No Original KISS Reunion At Rock Hall Induction?
Ace Frehley recently confirmed what most of us already assumed: there will be no original lineup reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley apparently nixed the idea and will play with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer instead.
Frehley is understandably annoyed and doesn't know if he will even show up to the induction.
Blabbermouth has a whole write-up and interview with Ace about the fiasco. This is turning into Van Halen all over again. It's such a shame that these bands we love can't get along for 15 minutes to accept an award, play two songs, take a photo and be done with it.
Right before I turned in for the night, I happened to check my email and our friend Brian Carvell - a major KISS fan - had sent along a message regarding this latest KISS news. Brian penned a post regarding the RRHOF induction ceremony. Here is what he wrote:
By now, news is pretty widespread regarding Ace Frehley's comments that the original KISS line-up will not be reuniting for a performance at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I am a die hard KISS fan. My iPod has 41 different KISS albums and 480 KISS songs on it. I love the band.....I do not always agree with their decisions, but I love the band.
So Gene and Paul have (allegedly) decided that they will perform alongside Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer at the induction ceremony. I understand why fans of the band are upset, because they WANT to see the original line-up take the stage again. Unfortunately though, I think, in this instance, the idea would be better than the reality. I used to be angry that Tommy and Eric were in the Spaceman and Cat make-up, until I saw the band (with the current line-up) live. It was then that all of Gene and Paul's prior comments made sense. There were two guys in the band that were angry and bitter and battling their own demons, and as a result, the live performances suffered. I saw the band multiple times on the reunion tour, the lost cities tour, and the Psycho Circus tour. The quality of the shows were hit or miss depending on the night. Then I saw the band with Tommy and Eric, and all songs were performed to perfection. The band was lucid and seemingly excited to be on stage together, and more importantly, they delivered a show that ensured that all of the fans left satisfied. There were no missed notes, no temper tantrums, no band members that refused to interact with one another. It was just a great rock n roll show.
Now lets also not forget the hell that Ace and Peter have put the rest of the band through. If you read Peter Criss' book, it is clear that he is an egomaniac who seems to have zero ability to maintain his composure and lashes out at others with no fear of consequences for his actions (and this was Peter's representation of himself... I shudder to think what others would candidly say about him). Ace tried a little harder to mend broken bridges in his autobiography, but his substance abuse problems and his inability to be responsible and reliable are well documented during the reunion period. I can wholly understand Paul and Gene's reluctance to want to work with these two at present. We all understand that in 1974, what the four of them created together was magical and amazing....but is 2014 now. I am all in favor of honoring Peter and Ace for their contributions to the band, but that does not entitle us, as fans, to that line-up performing at the induction, or at any other time.
We have all worked with people that, given the choice, we would never want to work with again, under any circumstance. Gene and Paul are no different, and we, as fans, should not expect them to do so. KISS is their band now. Ace and Peter have walked away enough times that they simply are not going to be welcomed back. KISS is what it is at this point in time. They have had a strong 40 year career, and when they broke on the scene, they changed the face of rock n roll... but Peter left the band in 1979 and Ace shortly thereafter (though he had checked out long before he left).
Gene and Paul accomplished far more that Ace and Peter when you look back at the history of the band. Deference should go to them and their decision, and if we are fans of the band, then we should respect the decisions that they make. Gene and Paul are not taking away from the honor being bestowed upon Ace and Peter... they are just choosing to perform that night with the line-up of the band that they have created.