Ace Frehley Rejected KISS Reunion Before Tragedy

During the “KISS Kruise: Land-Locked In Vegas” event held at Las Vegas’ Virgin Hotels resort and casino on November 16th, longtime band manager Doc McGhee took part in a question-and-answer session with attendees.

Doc McGhee reveals Ace Frehley and Peter Criss turned down KISS reunion

KISS manager Doc McGhee said the original lineup’s volatility has always made reunions difficult. He compared their long-standing issues to “sour milk” that doesn’t improve with time, noting that Ace Frehley and Peter Criss hadn’t played with the band for 17 years.

He said, “They didn’t play together for 17 years… If you have a glass of milk that’s sour and put it in the refrigerator for 17 years and expect it to taste any better, I’m not sure that’s what’s going to happen. But they really hung in there for a while [after reuniting] before their emotions got to them and all the old feelings came out. It’s sad when that happens, but that’s life. It’s like a marriage or a relationship. Seventy percent of all marriages fail, so why wouldn’t a rock band fail?”

McGhee explained that personal resentments, ego clashes, and outside influences repeatedly caused the original lineup to fall apart—both during their early years and again six years after their ’90s reunion. For the Vegas “Land-Locked” event, McGhee revealed he tried to bring Ace and Peter back, but despite speaking to all members, he couldn’t make it happen.

He added, They’re with each other every day of their lives, and they all have different cheerleaders in their families and friends, and ‘I’m more important than him,’ and ‘This guy’s getting more than I’m getting’… You’re getting all these things that interfere, and sometimes people can’t get past those things. They can’t let things go, and that past kills the future. History repeats itself — it was about six years before they started to fall apart to begin with, and when I put them back together again, it was six years when we started falling apart again… That whole concept of, ‘You have to stay together’? We wanted everybody to come and play this [event]. I talked to all of them and couldn’t get it done. It’s just, shit happens, and there’s not much you can do about it.”