Paul Stanley got back on a stage. That’s the headline. After Kiss ended their farewell tour — one of the most massive send-offs in rock history, a multi-year global run that generated the kind of numbers that make accountants weep with joy — the Starchild has barely been seen with a microphone in his hand. That changed at a Kiss Fan Expo, where Stanley took the stage and tore into “Detroit Rock City” like the last few years never happened.
This was only the second time he’s performed live since the farewell tour wrapped. Let that land for a second. The man who sang to arenas and stadiums and festival crowds for five decades — the guy who co-wrote the songs that defined what rock and roll looked like in full makeup and platform boots — has been quiet. And when Paul Stanley decides to break that quiet, he does it with one of the most iconic opening songs in rock history.
“Detroit Rock City” Is Not a Warm-Up Song
Let’s talk about the song choice for a second, because it matters. “Detroit Rock City” is not a light way to ease back into performing. Written by Stanley and Bob Ezrin, it opens Destroyer — still Kiss’s finest hour as a record — with a piano intro, a car crash, and then one of the most explosive guitar riffs ever committed to tape. It is a song that demands everything from the person singing it. It announces arrival. It announces that you are here, you are not messing around, and everyone in the room should pay attention.
That Paul Stanley chose this song for only his second post-farewell performance tells you something about where his head is. This wasn’t a nostalgia shuffle. This was a statement. The Starchild has not left the building.
What Comes Next?
No one knows. Kiss — or rather, the Kiss brand — has moved into avatar territory, with the band’s likenesses continuing the franchise in new ways. But Paul Stanley performing live, in front of fans, doing what he has done better than almost anyone for half a century — that suggests the story isn’t entirely over. The appetite is clearly there, both for Stanley and for the fans who showed up to a Fan Expo and got an unexpected moment that’ll be talked about for years.
Kiss Fan Expos are not small affairs. The Kiss Army is one of the most dedicated fanbases in rock — the kind of people who have spent real money, real time, and real emotional energy on this band for decades. They deserved exactly what they got: Paul Stanley, a guitar, and one of the great rock songs ever written. Anyone who was in that room is going to be talking about it forever.
Watch the footage when it surfaces. Turn it up. And remember what rock and roll looks like when it’s done right by someone who never forgot how.
Source: Ultimate Classic Rock | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/paul-stanley-kiss-fan-expo-performance-2026/