Ace Frehley Blasts KISS Members Gene Simmons & Paul Stanley Over “End of the Road” Exclusion
KISS bass player/vocalist Gene Simmons has always said he’d quit rock ‘n’ rolling all night by the time he turned 70-years-old. And with that date fast approaching, the band has embarked on an “End of the Road” tour. Sure, they’ve gone on other “final” tours in the past, but something about this one feels real—and perhaps it’s time for the boys to hang up their platform boots.
Of course, it won’t feel like an official final tour unless the band reinstates lead guitar player Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss. The four founding members regrouped in 1996 for a series of extremely successful reunion tours, but Ace and Peter were each axed a few years later. Since their departure, Frehley has been replaced by Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer took over drumming duties from Criss.
Hopes for reconciliation were dashed a few years back when Simmons and Paul Stanley refused to reunite with Frehley and Criss for a performance celebrating the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. Still, fans have been hoping against the odds that cool heads will prevail so that this “End of the Road” tour can feel truly legit.
So, what are the chances? Here’s what Simmons told Guitar World Magazine:
“Would we welcome Ace and Peter to jump on stage for a song or two? Of course. Could we depend on either Ace or Peter to do a full set night after night? Not on your fucking life.”
Boo!
To Frehley,
“Your slanderous remarks about my bad habits over the years has cost me millions of dollars and now that I’m over 12-years sober you’re still saying I can’t be trusted to play a whole night’s show! Well that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 12-years with different configurations of The Ace Frehley Band to you and Paul’s dismay!”
You can read Frehley’s entire post below, HERE.
Here’s are the current dates set for KISS’s “End of the Road” tour:
January
31 – Vancouver, BC, Canada – Rogers Arena
February
1 – Portland, OR – Rose Garden Moda Center
2 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
4 – Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
7 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
8 – Fresno, CA – Save Mart Cente
9 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
12 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
13 – Glendale, AZ – Gila River Arena
15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
16 – Los Angeles, CA – The Forum
19 – Corpus Christi, TX – American Bank Center
20 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center
22 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center
23 – Memphis, TN – FedEx Forum
26 – Oklahoma City, OK – Chesapeake
27 – Kansas City, MO – Sprint Center
March
1 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
2 – Chicago, IL – United Center
4 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
6 – Sioux Falls, SD – Denny Sanford Premier Center
7 – Omaha, NE – CenturyLink Center
9 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
10 – Moline, IL – Mark of the Quad Cities
12 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
13 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
16 – Columbus, OH – Nationwide Arena
17 – Cleveland, OH – Quicken Loans Arena
19 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
20 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
22 – Uniondale, NY – Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
23 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
26 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
27 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
29 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
30 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
April
2 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
3 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
6 – Raleigh, NC – PNC Arena
7 – Atlanta, GA – Philips Arena
9 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
11 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
12 – Jacksonville, FL – Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Aren
13 – Birmingham, AL – BJCC
August
6 – Sunrise, FL – BB&T Center
8 – Charleston, NC – North Charleston Coliseum
10 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
11 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
13 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
14 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
16 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
17 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
20 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center
21 – Hershey, PA – HersheyPark Stadium
23 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater
24 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center
27 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
29 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center
31 – Indianapolis, IN – Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
September
1 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
3 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
5 – Little Rock, AR – Verizon Arena
7 – Bossier City, LA – CenturyLink Center
8 – San Antonio, TX – AT&T Center
9 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
11 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
12 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
14 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
16 – Oakland, CA – Oracle Arena
What do you think KISS fans? Should Gene bring Frehley and Criss back into the fold? Do you believe this is really the “End of the Road”? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
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