Kiss Nix Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Performance After Lineup Dispute
Kiss announced today that the band won’t be performing at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April because disputes over the lineup churned up ill will among the members.
“This is understandably an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone,” Kiss said today in a statement on the band’s website. “To bring this to a quick end, we have decided not to play in any line-up and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.”
Frehley revealed to a New York radio station on Friday night that the original lineup would not be performing at the ceremony, and said that he was not willing to perform alongside the newer members. “I’m not gonna get on the stage with Tommy wearing my makeup. That’s absurd,” he told Q104.3 FM, according to Blabbermouth.net. In a statement on his own website, Criss said that he and Frehley “have been denied a performance with Gene and Paul for our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction,” and called the situation “disgraceful.”
According to the band’s statement, however, there was no plan to exclude Frehley and Criss from the performance. “Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of Kiss and give credit to all members including long time present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view,” the statement said. “It is over 13 years since the original lineup has played together in make-up and we believe the memory of those times would not be enhanced. Contrary to claims made through the media we have never refused to play with Ace and Peter.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone this past December, Gene Simmons said that he was open to playing at the induction with Frehley and Criss, but stressed the importance of Kiss’ current lineup. “It’s like, if you introduced me to your wife and I go, ‘Wait, where are all the other wives?’ It’s like, ‘Yeah, I was married to them and now I’m here,'” he said, while denying that there was bad blood among the original members. “They were equally important in the formation of the band. When you have kids with your first wife, you give kudos. The fact you got remarried doesn’t delete or minimize the importance. Hey, ‘You gave birth to this thing, Kiss, with Ace, Peter, Paul and Gene.'”