10 Musical Reunions That Were A Disaster
3. KISS
Once hard rock was starting to get its feet, KISS was the first to really turn up the shock value to 11. Donning some of the most horrific makeup of the time and playing hard and loud, everything about these shock rockers felt like rock and roll superheroes for anyone who heard them. However, no one could have anticipated what happens when a superhero dies.
Going into the '80s, KISS made the controversial decision to take their trademark makeup off, after already letting go of the Spaceman Ace Frehley and Catman Peter Criss a few years prior. As their star power started to wane though, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons decided to do the unthinkable by inviting Peter and Ace back into the fold for a KISS Unplugged concert. With the fan demand reaching a fever point, the makeup was put back on, as the original foursome took to the road again just like they did in the old days.
That was just on the surface though. Behind the scenes, this was marred by shoddy business deals left and right, as the accompanying reunion album Psycho Circus showed Paul and Gene to be dictators in the studio, oftentimes not letting Ace or Peter perform on any of the tracks. Even though the trademark makeup era of the band still took to the road for years afterward, Ace and Peter were nowhere to be seen. For as much excitement that they inspired back in the day, a lot of what constitutes KISS now is part legends, part tribute band.