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IN A PERFECT world, Kiss would have wrapped up the final show of their End of the World tour by inviting former members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss onto the stage for tearful hugs, an end to the bitterness that has consumed the group for decades, and one last rendition of “Rock and Roll All Nite,” giving the inevitable biopic a perfect last scene.
In the world we actually live on, Criss and Frehley were nowhere in sight when Kiss played their (supposed) final show at Madison Square Garden on Saturday evening. They weren’t acknowledged in any way throughout the night, which ended with a surprise announcement that Kiss will live on as digital avatars with help from Industrial Light & Magic.
“The end of the road is the beginning of another road,” Paul Stanley told the crowd before the last bows. “We’re not going anywhere. You’ll see us in all different things all the time. We’ll see you in your dreams.”
With the exception of the surprise announcement at the end about the avatars, the show was largely indistinguishable from the other 250 End of the Road shows they’ve done over the past four years. That doesn’t mean it was anything less than a spectacular rock and roll extravaganza, the kind Kiss have perfected throughout the past 50 years.
There was pyro hot enough to feel on your skin from 50 yards away, explosions loud enough to hurt your head even with earplugs in, and the ritualistic moments where Gene Simmons breathes fire and Paul Stanley zip-lines across the floor of the arena. And it all felt extra special since Madison Square Garden is just a few blocks from the rehearsal hall where the band was born back in the early Seventies.
“Back when I was driving a taxi cab in New York, one night in 1972, I picked up a couple of people who were going to Madison Square Garden to see Elvis Presley,” Stanley said. “They thought I was crazy because I said, ‘One of these days, people are going to come here to see me and my band.’ And here we are.”
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Slayyyter played her take on Turnstile’s ‘Birds’ onstage for the first time in Atlanta. You can watch footage of the performance below.
Slayyyter is currently touring with her ‘Wor$t Girl In The World’ show. She added the cover to her set at The Eastern on Monday night (September 21).
She sang ‘Birds: Slayyyter Version’ near the end of the main set, following ‘Brittany Murphy’. She then came back for an encore featuring ‘Brand New Chanel$’ and ‘Beat Up Chanel$’.
It was her first live performance of the song. She originally recorded it for Turnstile’s ‘Never Enough: Versions’, a collection of reworked tracks released on August 28.
The 22 track release brings together new interpretations of songs from Turnstile’s fourth album. Contributors include Elton John, Hayley Williams, Blood Orange, A. G. Cook, Faye Webster, Four Tet, Oklou, Floating Points, Nourished By Time, Alex G, Julien Baker and Mustafa.
Panda Bear recorded a new take on ‘Magic Man’, while Dying Fetus gave ‘Birds’ another interpretation rooted in death metal.
See Slayyyter perform the track live and listen to her studio recording here:
Slayyyter trades the original song’s hardcore intensity for a bigger electronic sound that feels at home alongside her latest album, ‘Wor$t Girl In America’.
Turnstile first released ‘Birds’ on their 2025 album ‘Never Enough’. The song won Best Metal Performance at the 2026 Grammy Awards, where the album also won Best Rock Album.
In its five star review of ‘Never Enough’, NME pointed to ‘Birds’ and ‘Sole’ as reminders of Turnstile’s hardcore beginnings. It also praised the album for “furthering their unique, pop-facing take on hardcore”.
Slayyyter will join Turnstile on another stage next month. She and Die Spitz are set to support the band at the University of Kansas in Lawrence on October 6 for the ‘Never Enough Tour Pt. 2’.
It has been a big year for Slayyyter. Her third album, ‘Wor$t Girl In America’, came out in March, and NME’s review highlighted its mix of “brash, sleazy pop” and late 2000s indie sleaze sounds.
Last month, she performed Hole’s ‘Violet’ for triple J’s Like A Version. Courtney Love called the cover “a delight” and encouraged Slayyyter to “keep wiping the floors with us”.
A few weeks later, Slayyyter took ‘Wor$t Girl In America’ to Reading Festival. NME’s live review declared that there was “undoubtedly a star before us on stage” and praised her “rasped, rocked-up delivery” and growing confidence as a performer.
