The original members of Kiss made a surprise appearance (alongside Tupac Shakur) during the 38th Grammy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on February 28, 1996. It marked the first time Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace had appeared together in full makeup and costume since 1979.

Simulcast in 58 countries, the band held a press conference aboard the USS Intrepid in New York City on April 16 to announce their reunion tour. Four days later, tickets for the first show sold out in 47 minutes.

The Kiss Alive/Worldwide Tour began at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan on June 28 in front of nearly 40,000 fans. The tour earned $43.6 million over 192 shows, making Kiss the top drawing concert act of the year.