KISS Will Not Play at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Credit: KISS Official Facebook

A membership dispute between members of the band KISS has led to their performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame being canceled. The band was set to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, but the group, which has been together in various lineups over the last 40 years, was unable to agree on which lineup should perform during the April 10 ceremony in New York City.

The source of the concern is whether original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would join Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley onstage for the performance, or whether the current lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer would play at the ceremony instead.

In a message on the band's website, KISS announced they will not perform with either lineup, declaring the matter "an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone."

"Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of Kiss and give credit to all members, including longtime present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's point of view," the message read. "Although Kiss has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning."

"It is over 13 years since the original lineup has played together in makeup and we believe the memory of those times would not be enhanced," the statement continued. "To bring this to a quick end, we have decided not to play in any line-up, and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame."

Further details NY Daily News:

The festering dispute was brought to a boil when Frehley called into Eddie Trunk's syndicated radio show Friday night to say that Simmons and Stanley had rejected a reunion with the original four members for the induction.

"They just shot down any type of reunion with us," Frehley said during the broadcast. "It's very frustrating. It's what the fans wanted, it's what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wanted, and it's not gonna happen. You don't want to do something for the fans after 40 years of them supporting you?"

The band's statement said it has never refused to play with Frehley and Criss.

Criss, who lives in Wall Township, N.J., said he wanted to let fans know there would be no reunion before they bought tickets for the induction ceremony, which range from $120 to nearly $600.

"This is disgraceful, and I feel bad for the fans who were looking forward to the four of us being inducted together," he said.

Ultimately, Criss did not confirm or deny rumors that he would skip the induction altogether, and Frehley is similarly uncertain about his attendance at the big show.

So what do you think? Was there a solution to the performance problem the band members just didn't think of? Or were they right to skip the performance altogether to avoid hurt feelings and such? Sound off in the comments!

Via: NY Daily News