The long-hoped-for reunion of the original KISS lineup appears further away than ever, as founding guitarist Ace Frehley has revealed he was invited to the band’s upcoming Las Vegas fan event and flatly declined. In a new interview, he criticized the offer as a missed opportunity that should have happened at their final Madison Square Garden concerts in 2023, adding another chapter to the ongoing public saga of the failed original lineup reunion.
Speaking with Guitar World magazine, the legendary “Spaceman” was asked if he would be participating in the “KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas” event this November, a three-day fan experience organized by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Frehley’s response was direct and unambiguous.
“They asked me and I declined,” he confirmed. “There’s no way I’m gonna be involved with that, you know?”
He then took aim at the timing and scale of the offer, arguing that the true moment for a reunion of the original four members had already passed. “Their biggest mistake is that they should have done that at Madison Square Garden, not in Las Vegas in a 5000-seater, or whatever it is,” he said, referring to the band’s final farewell concerts in December 2023.
Frehley‘s comments present a conflicting narrative to the one offered by his former bandmates. In May, Gene Simmons stated that both Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss were “welcome” at the Vegas event. More pointedly, Simmons claimed that he did personally invite them to participate in the final Madison Square Garden shows, but that the offer was rejected over unmet demands.
“I did, but they said no,” Simmons recounted. “‘I want this and I want that.’ ‘Well, you can’t have that, but join us to celebrate the beginning.'”
The latest back-and-forth between the founding members demonstrates that even though KISS has officially retired from touring, the drama surrounding the original lineup is far from over. The “Landlocked In Vegas” event will proceed in November with a lineup that includes another former guitarist, Bruce Kulick, alongside a host of other rock luminaries. However, for the legions of fans who have followed the band for over 50 years, the saga continues, with the dream of a final, unified farewell for the original four members remaining just that—a dream.
