Evan Stanley and Nick Simmons — sons of Kiss’ Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, respectively — played their debut show under the Stanley Simmons moniker on Monday at the House of Blues in San Diego.

You can see video from the performance below.

A full set list is not readily available, but the duo played their two previously released singles, “Body Down” and “Dancing While the World Is Ending.” YouTube user alexvigil29 also filmed them playing a song titled “Don’t Leave Me Here Like That.”

 

Watch Stanley Simmons Play ‘Dancing While the World Is Ending’ in San Diego

Stanley Simmons-dancing while the world is ending-house of blues,San Diego-5/4/26

Watch Stanley Simmons Play ‘Body Down’ in San Diego

Stanley Simmons-Body Down-house of blues,San Diego-5/4/26

Watch Stanley Simmons Play ‘Don’t Leave Me Here Like That’ in San Diego

Stanley Simmons-don’t leave me here like that-house of blues, San Diego-5/4/26

Stanley Simmons’ Upcoming Album and Tour Plans

Stanley Simmons revealed last week that they’ll release their debut album, Dancing While the World Is Ending, on Aug. 28. The album’s third single (and “the first song Nick and I ever wrote together,” according to Stanley), “Temporary Love,” will arrive Friday.

The Kiss descendents have a handful of additional California shows on the docket this week. They’ll play in Santa Ana on Wednesday, followed by stops in Morro Bay on May 10 and Ventura on May 13.

You can see Stanley Simmons’ full list of upcoming shows and the complete track listing for Dancing While the World Is Ending below.

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Stanley Simmons 2026 Tour Dates

May 6: Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
May 10 – Morro Bay, CA @ The Siren
May 13 – Ventura, CA @ Ventura Music Hall

Stanley Simmons, ‘Dancing While the World Is Ending’ Track Listing

1. “Body Down”
2. “Dancing While the World Is Ending”
3. “Starve the Beast”
4. “Running Just a Little Too Long”
5. “Cellophane”
6. “Cold”
7. “Lilith”
8. “Dystopia Boogie”
9. “Temporary Love”
10. “Real Life”
11. “Love Real Slow”
12. “Sing Myself to Sleep”

See how we’ve ranked every Kiss live album below:

Kiss Live Albums Ranked Worst to Best

You wanted the best, you get the best.. and the rest.

Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening

NOT RANKED: You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (1996)

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NOT RANKED: ‘You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!!’ (1996)

To capitalize on the massive attention generated by their 1996 original lineup reunion, Kiss took the rare step of releasing a compilation live album. You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! featured four songs each from 1975’s Alive! and 1977’s Alive II, along with four previously unreleased outtakes from the concerts those albums were drawn from. It’s fun of course, but also a bit disjointed and pointless – you’d be far better off just buying either or both of those original live albums. It should also be noted that Kiss has released some great concerts exclusively on longform home video – including Animalize Live Uncensored, Rock the Nation and the massive three-box set career spanning Kissology series – which won’t be included on this list.

15. Off the Soundboard: Live In Poughkeepsie, NY 1984 (2023)

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15. ‘Off the Soundboard: Live In Poughkeepsie, NY 1984’ (2023)

There’s an understandable curiosity factor / marketing angle here, as this set captures one of only three Kiss concerts to feature Animalize-era lead guitarist Mark St. John. But as the title warns, this is a less than stellar quality soundboard recording, with two songs cut off at various points due to tape changeovers. Plus, as was their habit in the mid-’80s the band plays everything entirely too fast and ignores too much of their ’70s material. Lastly, as Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have repeatedly declared, St. John’s flashy flurries of notes aren’t the best fit for the band.

14. Live in Paris, 1976 (2021)

UMG Recordings

14. ‘Live in Paris, 1976’ (2021)

Released as part of a box set celebrating the 45th anniversary of Destroyer, Live in Paris captures Kiss on tour in support of that 1976 album. It’s interesting to hear them add the new record’s more sophisticated songs to their Alive!-era set list, but the recording quality is too tinny and distant for this to be much more than a one-time historical interest listen.

