KISS stepped back into the spotlight this weekend, marking their first performance since Ace Frehley’s death.
The legendary rock band reunited onstage last weekend for their KISS Kruise: Landlocked event in Las Vegas, just weeks after their former guitarist died at the age of 74 following a fall at his home. And the moment brought a mix of celebration and loss.
Before starting the show, Paul Stanley paused to honor the late co-founder.
“Obviously, before we get started – and we’re going to have a great time – we want to take a moment to think about someone who was at the heart of this band, and we’re talking about Ace,” Stanley told the crowd on Friday, November 14.
“We definitely had our differences, but that’s what family is about,” he added, referring to Frehley’s departure from the band, followed by years of ups and downs between the former bandmates.
The next evening, Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer kept their nods short, mentioning Frehley only in passing as they recalled a recording session from the 1970s.
At one point, Thayer raised a hand to the sky before diving into a solo, a silent gesture that fans immediately picked up on.
Throughout the three-day event, chants of “Ace, Ace, Ace” echoed between sets, including one led by opener Sebastian Bach. The outpouring reflected decades of admiration for Frehley, who helped launch KISS in 1973 with his signature “Spaceman” persona before leaving the group in 1982.
