KISS pays tribute to Ace Frehley at first show since 2023

Now Playing

Monday, November 17, 2025 at 11:15 AM

(L-R) Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer of KISS pose as they light the Empire State Building in celebration of the band's final show at The Empire State Building on November 30, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust)

KISS returned to the stage for the first time since their final End of the Road World Tour concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden in December 2023. They performed Friday to Sunday at their KISS Kruise: Landlocked convention in Las Vegas.

The performances were the band’s first since the death of founding member Ace Frehley, who they paid tribute to at their first unmasked performance Friday, fan-shot footage posted to YouTube shows.

"Obviously, before we get going, and we’re going to have an awesome time ... we just wanted to take a moment to think about somebody who was at the foundation of this band, and we’re talking about Ace," Paul Stanley said. "We certainly had differences, but that’s what family is about."

He then asked fans to take a moment of silence to honor Ace and "think about him looking down on us," which was followed by chants of "Ace, Ace" from the crowd.

The KISS Kruise featured a reunion of the final KISS lineup: Paul, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer.

They played the tracks "Hard Luck Woman" and "Hide Your Heart" at their Friday acoustic performance for the first time since 2019, according to setlist.fm. The set also featured their classic ballad "Beth" and a cover of The Beatles’ "I’ll Be Back."

The band broke out more KISS classics at their Saturday electric show, including "Detroit Rock City" and "Black Diamond," as well as "Lick It Up" and "Rock and Roll All Nite" featuring former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.