KISS’ Performing With Original Lineup At Rock Hall ‘Would Be Demeaning To The Band’, Paul Stanley Says
Paul Stanley has explained why his band KISS declined to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Formed in 1973, KISS is a rock band that has released over 20 studio albums and sold more than 100 million records worldwide. The original lineup of the band consisted of Paul Stanley on vocals and rhythm guitar, Gene Simmons on vocals and bass, Ace Frehley on lead guitars, and Peter Criss on drums.
Over the years, there have been many lineup changes, with Stanley and Simmons being the only two members to remain constant. When the drummer left the band in 1980, the guitarist Ace Frehley parted ways with KISS in 1982. Both then returned to the band in 1996 but left the band in the early 2000s.
In 2014, KISS was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with its original line-up. At the time, the band declined to perform at the ceremony because the Rock Hall hadn’t inducted the current members, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer.
.@PaulStanleyLive explains why @KISS didn’t perform when the band was inducted in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/aUOJdQPT0a
— Stern Show (@sternshow) March 2, 2023
In his recent appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Paul Stanley reflected on the band’s declining performance at Rock Hall. He first touched on what KISS has made for rock music. Stanley stated that they carried the rock flag and had taken it to another level.
“We had too much pride in this lineup, which is KISS, and has been KISS for 20 years,” Stanley says. “It’s not newcomers. This is the band.
“We’ll be back in the stadiums of South America next month. We were there five months ago. We were in Japan. This is the band that has carried the flag and taken it, really, to another level. This is the band I always dreamed it would be, and for us to go onstage.”
Paul Stanley Says KISS’ Performing with original lineup ‘would be demeaning to the band’
The frontman then went on to explain why KISS didn’t perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Saying that he declined to play with the original lineup at the ceremony, Stanley admitted that that would be demeaning to the current members of the band. He also claimed that that would cause people confusion, as the lineup that fans see on live shows would not be the same as that night’s lineup.
“They were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the band, and also would give some people confusion,” Stanley continues. “‘Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS.”
This past Wednesday(March 1), KISS announced the final dates of their ongoing farewell trek, End of The Road Wold Tour. The band has plans to conclude its touring days at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023.
“The absolute final shows of our final tour, THE END OF THE ROAD TOUR, will kick off this October and culminate in a massive show in the city where it all began,” says KISS. “New York City has been a part of our ethos and storyline for more than four decades, so we felt it fitting to culminate our career on stage at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.”
