As KISS’ final show approaches, Paul Stanley recently sat down with Ultimate Classic Rock for an exclusive interview and revealed that he doesn’t see a reunion with his former bandmates, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, happening.
The rocker reflected on what their farewell tour means for the band, explaining:
“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. 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.”
Stanley further said the following about his thoughts on inviting Frehley and Criss:
“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.”
KISS is set to conclude their ‘End of the Road’ tour with two performances on December 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The musician also shared his feelings about saying goodbye to the stage, noting:
“Playing the Garden will be exhilarating and full circle, and yet it’s also the end of the band as it exists, and that’s something in so many ways that’s different. Certainly, the skeptic might draw comparisons to the Farewell Tour we did [in 2000-01], which was done under very different circumstances. This is based on reality and limitation of doing something indefinitely.”
Another band member, Gene Simmons, also talked about the involvement of Peter and Ace on their final concerts during a June chat with Linea Rock. The bassist disclosed that despite the two turning down invitations to join them for the shows, the door remained open for their return. He said:
“The newer fans never saw them, and they don’t know. But the older fans wonder about Ace and Peter. Well, I asked both Ace and Peter a few times: ‘Do you wanna come out for the encores? Do you wanna do some shows?’ And they both said ‘no.’ So, I don’t know what to say about that… But it’s always welcome.”
The band is currently on the road, performing in various cities in the United States. After several shows in Canada during November, they will return to the US for more shows.
