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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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Ronnie Radke has claimed that Max Georgiev was dismissed from Falling In Reverse due to allegations of sexual misconduct, accusations that Georgiev has firmly rejected.
Georgiev exited the Las Vegas metalcore group in 2024. Last week, the band’s frontman Ronnie Radke shared an Instagram post stating that the guitarist was removed after allegedly admitting to a sexual relationship with an underage girl.
“For those that are wondering why I fired the guitarist,” Radke wrote, according to Lambgoat, “it’s because he admitted to sleeping with a minor ten years before he [was] in my band [when] he was 27 years old. Have fun with that.”
Georgiev, who joined Falling In Reverse in 2018 and now performs with metal outfit Vio-lence, responded shortly after, denying the allegations. “To the fans, I have never done anything illegal with a minor,” said Max Georgiev. “Fifteen years ago, when I was 23, I still lived in Quebec, Canada.”
“Since then, I have played for several bands who never mentioned inappropriate behavior on my part,” he continued. “I have always had great respect for the fans. I have strived to play my heart out for you.”
Radke’s Instagram account has since appeared to be removed, something he addressed during a livestream. “Maybe me talking about my old guitar player getting fired for finding out he was hooking up with minors, I think that AI might’ve caught that and was like, ‘You gotta go’,” he suggested, as reported by Loudwire".
“This man not only did that, [but] the parents of the minor ten years before he was in my band found out, they confronted him, he lied about his age so he could continue doing that with her. He wasn’t 23, he was older. He’s lying about that,” Radke went on to claim.
In a subsequent statement shared on Thursday January 8, Georgiev again rejected Radke’s accusations, calling them “delusional”. “I met someone who turned eighteen a few months later while I occasionally dated her,” he said. “This was fifteen years ago, when I was 23 in Quebec, Canada.”
“Her parents never confronted me because the girl only had a mother. I never lied to her or her daughter about anything.”
Georgiev later suggested that his departure from Falling In Reverse may instead have been linked to him “taking the initiative to learn nine songs of another band”, which he identified as Disturbed.
Elsewhere, Radke has reportedly filed a temporary restraining order against Brittany Furlan, citing alleged harassment connected to a catfish controversy from last year.
He has repeatedly alleged that Furlan, the estranged wife of Tommy Lee, was involved with someone impersonating him online. The filing asks that she be required to remain at least 100 yards away from him. Representatives for Furlan have said they are “aware” of the request and maintain that the allegations are “not accurate”.
Radke also saw his defamation lawsuit against Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop dismissed last year.
