It’s been more than 23 years since Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons shared a stage as members of KISS. Simmons and Paul Stanley were the iconic rock band’s only constants during its five-decade run. The original lineup’s first run, which included drummer Peter Criss, only lasted seven years, but the four original members remain a sentimental favorite of KISS fans.

The original four reunited in 1996, but on April 13, 2001, Ace played his last show with KISS. As has become commonplace with classic rock bands, the band replaced Frehley and continued for another 22 successful years, culminating in an extended farewell tour that ended on Dec. 2, 2023.

Later this month, in North Tonawanda, Simmons and Frehley will be performing on the same stage 48 hours apart. It may be the closest thing to a reunion the two former bandmates will ever have, and it is definitely a rare occurrence. The pair last shared a stage during an Australian tour in 2018.

The Gene Simmons Band will headline a fundraiser for the West Herr Riviera Theatre’s lobby expansion project on Aug. 19. Frehley arrives two days later, on Aug. 21. While it would be a dream come true for Simmons and Frehley to appear onstage together and rock and roll all night, there is little chance it will happen.

Frehley performs in Washington on Aug. 17 and has a three-day break before the Riv show. Simmons has a six-month break after his Riv performance.

Nevertheless, KISS fans will have a unique opportunity to hear at least a few songs performed by both groups, including “Deuce,” “Shout It Out Loud,” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” With more bands having full lineups that were not on the original recordings, KISS fans will be treated to different performances of two artists that actually played on the hit songs fans grew up listening to on the radio.

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Friday & Saturday, September 13th & 14th, 2024 ONLY!

Friday, September 13th, 2024
6:00pm to 10:00pm

Saturday, September 14th, 2024
12:30pm to 7:00pm

Meet & Greet with Peter Criss!

Purchase Event Tickets & Peter Criss Pro Photo Op Tickets HERE! 

*No tableside selfies allowed*

Maximum of 5 Items Signed Per Guest/Family

***NOTE: Peter will not sign copies of Nothin’ To Lose,
Sealed With A KISS, or Behind the Mask.

No outside drum heads or drum parts.

Rockologists remake of “Let Me Rock You” and “Out Of Control” will not be signed.
Only the original releases from Casablanca Records will be signed.

Drum heads will be available at the event at Peter’s table with proceeds going to charity.

For any additional questions, please email
axe@famousmonsters.com

Bryan Adams is releasing a special double A-side single featuring two songs – “War Machine” and “Rock And Roll Hell” – through his new independent label, Bad Records. These songs were originally written by Adams, Jim Vallance, and Gene Simmons for KISS’ 1982 album, Creatures Of The Night.

Available for pre-order now as a limited edition double A-side 7” single, available exclusively via Bryan’s webstore (releasing August 30, 2024).

Measures 39 x 54 inches.  Still rolled and sealed!  Awesome vintage poster!  Stock photo. Only 2 Available!

Order Now!

Every band that’s lasted more than 20 years usually has that one album where they get a second wind. No matter if they were considered yesterday’s news just months before, these records are the ones that remind everyone why acts were so good to begin with, either by going in a different direction or delivering more of the tunes that everyone knows and loves. Kiss never had a problem with straying too far away from the formula, but that dramatic return to the makeup was dead in the water before it had even got started on Psycho Circus.

Because, really, what is Kiss without their makeup? Yes, they technically qualify as musicians, but even the most hardened members of the Kiss army will tell outsiders that they are entertainers first and foremost, and the music is almost secondary to the massive stage show. So how the hell did they manage to pull off a makeup-less version of themselves at all?

It wasn’t an easy decision, but Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons eventually decided to clean off their faces after they lost Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. It had been a long time coming for Criss to leave, but Frehley deciding to quit after Music From the Elder was probably down to the fact that he couldn’t stand the idea of doing another album with hard rock mixed with oboes.

So when the group rebranded after Creatures of the Night, it was time for them to enter the MTV generation. Now, instead of the ‘Demon’ persona that could have killed in music video form, Simmons traded his look for a glamorous look that might as well have been the opposite of his strengths.

They still managed to squeak by for a decade with a new lineup, but when Frehley and Criss joined the group for a few tunes at MTV Unplugged, something felt different. Maybe everyone could let bygones be bygones and make a new record; it was all just a matter of getting everyone on the same page.

Listening to the record Psycho Circus, it initially seems promising. The guitars roar, and Stanley’s delivery of the title track’s chorus would have made a great opening for their tour. However, the rest of the album tells a different story. Aside from ‘Into the Void’, contributed by Frehley, the album feels as though the band members were forced to be in the same room together, lacking genuine cohesion and unity.

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You don’t need a rock star’s bankroll to collect pop music memorabilia. But when Madonna’s stage-worn pointy bras are selling at auction for the price of a new Cadillac, it certainly helps.

