LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-APRIL 10, 2020…FIFTEEN YEARS AFTER THE GROUP WAS FIRST ELIGIBLE FOR THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME, KISS WAS FINALLY ELECTED. WITH KISS NOTHING COMES EASY, AND THE INDUCTION WAS ONE OF THE MOST ACRIMONIOUS AND CONTROVERSIAL INDUCTION’S IN THE HALL’S HISTORY. JUST WEEKS BEFORE THE CEREMONY, KISS ANNOUNCED THEY WOULD NOT BE PERFORMING BECAUSE DISPUTES OVER THE LINE-UP PRODUCED ARGUMENTS AND ILL-WILL AMONG IT’S BAND MEMBERS. ACCORDING TO PAUL STANLEY :
“my sense was that we were going to be a dog-and-pony show. They wanted to have the original guys play in the band, and all of us in makeup, and, quite honestly, I think it would have done the band a disservice.That lineup has not been together for 14 years, and physically, perhaps, wouldn’t have looked that great, and musically, undoubtedly, probably, would have sounded a bit suspect, so, to have people watch it on television and identify that as KISS because there’s four guys in makeup would not send a great signal to the people who are not following the band in its current permutation, or what it is today. It seems like if the Rock Hall wanted a classic KISS reunion, they should have acted sooner. KISS became eligible for a Rock Hall induction in 1999, when the classic lineup of Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss was back together for a handful of years.”
WHEN THE PAUL STANLEY, GENE SIMMONS, ACE FREHLEY, AND PETER CRISS WENT ONSTAGE TO ACCEPT THE HONOR, IT DIDN’T SEEM LIKE THERE WAS ANGER AMONG THE FOUR FOUNDING MEMBERS. IF ANYTHING THEIR ANGER WAS DIRECTED AT THE HALL AND THE BAND’S CRITICS WHO NEVER APPRECIATED THE BAND’S THEATRICS AND HAD DISMISSED THE GROUP AS SHLOCK. THE GROUP ACTED RESERVED AND CORDIAL. HERE’S THE INDUCTION CEREMONY
AND HERE’S PAUL STANLEY WITH HOW PISSED OFF HE WAS AT THE RRHOF JUST HOURS BEFORE THE INDUCTION