The late ‘80s were a weird time for KISS. The band “unmasked” and revamped themselves on 1983’s Lick It Up. It was a risky move, but one that rejuvenated their career. Pop metal (or “hair metal”) acts started dominating MTV and the Billboard charts, so this was perfect timing. Their look and sound fit perfectly alongside Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, and Poison.

It worked really well. That is, until it didn’t: by the end of the decade, hair metal was yesterday’s news and was quickly becoming a punchline. Sure, KISS was still headlining arenas, and they had some pretty big pop hits (“Reason To Live,” “Forever”). Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley would probably protest the premise of this article: they’d say that their “bad” years were better than most bands’ best years. And that’s true. But this is also true: although they were never “hip,” if you grew up in the suburbs, no band was cooler in the ‘70s. If Gene and Paul had a nickel for every kid who bought a guitar or drumset because of KISS, they’d double their considerable fortunes. But a few years into unmasking, they were no longer cool.

Strangely enough, the bands that were banishing the pop-metal rockers to the discount bins turned out to be KISS fans, too. Gene and Paul, always aware of trends, knew this was an opportunity. 1990 saw the release of Hard To Believe: A KISS Covers Compilation on the indie label C/Z Records; that’s the same label that released the 1986 Deep Six compilation, the record that helped to launch the Melvins, Green River (featuring future Pearl Jam members Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament) Skin Yard (featuring future Soundgarden and Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron) and Soundgarden.

Hard To Believe: A KISS Covers Compilation had contributions from both the Melvins and Skin Yard, as well as legendary punk band All. Oh yeah, and Nirvana, who covered “Do You Love Me?” Always attuned to trends, and never shy about addressing or defending their legacy, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanely decided to take the reins to assemble their own tribute album.

To be fair, KISS was already changing with the times before they started working on the tribute: their 1992 album Revenge was a darker, heavier record than they’d done since they unmasked, and they adopted a new, mostly black look, a visual 180 from their bright garb from the past decade or so. But they were still playing to the shrinking KISS audience.

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Kiss singer and bassist Gene Simmons has reflected on Ace Frehley and Peter Criss’ time in the band, stating that he should’ve been “more hard” on them in regards to their substance abuse issues.

Alongside Paul Stanley, Simmons co-founded the band with Frehley and Criss in 1973. The shock rockers gained a dedicated following, recognisable for their dramatic face makeup, which marked them out from their contemporaries. Additionally, their performances were unforgettable, often incorporating things like fire and blood into their concerts.

Within just a few years together, the band became massive, but as many musicians discover, the industry is hard to navigate without the use of drugs and alcohol. Frehley and Criss were particularly affected by their substance abuse issues – to the point that Simmons and Stanley had to boot them out of the band.

While they managed to make it through several iterations of Kiss, by the early 2000s, they were informed that their days in the band were over. Criss last played in the band in 2004, with Eric Singer replacing him. Frehley, on the other hand, was kicked out in 2002, with Tommy Thayer taking over his role.

The band embarked on their final tour in 2023, saying farewell to fans with a string of shows. While fans might’ve liked to have seen the band’s original lineup, there was no chance that was going to happen.

Talking to Backstage Pass, Simmons said, “I’m sad in retrospect. You know, hindsight’s 20/20. I’m sad that I wasn’t more hard on Ace and Peter, the two original guys who played guitar and drums in the band.”

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Original KISS guitarist, Ace Frehley, has shared episode #11 in his ongoing series, “Shopping With The Frehleys”. Watch below.

A message states: “Give the people what they want!! Ace is back at @target talking to customers, petting dogs, and looking for crazy sheets!” 🤘🎸🎯

If there’s one thing that’s even more iconic about Kiss than their music, it’s their signature look, particularly the Kiss makeup. Everyone, even people who don’t like Kiss, know about Kiss’ iconic makeup and over-the-top costumes. And the wild face paint has been imitated from a number of big-name acts from Alice Cooper to Marilyn Manson to the Misfits to Insane Clown Posse. So where did the idea for Kiss’ makeup come from? Well, according to Gene Simmons, it came from out of thin air.

In a recent interview on Steve-O’s podcast Wild Ride! That was reported on by Loudwire, Simmons talked about putting on the makeup in the earliest days of the band, and Simmons insisted that nobody in Kiss can take credit for the idea to wear their iconic makeup. Here’s what he had to say:

“Nobody who was ever in KISS can ever lay claim to saying, ‘I’ve got a brilliant idea, everybody should put on makeup. Let’s wear more makeup and higher heels than your mommy ever did.’ Nobody did, it just happened.”

