Gene Simmons Announces Shows With Ace Frehley This Summer

KISS bassist Gene Simmons will tour Australia with his former KISS bandmate Ace Frehley this August, Simmons says. 

Simmons made the announcement during one of his Vault Experiences in New York City last week.

"Ace has been to three of the Vault events..." Simmons said of his renewed relationship with former KISS bandmates. "Ace by the way is going to be opening up for the Gene Simmons Band when we do five shows in Australia."

You can watch the fan-filmed announcement below.

Simmons didn't confirm whether he would join Frehley onstage for any tunes from their classic KISS catalogue, but he did say that the guitarist would be using his backing band. 

"We're just going to have a great time," Simmons said. 

Simmons and Frehley have reconnected in recent years—the two even performed together during a Hurricane Relief Benefit last September. 

At a Vault Experience a day earlier, co-founding KISS drummer Peter Criss dropped by to greet fans and share a warm embrace with his former bass player. 

Whether KISS will ever reunite with its original lineup remains a long shot, even though the band is preparing for its eventual retirement.  

While Simmons and KISS frontman Paul Stanley are each on good terms with Frehley—having both collaborated with the guitarist on his recent solo albums—Stanley's relationship with Criss is unclear. 

Criss said at last week's appearance with Simmons that he hadn't seen Simmons since KISS's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2014. It's probably the same story with Criss and Stanley.

Meanwhile, Stanley has flatly opposed every suggestion of a reunion with KISS's original lineup, saying multiple times that he appreciates the lack of drama with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer in the band. 

Simmons has been more diplomatic, saying last fall that he wouldn't oppose a reunion "for a one-off." 

The bassist even joked at this weekend's Vault event that he can't get Stanley to agree to come to one of his events, saying, "Paul Stanley. I can't get him to come out yet but we'll see. Maybe I'll get him some paint brushes."

KISS fans will read into that a lot of different ways.

A year ago, Frehley put the odds at 50-50 that he would be back in KISS someday. 

Criss announced last summer that he was retiring from performing live. 

Simmons' Vault is a specially-packaged box set that contains hours of never-before-released demos and alternate versions from Simmons' long career as a songwriter and recording artist.  

The bassist said last year around the time the Vault was announced that it's hard for artists to comprehend the impact they have on people's lives from the stage, so he'd like to enjoy his back catalog with his fans while he's still able.

Get more info about the Gene Simmons Vault Experience here. 

Get Gene Simmons' tour dates here. 

Photo: Getty Images