Peter Criss’ Confession About Ace Frehley

Former Wicked Lester members Gene Simmons, and Paul Stanley wanted to change their musical style by forming a new band, KISS, with drummer Peter Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley. With their exceptional makeups, stage costumes, and personas, the band drew significant attention from music critics, journalists, and rock music lovers in a short time.

KISS gained international fame and commercial success by selling millions of records starting from their early years. Still, this popularity didn’t prevent the band members’ problems and creative differences. Simmons and Stanley fired Criss because of disputes in 1980, and Frehley also left the band in 1982. However, it wasn’t the last time the founding members performed together, and Criss had a confession to make about Frehley.

KISS’ Original Lineup Embarked On A Farewell Tour

KISS’ original lineup reunited in 1996 with the return of Criss and Frehley, and they began recording a new album and tours with millions who came to watch them live after more than a decade. They released their eighteenth studio album entitled ‘Psycho Circus’ on September 22, 1998, which hit the charts and received positive reviews worldwide.

The Farewell Tour kicked off on March 11, 2000, in Phoenix and ended on April 13, 2001, in Gold Coast, and it’s known as KISS’ last concert with their guitarist Frehley. The musician parted the ways with them again at the end of the tour and continued his professional musical career as a solo artist. His bandmate Criss realized some things about the famous guitarist, which he revealed in a conversation he had shortly after.

Peter Criss Shared His Feelings About Ace Frehley

Following their farewell tour and Frehley’s second departure, Peter Criss joined an interview and opened up about his friendship with Ace Frehley. The drummer stated that he wanted Frehley to create and play with them like the good old days without knowing he would also leave one year after this statement.

Criss admitted that he had a love/hate relationship with the KISS guitarist; he sometimes even wanted to kill him because of personal issues. The musician highlighted that he missed Frehley and performing with him even though they didn’t talk or spend time with one another when they weren’t on tour. He added that they had nothing in common, but this didn’t prevent the magic on the stage.

In Criss’ words, he said:

“I’ve got a knot in my gut at times for Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, and I miss Ace. I do. I wish he were up here. But there are times I want to kill him. It’s a love/hate relationship. When we’re not on the road, we don’t even talk to each other. We have nothing in common. Yet when the war paint is on, and we step on the stage, the magic is there.”

Furthermore, the two longtime friends and bandmates reunited on the stage as a part of Creatures Fest, at Nashville’s Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel, on May 27, 2022. Criss and Frehley performed iconic KISS songs ‘Hard Luck Woman’ from ‘Rock and Roll Over’ and ‘Strange Ways’ released on ‘Hotter Than Hell.’ Their show was unforgettable for the dedicated KISS fans who have been waiting for a reunion for years.