Peter Criss and Ace Frehley decline offer to return for last ever Kiss shows

Kiss backstage in 1976
(Image credit: Mark Sullivan/Getty Images)

Gene Simmons says he's asked former Kiss members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to perform at the band's last ever shows this year – but both have refused the offer.

Kiss are currently on their farewell End Of The Road tour and they'll play their final shows on December 1 and 2 at Madison Square Garden in their hometown of New York City.

Fans were hopeful that the estranged pair of Criss and Frehley would return to take part in those last two shows, perhaps even for just a few songs.

But that seems unlikely, with Simmons claiming multiple invitations have been extended to the pair – and all have been declined.

Simmons tells Linea Rock: "For the older fans, the ones who've been around for 50 years, they're old, and some of them wanna see Ace and Peter. The newer fans never saw them and they don't know.

"But the older fans wonder about Ace and Peter. Well, I asked both Ace and Peter a few times'Do you wanna come out for the encores? Do you wanna do some shows?' And they both said 'no.' So, I don't know what to say about that.

"But it's always welcome. But there are many other big stars, superstars, who wanna jump up onstage and play a song. But we're not sure about that. Maybe the best thing to do is to end the way we started – four guys with guitars. No keyboards, no synthesizers, nothing. Just playing."

A Kiss biopic, Shout It Out Loud, will be coming to Netflix next year.

The remaining dates on the End Of The Road Tour can be viewed below.

Kiss End Of The Road Tour 2023

Jul 01: Mannheim SAP Arena, Germany
Jul 02: Cologne Lanxess Arena, Germany
Jul 05: London The O2, UK
Jul 07: Manchester AO Arena, UK
Jul 08: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Jul 12: Rättvik Dalhalla Sweden
Jul 13: Rättvik Dalhalla Sweden
Jul 15: Tonsberg Kaldnes, Norway
Oct 29: Austin Moody Center, TX
Nov 01: Palm Springs Acrisure Arena, CA
Nov 03: Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl, CA
Nov 06: Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, WA
Nov 08: Vancouver Rogers Arena, BC
Nov 10: Edmonton Rogers Place, AB
Nov 12: Calgary Scotiabank Saddledome, AB
Nov 13: Saskatoon SaskTel Centre, SK
Nov 15: Winnipeg Canada Life Centre, MB
Nov 18: Montreal Centre Bell, QC
Nov 19: Quebec Videotron Centre, QC
Nov 21: Ottawa Canadian Tire Centre, ON
Nov 22: Toronto Scotiabank Arena, ON
Nov 24: Knoxville Thompson-Boling Arena, TN
Nov 25: Indianapolis Gainbridge Fieldhouse, IN
Nov 27: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Nov 29: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Dec 01: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Dec 02: New York Madison Square Garden, NY

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.