As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, KISS will not be playing at
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Here’s a quick recap of the
events so far. The first announcement came by Ace Frehley on Eddie Trunk’s
radio show Friday night that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley would be playing
with their current line-up (with Tommy Thayer and Cleveland ’s Eric Singer). They refused to
perform with Ace and Peter Criss. Peter Criss on Saturday posted a similar
statement. Paul and Gene followed up with a statement that took it a step
further to say that KISS will not be performing at all with any lineup. Eddie
Trunk followed up all these with his take on the situation. If you’d like more
details on each, you can find them here:
Peter Criss: http://www.petercriss.net/
Paul and Gene: http://www.kissonline.com/
Here’s my take. There’s only one reason that Gene and Paul
refuse to play with the classic lineup. Money. This “reunion” even for just a
few songs would be controlled by the Rock Hall and not by KISS. As everyone
knows, Paul and Gene merchandise EVERYTHING. If there’s going to be any kind of
reunion performance, even only a couple songs, Paul and Gene would insist on
controlling it and profiting from it. The money would be huge, especially if
everyone knows it would be the last time they would ever perform together. To
me, it’s really that simple. Paul Stanley has said recently that he has no love
for the Rock Hall, so I can’t imagine he would want the Rock Hall to benefit
from a performance of the original members.
I agree with Eddie Trunk there’s no easy solution with Gene
and Paul wanting to focus on their current band. Their fear may be that this
could open up a huge demand for a reunion tour, but I really don’t think that’s
the case. They did their reunion tour back in 1999 and they could easily make
it clear that this is a one last time deal to honor the fans. With social
media, Internet and so many ways to communicate with their fans now, getting
that message across would be very easy.
I disagree with Trunk that this is the 2nd best
scenario. To me, there is something fundamentally wrong when a band that so
many fans want to see just refuse to play. While I blame Paul and Gene mostly, the
Rock Hall is partially to blame. Had they not waited so long, they may have had
a better chance for a better outcome. The biggest reason though is their idiot
way of choosing who actually gets inducted. When they choose what bands to
induct, they also choose which members get inducted. So, for KISS, only the 4
original members are being inducted. When Black Sabbath was inducted, it was
only the Ozzy version, not even Ronnie James Dio was included. My opinion is
that all members of a band’s history should be inducted. All members make up
the history of the band...even the not so great ones. And, yes, I realize this
would include Gary Cherone being included with Van Halen. But, even he had an
impact on the history of the band.
So, what impact could all members of KISS being inducted
have on their decision whether to play or not? Wouldn’t they just play with
their current lineup like they want to? The answer is yes, but if they were
being inducted, it would make sense. Additionally, it wouldn’t be the same slap
in the face to Ace and Peter. And, what we might get is a performance that
includes Ace and Peter with the rest of the member...and maybe even Bruce
Kulick. While it might not be the performance by the four original members we
all want, but at least KISS would be playing and there’d be a better chance of
Ace and Peter being included.
Finally, (and I apologize this is a long blog entry, but
this is a complicated topic with many facets) the worst part of KISS not
playing is that the Rock Hall, and specifically those that never wanted KISS to
be in, gets what they want. I’m sure their hope was that the focus would be on
Nirvana going in and KISS would be a nice token to slide in. However, since the
announcement, there’s been very little mention of any other inductee. The fan
outpouring was huge. Now it’ll likely die down and KISS can have a short moment
and everyone will focus on the performances of the other artists (Who’s going
to sing for Nirvana?). None of the members have even confirmed that they’re
attending. So, if KISS has to go in, what better way for their detractors...
With all of the arguments for and against, I’m still holding
the slightest hope that Gene and Paul may change their mind at the last minute
and agree to play with Ace and Peter. It’s a long shot, but the fan backlash
has been pretty harsh so far. If they’re truly appreciative of their fans and
are doing what they do only for them, then maybe some common sense will find its
way through. I really don’t want this to be another Van Halen or Guns ‘n’
Roses...And, what better way for KISS to get revenge on the Rock Hall for
keeping them out than by playing an incredible set and having their fans
cheering louder than any induction crowd. Here’s hoping!
Thanks for reading this long post! Please tell me your
thoughts. What do you want to see happen? Should it all just die down and go
away at this point? Please share this with your friends and sign up to receive
my blog in your email.
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