Simmons Speechless Over Criss and Frehley’s Kiss Reunion Refusals

Gene Simmons said he was speechless about Ace Frehley and Peter Criss refusing to take part in any of Kiss’ final shows.

The band will deliver its final pair of shows on Dec. 1 and 2 in New York. Since the End of the Road tour began, conflicting reports have bounced back and forth over the possibility of original guitarist Frehley and drummer Criss taking part in some form. Each party has a different account of events, but it seems clear that an agreement hasn’t been reached as time runs out.

“For the fans … the ones who’ve been around for 50 years, they’re old, and some of them want to see Ace and Peter,” Simmons said during a recent interview with Linea Rock. “The newer fans never saw them and they don’t know, but the older fans wonder about Ace and Peter.”

You can hear the interview below.

"I asked both Ace and Peter a few times, 'Do you wanna come out for the encores? Do you wanna do some shows?'" Simmons said. "And they both said no. So, I don’t know what to say about that." Suggesting there was still a chance it could happen, Simmons noted, “It’s always welcome.”

He went on to consider the possibility of doing something else instead to make the final concert special. “There are many other big stars, superstars, who want to jump up onstage and play a song,” he said. “But we’re not sure about that. Maybe the best thing to do is to end the way we started: four guys, with guitars. No keyboards, no synthesizers – nothing. Just playing.”