From concert posters and handwritten song lyrics to one-of-a-kind treasures owned by famous musicians, we dove deep into the lucrative business of rock collectibles and curated a list of pricey artifacts that even includes mass-market novelties like pinball machines and toy microphones. What you won’t see at this gig are vintage vinyl records and star-owned musical instruments (think Hendrix guitars), which are largely considered their own collecting genres.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, in the words of Jack Black in “School of Rock,” “You just sit back and enjoy the magic of rock!”

17. KISS Wireless Microphone

Value: $3,400

In the late ’70s, competing for toy store shelf space with Star Wars action figures was a KISS-merch juggernaut that spawned everything from school lunchboxes to radio-controlled vans. To date, it’s estimated the band has licensed its name to more than 3,000 different products.

15. KISS Radio-Controlled Van

Value: $5,000

There isn’t much KISS didn’t put its name on, and the band’s memorabilia from the 1970s can be extremely valuable. This remote-controlled van dates back to 1978 and features imagery of the original members.

This toy made by Aucoin has stayed in its packaging since the beginning and has been in storage for most of the past 44 years. It sold for nearly $5,000 on eBay in September 2022.

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Ever wanted to watch Wonder Woman cover a Kiss song?

That’s exactly what happened in 1980 when Lynda Carter, still riding high off the success of her starring role in the Wonder Woman TV show, appeared in Lynda Carter Encore!, her second TV variety special.

During a particularly extravagant “Rock ‘n Roll Fantasy” sequence, Carter performs the Bad Company song of the same name, Tina Turner‘s version of Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s “Proud Mary,” Bette Midler’s “Friends” and perhaps most bizarrely, Kiss’ disco-inspired 1979 smash “I Was Made for Lovin’ You.” The song was one of the biggest hits of the band’s career, hitting No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

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Looking for something to watch? Then you’re best off avoiding these biopics and fictional epics.

Films about our favourite bands can be amazing, life-changing spectacles. But sometimes they can also be something of a letdown. Radio X looks at the times that the music movie has been less than thrilling.

1. Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978)

   After the success of Saturday Night Fever, The Bee Gees could do no wrong… or could they? For the follow-up, they decided to make this plotless parade of star cameos masquerading as yet another “tribute” to The Beatles. What had the Fabs done to deserve all this? The Brothers Gibb team up with heart-throb-of-the-moment Peter Frampton, comedian Frankie Howerd sings Mean Mr Mustard, comedian Steve Martin sings Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, Alice Cooper appears for no reason, a wacked-out Aerosmith are the villains and there’s a character called “Strawberry Fields”.

2. KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park (1978)

   Glam metal rockers KISS never really took off in the UK in the 1970s as much as they did in the US, where they seemed to mainly appeal to 7 year olds. This must have been the thinking behind this Halloween 1978 TV special, which sees the rockers star in a mystery produced by cartoon studio Hanna-Barbera in the style of their hit show, Scooby Doo.

   The musicians take on a criminal mastermind who’s trying to ruin a theme park using an army of robots – or something – and you can enjoy the sight of Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss kung-fu kicking their opponents while Gene Simmons talks like a robot and occasionally roars. Even small children will be embarrassed.

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Only 400 English versions made!

«KISS DESTROYS MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, 1977-2019». After more than 250 shows on their seemingly never ending final tour and on their 50th anniversary, the curtain fell for the very last time. And as we all expected it was in the city where the band was born and at the legendary Madison Square Garden.

«LAST KISS AT THE GARDEN, DECEMBER 1 & 2, 2023» captures all of the magic that surrounded the final two shows of KISStory, which was a lot. An unforgettable experience for the fans coming from different countries who attended the two mind-blowing concerts at the famous venue in New York. But a concert lasts two hours only and the whole experience was much bigger than that. A long weekend that started off on Thursday, November 30th and finished on Sunday, December 3rd. The atmosphere in New York City was unbelievable and KISS was everywhere. A dream-like weekend which the KISS Army worldwide dressed to kill for.

«LAST KISS AT THE GARDEN, DECEMBER 1 & 2, 2023» is a 184 full-colour page and A4 size (8.2×11.4 inches) book with more than 800 photos featuring articles, exclusive interviews, anecdotes, chronicles by fans who were lucky enough to live this historical moment, tickets, posters, clippings, backstage passes and ALL the facts that you can imagine about these two shows at the New York temple. All in all, a real jewel which all the KISS fans will love.

Besides, for this book we had the pleasure and honor to count on Bill Starkey’s collaboration, who as all of you know, founded the KISS ARMY in 1975. Bill wrote the foreword of the book. You can read also an exclusive interview with Russell Dannecker, a fan from New York who holds the astonishing record of having seen 414 KISS concerts!! And besides all of this, the book features contributions by people from the KISS camp and fans telling anecdotes about what happened at those two shows.

The package includes our classic membership card and a commemorative A3 size (11×16 inches) poster.

Order yours now!