Kiss Reunites For Hurricane Relief Concert

Kiss founding band members Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley performed together for the first time in 16 years.

GENE SIMMONS & ACE FREHLEY PLAY HURRICANE RELIEF SET

Simmons and Frehley teamed up for a performance in St. Paul, Minnesota, for a Hurricane Harvey benefit by The Children Matter, which is an initiative co-founded by Simmons with nonprofit Matter. The bandmates played four 1970s-era Kiss songs. The last time members of Kiss played together was during the final show of the Kiss Farewell Tour in Australia in April 2001.

“Before you were born – there he is – 1973, in New York City, this guy and I and two other guys put together a band we never saw onstage – let’s hear it for Ace Frehley,” Simmons told the crowd. “He looks great god damn it, doesn’t he?” Then they bust into “Parasite,” written by Frehley and sung by Simmons. Frehley then expressed happiness at being able to help the hurricane victims before they jumped into “Cold Gin.”

“He’s powerful, attractive, and can play guitar,” Frehley said of Simmons. They then performed “Shock Me” after Frehley explained that he wrote it after getting electrocuted. The evening ended when the musicians invited 30 fans on stage to sing “Rock and Roll All Nite.” Four kids dressed like the original four bandmates of Kiss were among audience members who sang.

“I just did four shows on the East Coast, and I looked at my calendar and I noticed I was off today,” Frehley explained about why he got the idea for this concert. “I had to head back to San Diego eventually where I live, so I figured I could make a pit stop here. I called Gene, and he was really excited about me being involved, and it’s that simple.”

He also shared that Simmons had been at house in the past few weeks to help co-write two songs for an upcoming Frehley solo LP. He also collaborated with former member Paul Stanley on a cover for a different LP two years ago. At the time, though, Stanley said he was happy to work with Frehley, but uninterested in a full-fledged Kiss reunion.