In a recent interview with Page Six, bassist Gene Simmons recalled a moment with Kiss’ original line-up back in 1996, when almost the group put an end to their activity.
The bassist said, implying that they had indeed intended to end the band with a final tour back in 2000.
Gene said:
“We were honest about it. It wasn’t trickery or anything. We had the original guys, Ace and Peter, who were not performing up to snuff. It had to do with drugs and alcohol. I don’t want to sugarcoat it.
”So, Frehley and Criss’s drug and alcohol issues caused them to decide to embark on a farewell tour. We decided, at that point, we should probably end it. I don’t want to be up on stage and do a lackluster show,
“And then as we were about to stop, the fans were saying, ‘Why don’t you just replace them, like a football team?’ We thought about it for a while, and we said, ‘Yeah!’ We originally thought we can’t exist without those guys, but you can. You know, a divorce is heartbreaking, but you’ll get over it.”