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Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Mary Ouellette, Once Kiss were revealed as Class of 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, the big question that arose was whether the band’s original lineup would perform together at the ceremony. Now, to the disappointment of their fans, it’s been announced that KISS won’t perform in any form at the April 10 event in Brooklyn, N.Y.
It’s been a whirlwind few days of statements from all of the band’s original members, with guitarist Ace Frehley first revealing that he and fellow former member Peter Criss would not be performing with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley at the ceremony.
“I don’t think Kiss fans are gonna be too excited and happy about the news, ’cause at this juncture, Paul and Gene have decided to perform with [current members] Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer], and it looks like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is going along with it,” Frehley told radio host Eddie Trunk on his Friday night program.
Then, drummer Criss chimed in with his own statement, saying, “I feel bad for the fans who were looking forward to the four of us being inducted together … I wanted to make sure that fans understood that no original performance, in or out of makeup, has been offered to us before they purchased their tickets.”
Once these statements were made public, Simmons and Stanley, the two current founding members of Kiss, dropped the final bombshell on fans, stating that they wanted to perform with Frehley and Criss, as long as additional current and former members would be able to participate in the festivities, as well. But when that couldn’t happen, they decided to pull out of performing altogether. Their full statement via their official website reads as follows:
To All Our Fans In Regards To The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
Out of respect, Ace and Peter’s recent statements demand a quick response to you, our fans.
Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members including present long time present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view.
Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning.
It is over 13 years since the original lineup has played together in make-up and we believe the memory of those times would not be enhanced. Contrary to claims made through the media we have never refused to play with Ace and Peter.
We have spent 40 years dedicated to building KISS without quitting or wavering as the band has moved forward with huge tours and platinum albums through different important lineups for forty years, to this day.
KISS has always been a band unlike any other. That is why we started KISS. That is why we continue KISS. Being unlike other bands also means making choices and decisions unlike other bands.
This is understandably an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.
To bring this to a quick end, we have decided not to play in any line-up and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
We are excited and are looking forward to seeing you all on the KISS 40th Anniversary worldwide tour.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will take place April 10 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Along with KISS, other inductees include Nirvana, Hall & Oates, Peter Gabriel and more.
