Former KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley Says No to 2025 Las Vegas Show

Rock legend Ace Frehley won't join KISS Kruise XII: Land-Locked in Vegas this November at Virgin Hotels. The three-day event marks a shift from ships to solid ground. Other original KISS members will attend reunion concerts instead.

"They asked me and I declined," Frehley told Guitar World. “There's no way I'm gonna be involved with that, you know? Their biggest mistake is that they should have done that at Madison Square Garden, not in Las Vegas in a 5000-seater, or whatever it is.”

The 74-year-old guitar master cited ongoing tensions with his former bandmates. The rift widened during KISS's End of the Road tour last year when reunion talks fell apart.

The Vegas shows will feature Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons performing without makeup, joined by Tommy Thayer on guitar. Bruce Kulick steps in as a guest star, adding his flair to the mix.

Despite the current split, Frehley keeps an open mind about future collaborations. "I don't hate Paul or Gene, you know?" he shared with Guitar World. "We're rock and roll brothers, and Peter, too. So, anything can happen."

Meanwhile, Frehley will hit the road solo on August 30 at Pennsylvania's Great Allentown Fair and wind down in Tiffin, Ohio, on November 1. Fans can catch fresh tracks from his 2024 release, 10,000 Volts.

The Vegas event will pack a punch, and Sebastian Bach, Quiet Riot, and Stephen Pearcy will take the stage. Warren DeMartini and Black 'N Blue will round out the bill. Behind-the-scenes figures Doc McGhee, Bob Ezrin, Lynn Goldsmith, and KISS Army founders Bill Starkey and Jay Evans will make special stops. Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center will shine a spotlight on KISS and its first lineup at their annual Honors ceremony on December 7.