13. Off the Soundboard: Live in Virginia Beach 2004 (2022)

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13. ‘Off the Soundboard: Live in Virginia Beach 2004’ (2022)

Kiss kept touring in full facepaint and costumes for over two decades after the final departures of founding members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. This 2004 soundboard recording offers an fair if unpolished representation of this era, with a set list that sprinkles some ’80s and even ’90s songs in with the expected heavy dose of ’70s classics. The vocals can sometimes get both screechy and flat, and in general unless some of this show’s rarities (“Got to Choose,” “Unholy”) are among your favorite you’re better off sticking to the albums higher up on this list.

12. Off the Soundboard: Des Moines 1977 (2022)

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12. ‘Off the Soundboard: Des Moines 1977’ (2022)

Kiss’ 1977 Des Moines soundboard album draws from the same era that was already chronicled in the fantastic Alive II, so all that’s really gained here is hearing what Kiss really sounded like back then – a bit rushed, a bit wild – before that album got its studio polish. Also since Alive II didn’t include any songs that were on the first Alive! you can hear ’77 versions of a few early songs like ‘Firehouse” and “Black Diamond.” The sound recording is pretty primitive too, making this another “for collectors only” release. (Which admittedly, is how the Soundboard series is being marketed.)

11. Kiss Rocks Vegas (2016)

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11. ‘Kiss Rocks Vegas’ (2016)

On paper it makes sense that Kiss would want to release another live album 10 years after Alive! The Millennium Concert was released in 2006. Kiss Rocks Vegas was the first one to feature the group’s final (and eventually, longest-running) Simmons / Stanley / Singer / Thayer lineup, and the band understandably wanted to commemorate their first Las Vegas residency. But with most of the songs having previously appeared on other live albums, what really what made this show special was floor-to-ceiling video screen visuals and the intimate size of the venue, which come across much better in the corresponding longform home video version than they do via audio.

10. Alive! The Millennium Concert (2006)

Universal

10. ‘Alive! The Millennium Concert’ (2006)

We’re not sure why it took Kiss three years to record a live album with their reunited original lineup, but by the time they did a bit of the spark they started with in 1996 had worn off. The performances are slightly stiff and plodding, and the distracting piped-in audience sound is mixed too high and sounds like a constant din as opposed to organic crowd reactions. Also: Can we all just be honest that it never sounded fully right to have Frehley and Criss perform ’80s hits such as “Lick it Up” and “Heaven’s on Fire?”

9. Creatures Tour Live 82 / 83 (2022)

UMG Recordings

9. ‘Creatures Tour Live ’82 / ’83’ (2022)

Although Kiss’ popularity had suddenly fallen off a very big cliff, Gene Simmons and Paul showed they weren’t going to go down without a fight on 1982’s Creatures of the Night and the tour that followed. With new recruits Eric Carr and Vinnie Vincent the group displayed a renewed focus on their hard rock roots. They left big recent pop hits like “Beth” and “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” out of the set list in favor of metallic new songs such as “War Machine” and “I Love It Loud.” Culled from four different shows, this set – available only on the box set edition of the 40th anniversary re-release of Creatures – shows the band in fierce and determined form. It’s also the only live album to feature Vincent, who was dismissed after one more album and tour.

8. Off the Soundboard: San Antonio, TX 12/3/1985

Universal

8. ‘Off the Soundboard: San Antonio, TX 12/3/1985’

Off the Soundboard: Live in San Antonio captures a good show from what might be the band’s best ’80s lineup in an enjoyable and unvarnished manner. The total lack of crowd noise can be distracting at times, particularly during the call and response segments, and as was typical for the band this decade some of the songs are played at a speed that messes with their natural groove. But it’s nice to hear a live album from this underappreciated era of the band’s history.

7. Kiss Unplugged (1996)

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7. ‘Kiss Unplugged’ (1996)

Critics who still think Kiss is all substance and no style might be forced to think twice after hearing the band’s appearance on MTV’s Unplugged. Without fireworks, makeup or even distortion, the band showed off their songwriting smarts and their more tender side on songs such as the opening ‘Comin’ Home,” “Sure Know Something” and “Goin’ Blind.” Of course, this show is best remembered for the kicking off the original lineup reunion via guest appearances from Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

6. Off the Soundboard – Tokyo 2001 (2021)

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6. ‘Off the Soundboard – Tokyo 2001’ (2021)

Kiss kicked off their unvarnished Off the Soundboard series in 2021 with this 2001 set from Tokyo which features original members Stanley, Simmons and Frehley joined by powerhouse ’90s-era drummer Eric Singer. He helps bring back some of the crackling energy that was lacking from ’99’s Millennium live album. Frehley’s “Talk to Me” and Stanley’s solo “I Still Love You” are nice surprises that help land this collection just a notch behind the “must-have” Kiss live albums.

