During an appearance on Talk Is Jericho podcast, Paul Stanley explained why former KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss weren’t at the band’s final shows.
“To be somewhat diplomatic, there were people who made unrealistic demands of what they required,” the guitarist responded when asked why they didn’t appear at the band’s final shows in December 2023. “And it’s not about that.”
He revealed, “It wasn’t, for example, a celebration of the beginning of the band; it was a celebration of 50 years of a band, as opposed to a tribute to the start. So, as far as Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer], they weren’t there for many reasons.”
“And I’ve said it a hundred times and I’ll say it another hundred times. We couldn’t be here today without what those guys did, and we couldn’t be here today with them,” Stanley continued.
When the host Chris Jericho asked about other former KISS members like Eric Carr, Bruce Kulick, and Mark St. John, Stanley said, “What are you gonna do? I think the best way to honor everyone is to be the best we can be.”
“What are we gonna have — videos up on the screen or draped photos? The fact that we were there, we were there because of everybody who participated, some more than others, but the tribute to everyone is us existing,” the musician stated.
The issue was brought up by fans before the final shows of KISS, too. “This tour is a celebration of the band and the life of the band over the past 50 years. It’s not a celebration of the original lineup,” Stanley said at the time. “As important as the original lineup was, I can say that we wouldn’t be here today if not for them, and we wouldn’t be here today with them.”
“It doesn’t make sense to allow anybody to come in and call shots. We are in great shape. The band is fantastic. I don’t want to mar the celebration [of the farewell tour]. I don’t want to mar the situation. It’s been too good,” Paul noted.
KISS ended their ‘End of the Road’ tour with two shows on December 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
