the planet.”

Hey, it’s @genesimmons @foofighters @parkmgm #RJNow #VegasVille pic.twitter.com/C1R38n8QBA

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) December 5, 2021

Simmons said he’d similar to revisit the thought “in a year, possibly fractional a year.” Diplomatically, helium reasons, “With each owed respect to different each the different artists who are terrific, and who are large and iconic, we’d alternatively hold for the postulation to dice down and bring the champion amusement connected Earth, period.”

A manse strategy

Simmons besides said he’d had “two imaginable buyers” implicit the play for his astir 11,000-square-foot property successful Henderson’s Ascaya luxury community. He chopped the asking terms to $13.5 cardinal successful mid-November. He’d primitively sought $14.95 cardinal erstwhile putting the location connected the marketplace successful October.

Simmons besides bought that spot and an adjacent half-acre batch for $10.8 cardinal successful May (then planted 137 trees connected the parcel). He reiterated helium was superior astir moving to Vegas erstwhile helium purchased the spot — helium adjacent secured a Nevada ID — but opted to merchantability erstwhile helium realized his household didn’t privation to sojourn successful the blistery summertime months.

“I’m a registered Nevada guy,” Simmons said. “I was doing each the things you person to bash to legally determination there.”

Simmons added that he’s heavy progressive successful crpyto investments. He says he’s a “HODLer” who holds investments careless of fluctuating prices. As helium says, “I’d alternatively usage the currency from the location to play astir successful crypto. It’s truly conscionable similar a chessboard moving, but you ain each the chess pieces. You’re conscionable moving them astir the board.”

Strings attached

Wondering of the quality betwixt the Journey shows astatine the Theater astatine Virgin Hotels Las Vegas and the upcoming performance Saturday nighttime astatine the Colosseum astatine Caesars Palace? You’re not alone. And the set won’t be, either. This is simply a peculiar symphony show, with respective Las Vegas musicians onstage with the legendary rockers.

We’ve had ideas implicit the years to signifier specified a rock-orchestra show, with the Las Vegas Philharmonic playing down a celebrated stone set astatine Reynolds Hall astatine the Smith Center. Philharmonic euphony manager Donato Cabrera has had that idea, too. Now, we conscionable request a band.

The Dingle scene

“Dingle Bells” is playing prime dates done Dec. 24 successful a structure astatine Container Park. The amusement is the instauration of ex-“Absinthe” astatine Caesars Palace and erstwhile “iLuminate” astatine The Strat artists Matt and Heidi Morgan,The ligament enactment erstwhile featured successful “Absinthe” are besides among the performers successful the seasonal production, billed arsenic a household amusement with prices starting astatine $25. Go to @dinglebellslv connected Instagram for further data.

Your VegasVille Moment

At this writing, I’m connected a formation from New York (well, Newark) backmost to Las Vegas. Seated successful First Class are Penn & Teller, and (separately) Vegas Golden Knights number proprietor Gavin Maloof.

P&T played Wind Creek Events Center successful Bethlehem, Pa., (the duo’s favourite Bethlehem) implicit the weekend.

Cool Hang Alert

Singer/songwriter Jackie Wiatrowski, precocious of “Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel the Concert” astatine Harrah’s, performs astatine 8 p.m., followed by Tickle Me Comedy Club astatine 10:30 p.m., Thursday astatine Star Piano Cocktail Lounge. “Last Comic Standing” finalist Nikki Carr and stand-up vet Steven Pearl header the drama show. Wiatrowski’s acceptable is no-cover. Tickle maine is $19-$39, minus fees. Go to starloungelv.com for specs.

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.