Ace Frehley reunites with KISS for first time in 17 years: Watch
The annual Kiss Kruise set sail from Miami on Halloween, beginning a five-night musical journey with KISS and the KISS Navy. On the very first night of the trip, the rock demons delivered what will surely become one of the biggest moments of the event by reuniting the band with original guitarist Ace Frehley for the first time in 17 years.
The performance came during a makeup-less acoustic set that also featured another former KISS guitarist, Bruce Kulick. Both Kulick and Frehley had their own solo shows that night, but they kicked off the Kruise by rejoining their old bandmates. With Frehley on stage, KISS performed their cover of The Rolling Stones’ “2000 Man”, which Frehely sang lead on for the 1979 album Dynasty, and Frehley’s version of Hello’s “New York Groove” from his 1978 solo debut. They also played “Nothin’ to Lose” and the classic “Rock and Roll All Nite”
“This is great… this is so great,” Frehley said before “Nothin’ to Lose”. “Thank you guys for inviting me up.”
“All this couldn’t have happened if we hadn’t happened,” replied Paul Stanley. “We started this. So thank you for being here.”
Watch footage of Frehley’s entire appearance below.
Frehley originally left the group in 1982, rejoined in 1996, and departed permanently in 2002. The last time all four original KISS members — which would be Stanley, Frehley, Gene Simmons, and Peter Criss — shared the stage together was during the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. However, they couldn’t agree on which lineup would perform at the event, so they never took the stage with their instruments.
The Kiss Kruise marks the unofficial beginning to the band’s “End of the Road” tour. The 65-date goodbye trek promises a number of surprises — “This will be a celebration of KISS and not any individual lineup or any individual members. I wouldn’t rule anything out,” said Stanley — so this may not be the last time we see Frehley back with his former bandmates.
