Longtime rock act KIX will take the stage for the final time this September
KIX, who have been around since 1977, announced their plan to call it quits during an appearance yesterday (Sunday, May 7) at the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
In a video shared by Mark Strigl of Talking Metal, KIX vocalist Steve Whiteman tells the M3 Rock Festival crowd (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I wanna make an announcement here. And it’s gonna be probably a little hard to get through, but I wanna do it anyway, ’cause we want you all to know. We’ve decided that after 45 years of doing this, I think we’re gonna call it a career. Not tonight. We’re gonna do a show here September 17th.
“It’s been a long, long, long road,” he continued. “And my health is failing. Jimmy‘s [Chalfant, KIX drummer] health is definitely failing. And we just decided we’re gonna finish up these dates through the summer. And we were gonna end in Hinckley, Minnesota. And we thought, ‘Who the fuck wants to end a career in Hickley, Minnesota?’ So we brainstormed, and we said, ‘We wanna do one big final rock and roll show in the area,’ because you guys deserve it. No offense, Hinckley, but fuck that. So September 17th will be our final show, and we’re lucky enough to be doing it here [at the Merriweather Post Pavilion], so we hope you all will come join us. Will you come join us for our final show? We’re countin’ on you.
“So, it’s sad, but it’s just time,” Steve added. “You know when it’s time. It’s like an athlete. You know when it’s time. And I think it’s time. I’m tired. I can’t fucking do this anymore. [Laughs]”
Jimmy Chalfant, who suffered a cardiac arrest during KIX‘s concert at the Tally Ho Theater in Leesburg, Virginia on November 18 of last year, rejoined the band on stage for the songs “Cold Blood” and “Blow My Fuse” during KIX‘s set on April 30 aboard this year’s Monsters Of Rock cruise. That performance marked Chalfont‘s first live appearance with the group since his collapse onstage six months ago. He also performed with KIX at the M3 Rock Festival.
In 2018, KIX celebrated the 30th anniversary of their biggest album, “Blow My Fuse”, with “Blow My Fuse Re-Blown”, a two-disc set with a remixed/remastered version of the album, along with the original demo recordings for all 10 songs. The reunion with longtime collaborator Beau Hill for this remix sparked the initiative to revisit “Midnite Dynamite” and take a similar approach to updating KIX‘s legacy.
