Gene Simmons has expressed doubt over former bandmates Ace Frehley and Peter Criss' abilities to take on the physical demands of a full Kiss show in 2022.
Speaking to Finnish site Chaoszine, the bassist once again discussed the possibility of the ex-Kiss guitarist and drummer rejoining the band for their final world tour, reiterating that he had offered them the chance to join the shows for the encores, but adding that he didn't believe they have the "stamina" to last a full gig.
"I asked Ace and Peter, 'Come out on tour. We'll get you your own room and everything. Come out on the encores,'" Simmons states. "Ace said, 'No. The only way I'll come out is if I'm the Spaceman and you ask Tommy [Thayer, current Kiss guitarist] to leave.' I go, 'Well, that's not gonna happen.' First of all, I care about Ace, but he's not in shape — he can't play that way and doesn't have the physical stamina to do that."
When asked whether he felt Criss was in good enough shape for the shows, Simmons responded: "No. When I called to invite Peter to be in the documentary, his health isn’t what it should be. I don’t want to get too specific because it’s part of his private life. But no, physically, he wouldn’t be able to do [a full show]. Neither would Ace."
Ace Frehley recently took a pop at Kiss guitarist/singer Paul Stanley over accusations of miming after a technical blip at a Kiss show in Belgium went viral. As it stands, it seems any chance of seeing Frehley and Criss on stage at a Kiss show once more is very much unlikely.
