The American Hard Rock band Kiss was formed in New York City in 1973 and is currently on their farewell tour that ends in 2023. For five decades, the only two original members of the group who were part of all the albums and tours were Gene Simmons (Bass and vocals) and Paul Stanley (Guitar and vocals).
Even though many drummers and guitarists were members of the group over the decades, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame decided to only induct Gene and Paul alongside the original drummer Peter Criss and original guitarist Ace Frehley in 2014. In an interview with Howard Stern (Transcribed by Blabbermouth) Stanley explained that it was the reason why the group decided not to perform at the induction ceremony.
Kiss explains why they didn’t performed at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
“Because we had too much pride in this lineup, which is Kiss, and has been Kiss for 20 years. It’s not newcomers. This is the band. We’ll be back in the stadiums of South America next month.”
“We were there five months ago. We were in Japan. This is the band that has carried the flag and taken it, really, to another level. This is the band I always dreamed it would be, and for us to go onstage…”
They were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the band, and also would give some people confusion. ‘Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like Kiss but sounded like that, maybe we should be called Piss,” Paul Stanley said.
The bassist and singer Gene Simmons also comented, saying:
“We’ve been all over the world, through decades, with this present lineup. It bears noting I’ve never seen a single banner or sign that mentions any other lineup.”
“When Tommy takes a solo, ‘Tommy! Tommy!’ That’s me backstage going, ‘Tommy!’ When Eric takes a solo, ‘Eric! Eric!’ They’re pumping their fists. It’s legitimate. Nobody is in Kiss and doing it by the numbers.”