With makeup caked on and pyrotechnics blazing, the four original members of the theatrical rock band Kiss are back together for one of the year's most anticipated world tours.
After playing together for a taping of MTV's "Unplugged" last year, the infamous Gene Simmons (bass / vocals), Paul Stanley (vocals / guitar), Peter Criss (drums) and Ace Frehley (lead guitar) were able to look past the differences that split up the band years ago, and decided to reunite to rock the world with a monster tour.
"In the '70s there were a lot of demons out there," Frehley said in a telephone interview with The Michigan Daily. "Luckily we're all survivors. We've cleaned up our acts and it's enabled us to communicate better as a band. We're getting along better now than we ever have. We really enjoy what we're doing, and we're more on the same wavelength.
"Everybody seems to be keeping their egos in check," Frehley continued. "We're all older and more mature now and look at it more of a business than anything else."
This time around, the guitarist said Kiss is more cohesive than it has ever been. Frehley said weaning off alcohol has helped the band to overcome many of the problems that led to Criss' departure from the band in 1980 and Frehley's leaving the band two years later.
"I'm not half-crocked when I walk out on stage anymore and I remember what happened yesterday, you know - no more blackouts," Frehley said. "If I'm inebriated and somebody isn't, it's hard to carry on a conversation. Now that I don't drink, my relationship with Paul and Gene is much better.
"You get to a point in your life where you realize, and I think my kid had a lot to do with it - having a child and having to be a role model, there's no way I can walk around being a drunk. It just didn't work," he said. "How can I tell my kid not to drink if I get blasted?"
Kiss fanatics have always been known for being true to their idols. While Simmons and Stanley continued on with Kiss after the departure of Frehley and Criss, the band's fans have always yearned for the classic Kiss days. Kiss maniacs eat up memorabilia, go to Kiss conventions and pledge allegiance to the Kiss Army. So when the band announced it would reform with its original members, the news was a dream come true for many Kiss fans.
"When I was on my own and fans would come backstage to say 'hi' to me, the first question out of their mouths would be, 'Is there going to be a Kiss reunion?'" Frehley said. "I'm sure Paul and Gene got it too. So obviously there was a market for it and a demand for it - we knew it, the promoters knew it, our management knew it. It was just a matter of timing and figuring out whether we could work together as a band."
In 1995, the four original members of Kiss played together for the first time in 15 years when they filmed an "Unplugged" session for MTV. Frehley said the chemistry started to bubble, and they decided to continue the experiment.
"When we did 'Unplugged,' it was kind of an experiment when Paul and Gene invited me and Peter to do a couple of songs with them," Frehley said. "We realized after doing that, that we still have this chemistry that we really can't put our fingers on - but there is a chemistry that the four of us have that we can't explain that just happens when we get on stage together."
Now that they're back together and on tour, Frehley said today's Kiss shows surpass even the legendary performances of the band in its heyday. "It's bigger and better than it was in the late '70s, due to technology probably," Frehley said. "We have the ability to have huge video screens, computerized lighting - we can give the kids more of a show."
Throughout the life of the band, people have questioned whether Kiss was about music as much as it was about its live performances. Critics have claimed the band's music is shallow and bland and credited Kiss' cult status to the makeup and not the music.
"It really doesn't bother me why people come to see me, whether it's because I'm wearing makeup or it's because they think I'm a good guitar player," Frehley said. "They kind of go hand in hand. When I wear the makeup and put on the costume, it's kind of bigger than life. It's fun again and we're all having a good time. I'm getting vicarious pleasure out of seeing young kids gets off on it and seeing my daughter who never got a chance to see me play with Kiss in the late '70s."
When Kiss began congealing in 1973, the band's stage wear, comprised of makeup and costumes, was always an integral part of the band and its performances.
"All of us basically decided from day one when we first got together that we were going to wear makeup and be a theatrical band," Frehley said. "We just weren't exactly sure what we were going to look like. (The characters) are our alter-egos. We all designed our own character and makeup and developed the character over the years."
Coming back to Detroit is always a special occasion for Kiss. While the band hails from New York, it was Michigan that gave Kiss its big break. "Detroit was a special town for us and still is," Frehley said. "Even though we were from New York, when we were playing two- or three- thousand -seat halls in other parts of the country, and even in our hometown, we were headlining at Cobo Hall which is like a 12,000-seat hall. For some reason, we broke out of Detroit. For a while in the early days, people thought we were a Detroit-based band. We're sentimental about Detroit because of that. Detroit kind of gave us our start in the sense of a headlining arena act."
As far as a new Kiss studio album goes, "We'll play it by ear," Frehley said.
For now, the guitarist said he's happy simply playing in a larger-than-life arena rock show. "The vibes are good, everybody's getting along," he said. "I have a feeling this is going to last for a while. As long as we keep on selling out arenas in record time and there's a demand, I think we're going to keep on doing this."
Original Kiss members (clockwise from top left) Criss, Stanley, Simmons and Frehley.