Exclusive new late tonight. Ace Frehley called into my radio show live tonight and confirmed that he and Peter are being denied the opportunity to perform at the R&R Hall Of Fame ceremony by Gene and Paul, who will perform instead with the current band. Ace said (and the HOF confirmed to me directly) that the HOF wants the original band. However Gene and Paul to date have declined to allow this to happen. Ace said it was important he let the fans know exactly what was happening since tickets are about to go on sale to the public and he didn’t want fans to purchase them expecting a reunion performance even for a song or two. Ace said he is undecided if he will even attend in light of this decision. Even though the HOF would prefer the original band, they will not stand in the way of the current band playing if that is all Gene and Paul are willing to do. Assume anything is possible that something could change, but at this time there are no plans at all for Ace and Peter to play, or perhaps even be there depending what they decide. As I have said consistently when there was news to share I would let it come directly from a member, and tonight Ace let everyone know exactly what was going on. Said he was most upset for the fans who voted them in and were hoping to see a song or two, but also said it is now time to move on. He is working on a new album and said the stress was really killing him about the HOF and he needed to let fans know what was up before tickets went on sale. Peter will likely have a similar statement on his site tomorrow. I’ll continue to keep you posted as more info develops but that’s where things are at now. I’m sure the audio will be on YouTube of Ace’s call but you can hear the entire show next weekend as usual on all affiliate stations and online outlets as well. Sad day for long time Kiss fans but at least we know where things stand as of now. The producer/director for the HOF show Joel Gallen expressed an interest in coming on the air soon. As usual my door is open to any and all to discuss. More soon.
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60+ year olds arguing like children. Grow up!!!
What about Eric Carr? A far superior drummer than Peter Criss
Amen to that!
I and a lot of other fans surely would give our left testicles to see Eric Carr drum at the Hall of Lame show.
Hey Gene….
I thought WE were the bosses.
I hope this doesn’t come across poorly on my part, but why is anyone surprised about this? I have never personally cared for KISS. I have always found most of their music mediocre so I have no real emotion when it comes to Paul and perhaps Gene’s decision. I am not trying to be rude to all of you who claim you are “done” but considering the way Paul and Gene have treated Ace and Peter for years and treated the fans over the years, I highly doubt most of you are “done.” Paul and Gene believe and perhaps know that no matter what they do to all the great KISS fans, you will keep coming back. I used to be a big Ozzy fan personally but after the way Ozzy and Sharon treated fans and other band members I finally had enough and not I am not really much of a fan at all. At some point, there has to be a line that cannot be crossed. In my view, KISS crossed that years ago.
Like everyone else who has posted here, I am a life-long KISS fan who has closely followed the band since 1976. At this point, I am disappointed with Ace’s announcement but not surprised. I think the biggest obstacle to seeing the original band play together at the HOF is the fact that in order to pull it off, the guys would have to get together and do some serious practicing (let’s face it, the original line-up hasn’t played together since 2000) and, at this point, that’s probably asking for too much. There has been just too much bad blood, name calling, tell-all books and hurtful comments from all four members to probably ever see the original line-up on stage and happy again, even for only four songs. I’m not sure they could get through a single rehearsal without the entire thing falling apart. Maybe they could get through a few acceptance speeches together – if Ace and Peter even decide to show up – but to actually spend time together and get ready to play? Forget it. I think there’s plenty of blame on the part of all four members that things have reached this point and KISS is probably one of the most dysfunctional bands of all time, but as a fan, I’m sad. Based on the four shows I saw during the reunion tours between 1996 and 2000, I’m not really sure that I want to see the original band in makeup trying to recreate the glory days of the early to mid-70’s. At the last show in 2000, I saw something I NEVER thought I would see – an opening act destroy KISS. But that evening, Ted Nugent, playing with only two other guys, did what I thought was impossible. But I really don’t want to see Gene and Paul accept the awards with Ace and Peter and then go play with Tommy and Eric, either. I am not knocking the current line-up – I have supported the band all these years despite the personnel changes – but it just doesn’t seem right. I guess I would rather see all four guys at least accept the awards together and then watch an all-star tribute band pay homage to Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace than see it end like this. If I sound conflicted, I am. KISS has and always will be my favorite band and I am just really sad and disappointed that what should be a wonderful event to celebrate the legacy of this truly great band, is going to fall far short of what it could have been for a lot of reasons. Ed, thanks for all you do and please keep up the great work. Seeing so many of my favorite bands on your show is wonderful. There’s nothing else quite like That Metal Show.