In a new interview with Rob’s School Of Music, KISS‘s longtime manager Doc McGhee addressed the possibility of original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss rejoining the band at some point during the End Of The Road tour.
He said (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net), “All the things are possible. We never say never about anything. We just know that we wanna give the people the best show in the world to go see. And my philosophy for all my bands [has] always been if you’re the very, very best at what you do, people will come and see you. And if you’re not, they will go see the very, very best. F–king simple. So what do we do with KISS? We do a show that, whether you like KISS or not, whether you’re a KISS fan or you know one song, you wanna go see this show, because it’s an amazing, entertaining show…”
“….”So all those things… Will Ace ever show up? Sure, he’ll show up,” he added. “Peter hopefully will show up. Everybody’s invited to the party of KISS. We haven’t had that many bandmembers in KISS. Since I’ve been there, there’s been four — two different ones — and that’s it. But KISS is KISS. So, whether you said, ‘Oh, well, I don’t think that there could be another 007 [besides] Sean Connery?’ Well, there is. There’s been five of ’em. People wanna see 007. Mickey Mouse is f–king a hundred years old. I think KISS will be one of those things that will go on forever. I think with the avatar situations that we’re doing now, with the NFT programs that we’re doing, with all the different elements that we have at our disposal today and will have tomorrow and the next day, I don’t see how this brand of KISS goes away ever. If it’s kept with the respect that it should have for the people that they have, I believe that they will be around forever — much longer than me.”
McGhee also spoke about the band’s plans for the next few years, including the remainder of the farewell tour, which began on January 2019. He said, “We have a two-part series coming out called [KISStory] that’s on A&E, that’s coming on June 27th [and] 28th. We have our Dubai show and our documentary coming at the end of July and August. And we have our touring that we’re gonna kick off in August, and Australia, and our cruise. And we’re gonna have a lot of fun for the next 18 months. And then, at the end of this segment of KISS, Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] will retire as the touring part of KISS. And where that goes from there, we don’t know yet. We don’t plan anything more than six months at a time.”
5 Responses
Doc, Doc, Doc, this has nothing to do with 007, or Mickey Mouse! The “brand” KISS will probably go on forever, but the “band” KISS (only the touring part) ended (IMO) in 2001. What didn’t end and will never end is the music of course, that will go on and last forever, and that’s all that really matters, the music.
The key part of this interview excerpt that I think die-hard fans want to know is whether Paul/Gene will invite Ace/Peter to play with KISS at any point in the tour. Personally, I think the answer to that question is a resounding NO. Why? Because the two sides are at a permanent impasse. While I believe them that Ace/Peter have been invited, Paul/Gene are not going to pay Ace/Peter for coming on stage and jamming on a song or two. From everything I’ve heard Ace/Peter say in interviews, they are willing to come on and play a couple of songs…but they need to be paid, and paid what they feel they deserve. Push come to shove, I can even see Paul/Gene considering paying them what they think is reasonable…but I can guarantee that whatever number they consider – short of a one-fourth cut for each of them – will not be enough for Ace/Peter. And that is NEVER going to happen.
Concur, RTunes. With their business acumen, both Paul and Gene know/understand that Ace and Peter should be paid for their appearances. Paul and Gene have been commenting that both have been invited to participate, as if the ball is solely in Ace and Peter’s court on the subject. If Ace and Peter do not participate, I expect Paul and Gene will make both Ace and Peter appear the villains. Paul and Gene, though, will also share responsibility cuz they won’t open their wallets enough. So, yes, I agree….the original four will never play together again. Paul and Gene certainly are doing well with Fake Ace and Copy Cat in the band, fans are attending the shows, and the KI$$ brand, while tarnished, is still large.
KI$$, the original four, is my all time favorite band. As a a member of the KI$$ Army, it disgusts me to see the legacy of my favorite band end this way….
Actually Doc there’s been 6 Bonds. And to me the original is still the best.
The REAL question – the BIG question is the following: Will Paul invite Peter and Ace to join him on stage for Soul Station and perform a rousing rendition of “Grazing in the Grass” by Friends of Distinction. Everything else is MOOT.