Kiss concert at Dubai's Coca-Cola Arena has been cancelled

No explanation has been given for why the US rock band has suddenly called off its anticipated gig

Kiss performed on New Year’s Eve 2020 at Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

The American rockers put on a record-breaking live stream show in Dubai

The show was streamed to a global audience of two million people

It also broke two Guinness World Records – highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert

Kiss are currently on their final End of the Road world tour

The tour consists of 240 shows spanning locations in the US as well as across Europe and Asia

The tour, which began in Vancouver, Canada in 2019, is meant to celebrate the group's 40-plus years in the business

The End of the Road tour is set to conclude in New York's Madison Square Garden in December

The band’s line-up includes two original members, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, along with drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer

Some of the band's biggest hits include I Was Made for Lovin’ You, Rock and Roll All Nite, Detroit Rock City and Heaven’s on Fire

Kiss's greatest hits set in Dubai in 2020 featured more than $1 million worth of pyrotechnics

It’s been announced that Kiss's upcoming concert at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena has been cancelled.

The show, part of the Kiss – End of the Road world tour, was scheduled to take place on Friday. No explanation has been given for why the rock band has decided to call off its Dubai gig.

“Kiss has today confirmed that they have cancelled their show due to unforeseen circumstances and will be releasing more information imminently,” reads a statement on the Coca-Cola Arena website.

“We share the Kiss Army and regional rock fans’ disappointment and wish the band members all the best.”

The website also states that all tickets will automatically be refunded to the same card that was used for the transaction, although it may take up to 21 working days.

Thomas Ovesen, chief executive of promoters All Things Live Middle East says he is as disappointed as the fans.

“We were so excited to welcome Kiss to the Coca-Cola Arena on Friday,” he tells The National. “We know they are a band that loves to play for their fans and would never not do a show if there was a possible way to perform. So we wish them very well and we are as disappointed as the entire Kiss Army and the rock 'n' roll fans in the region.”

Kiss have recently uploaded a post reflecting back on a past tour. However, as of Thursday morning, there is still no mention about why the band decided to cancel their Dubai concert. Some fans in the region have taken to the post to comment about the last-minute decision, asking for an explanation.

The End of the Road tour – which began in Vancouver, Canada, in 2019 but was delayed by Covid-19 – is meant to celebrate the group's 40 years in the music business. It is set to conclude in New York's Madison Square Garden in December.

The band’s current line-up includes two original members, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, along with drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer.

Simmons, who recently told The National that the band was putting together “a great show to play in Dubai,” was born in Israel in 1949 to Jewish immigrants from Hungary.

Some of the band's biggest hits include I Was Made for Lovin’ You, Rock and Roll All Nite, Detroit Rock City and Heaven’s on Fire.

Kiss last performed in Dubai in December 2020 at a New Year’s Eve concert at Atlantis, The Palm. The show, which was streamed to a global audience of two million people, broke two Guinness World Records at the time – the highest flame projection in a music concert and most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.