That sounds…fairly impossible. Obviously someone either within the band or adjacent to it had to come up with the idea for the makeup in the first place. It couldn’t just have happened without anyone suggesting it.

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Episode 577. We check out a radio station playlist from 1975, wow what a variety of great songs! This is what is called AM Gold.

During an appearance on the latest episode of Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked if he now tours and performs with his solo band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yes. GENE SIMMONS BAND already headlined — oh, goodness. We were in South America, São Paulo [in April]… So we’re going to Europe [this summer] to headline festivals and other stuff. And [we’re] just having a lot of fun.”

He continued: “By the way, I designed a business model that is just semi-genius. I show up with my guitar pick. That’s it. There’s no manager, no roadies, no trucks, no equipment. Everything is provided by the promoter. The flights, the hotels, all the amplifiers, the drums, everything is rented locally. That’s the promoter’s cost, and whatever six-figure or more amount there is, I pocket. And I literally make more money per gig being Gene Simmons and the GENE SIMMONS BAND than I did in KISS — not counting the ancillaries and all that — because you don’t have a 60-man crew, three double deckers, private jet that’s on call seven days a week and 20 to 24 tractor trailers.”

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Across their 50-year career, heavy metal band KISS has performed countless times. And almost every one of those performances has been nothing short of memorable. Still, there are a few of the best KISS performances that made history with fans. Let’s take a look at just four of the best (or most significant) KISS performances of all time!

1. Detroit, MI (May 16, 1975)

This early-career performance is worth mentioning. At the time, the band’s first batch of albums was selling a bit slowly, and few singles made it to the Top 100. That being said, the band was already establishing its reputation in the world of live music. Their insane stage image and wild live performances started to gain attention outside of heavy metal. Members of KISS even started to make appearances on the news.

Their four-night mini-residency at Cobo Arena in Detroit changed things around. The wild live performance was used for their live album Alive!, which went on to achieve Top 10 charting success.

2. Tokyo, Japan (April 2, 1977)

KISS eventually gained international acclaim, and their very first performance in Japan was at Tokyo’s Nippon Budokan. The band was not ready for what was waiting for them. Fans in Tokyo were absolutely wild, proving that their unique brand of heavy metal transcended language and culture.

They performed to 22,000 fans total during their two-show set at Budokan on April 2, 1977. It was filmed live by NHK, Eddie Kramer filmed it for a Japanese live album that never happened, and the whole thing proved that KISSmania had gone global.

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KISS frontman Gene Simmons shared his thoughts on Taylor Swift—and he didn’t hold back on his opinion of her powerful influence.

Simmons proclaimed himself a Swiftie during a chat at his Rock & Brews restaurant in El Segundo, Calif., praising the “Lavender Haze” singer and even hinting she is one of the few current musical artists he is aware of these days.

While speaking on the new generation of talent making their mark in the industry, the legendary rockstar told Page Six, “There’s no question, Taylor Swift has taken over, and she’s great.”

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ACE FREHLEY LIVE!! Look at all these live dates coming up this summer! Purchase your tickets and VIP experiences at www.acefrehley.com!

The ultimate KISS lighted collectible, this 12-inch Luminglass was not sold for very long. It is considered to be one of the most rare KISS collectibles.

Once it is plugged in it fills with interactive light that moves throughout the lamp that is triggered by sound and touch.

In auto mode it will erupt with lightning or you can switch it to manual mode where it will react to your touch or music that you play.

Click here to Purchase at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

“I was just about ready to pass out.”

While Gene Simmons‘ bass skills will never be confused with such 4-string technicians as Billy Sheehan or Jaco Pastorius, many of his memorable lines proved to be an important ingredient to classic Kiss tunes.

But during a recent interview with Adam Carolla, Simmons made a claim concerning one of rock’s greatest guitarists praising his bass playing. The gentleman who provided the bold quote? None other than Led Zeppelin‘s Jimmy Page (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).

“Page came to see us the first time when we played Wembley, came to see us some other times when we were there. And he came up to me after the show, with my hand to God, and said, ‘Mate, you can give [John] Entwistle a run for his money.’ And I was just about ready to pass out. That’s not true, of course. But the fact that he may say that — the highest compliment.”

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