5. Kiss Symphony: Alive IV (2003)

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5. ‘Kiss Symphony: Alive IV’ (2003)

Less than two years after performing what was supposed to be their farewell concert in Australia, Kiss returned to the country for a special one-night collaboration with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. While this certainly shouldn’t be where anybody starts to learn about the band, Kiss Symphony: Alive IV more than delivers on its promised mission. After a brief and strong set featuring just the four-piece group (Stanley, Simmons, Criss and Tommy Thayer at this point), Kiss is joined by a small group of classical musicians for an acoustic set. Much like Unplugged, this section shows off the band’s poppier, more melodic side very well. Then a full 60-piece orchestra joins in for bombastic, occasionally ludicrous, often additive and always unique versions of classics such as “Detroit Rock City” and a particularly effective “God of Thunder.”

4. Alive III (1993)

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4. ‘Alive III’ (1993)

It seems downright wrong that despite being in Kiss for 12 years, Bruce Kulick so far only appears on two of the band’s 14 live albums, and only one that features electric guitars. At least 1993’s Alive III captures one of the high points of his era, with the band having recently reintroduced many of their ’70s classics back into the set – and after jacking the pace up to admittedly silly speeds in the ’80s, to playing everything at its proper tempo again. Plus, the group was riding the creative high of their best studio album in a decade, 1992’s Revenge. Alive III was the first Kiss live album to feature songs from all of the band’s eras, and features paint-peeling versions of “Deuce,” “Watchin’ You” and “Unholy.” Let’s hope Kiss expands their Kulick / Carr-era live catalog with a show from the 1990 Hot in the Shade tour sooner rather than later.

3. Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington 1996 (2022)

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3. ‘Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington 1996’ (2022)

Kiss’ 1996 reunion tour not only met the weighty expectations placed on the group by the legacy of their golden era live shows, it exceeded them. The group has never hidden the fact that their twin ’70s Alive! albums were significant enhanced in the studio, and anybody who’s listened to a bootleg or one of the new Off the Soundboard releases from that decade knows that the shows were energetic but not as consistent as you might expect. But Off the Soundboard: Live at Donington 1996 showcases a disciplined and confident band in full control of their craft. It also features what might be the best set list of any Kiss live album – entirely drawn from their first six studio albums. It’s shocking the famously opportunistic band didn’t capitalize on this tour immediately with a “proper” live album, but then again they’ve got plenty of those, and the rare miscues or odd mixing moments you can find here actually make the rest of this show all the more impressive.

2. Alive II (1977)

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2. ‘Alive II’ (1977)

There’s a connection to be made between Alive II and Hollywood sequels such as Aliens and Terminator 2. All three are sleeker, more metallic versions of their predecessors. It’s particularly impressive that Kiss essentially built an entirely new live set in just two years – none of Alive II‘s 15 live tracks appeared on 1975’s Alive!, and the band was typically only performing three songs from that earlier era each night. Unlike the aforementioned movie sequels, it’s hard to imagine anybody spending much time arguing that Alive II was better than its career-defining predecessor, but it’s still pretty damn great. Highlights include a souped-up version of “God of Thunder” and blistering takes on “I Stole Your Love,” “Makin’ Love” and “I Want You.” Maybe someday we’ll get an expanded edition that puts “Firehouse,” “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Black Diamond” back into the mix.

1. Alive! (1975)

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1. ‘Alive!’ (1975)

In retrospect, the solution to Kiss’ problem was obvious. At the same time the group was building a reputation as one of rock’s most dynamic live acts, the three studio albums they released in 1974 and 1975 failed to connect with fans. With their record label teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, the double-album Alive! was a big risk that paid off beyond anybody’s wildest dreams. There’s an (admittedly studio-enhanced) power and energy here that blows the original recorded versions of these songs out of the water, and the album is packed with memorable concert moments such as Paul Stanley’s “100,000 Years” rap and the closing “Let Me Go, Rock ‘n’ Roll” jam. Alive! deservedly turned Kiss into superstars. Nearly five decades later, it remains the perfect introduction to the band.