ACE FREHLEY To Take Part In KISS SYMPHONY Concert

Guitarist Ace Frehley is expected to complete the original KISS lineup at the Kiss Symphony concert, which will feature KISS hits performed with the 60-piece Melbourne Symphony.

Frehley, who had touring commitments in America, was nowhere to be seen at a media conference to announce the event, which takes place at Melbourne, Australia's Telstra Dome on February 28.

"Ace isn't here," KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley told Undercover. "We are hoping he will be here at this spectacular concert. As you know, we are here to announce that on February 28 we will unleash a Symphonic Sonic Boom, the likes of which the world has never heard before. We will be playing with the Melbourne Symphony or they will be playing with is. And as rumor would have it, we are expecting Mozart and Beethoven to rise from the dead and dance with us."

"What we are going to do is a concert in three parts," Stanley added. "You will see a lot of violins and to a lot of violence," he said. "The plan as we see it now is we will start off with a KISS show as you expect it with a lot of great tunes. Then we will go for an unplugged segment, playing some tunes taking it down a bit bringing out a quartet or a quintet. After that we will take a little break and then everyone can put their seatbelts on and the onslaught will begin. There will be lobotomies for all."

The upcoming performance marks the return to the group's ranks of drummer Peter Criss, who didn't quite make the end of the last KISS tour due to his ongoing battle with drugs. "I couldn't resist this. This is really cool," Peter said. "The cat man had to come back." Gene continued: "If you remember, cats have nine lives and Peter still has a few left".

For fans who can't afford the trip to Australia on Feb 28 to see the show, it will be on pay-per-view. "That is the idea," said Stanley. "That is the idea to make it available for everybody. Obviously to see it in the flesh will be the ultimate and to see it in pay-per-view will be incredible. Everybody will want some sort of memento of this momentous occasion, so we will try and make as many formats of this available."

The Kiss Symphony will mark the band's 30th anniversary.

Tickets for the concert go on sale Friday, November 1, from Ticketmaster7.

In related news, Simmons and Stanley will be the grand marshals for a National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag racing event Saturday and Sunday (October 26- 27) at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Nevada.

According to the band's web site (kissonline.com),Simmons and Stanley are also tentatively scheduled to appear at Club Nitro, at the track that Saturday morning, and at the Coyote Ugly bar in the New York, New York Hotel and Casino in the evening for an autograph session.

Sunday's races will features Kiss videos played over the speedway's Jumbo-tron screen and songs including "Detroit Rock City", "Shout It Out", and "Rock & Roll All Night" played over the PA system to promote the release, "The Very Best Of Kiss". Simmons and Stanley will also be introduced onstage with drivers and appear at the starting line for the first top fuel dragsters race.

In commemoration of the legendary rock band's 30th anniversary, three KISS-themed cars will compete in drag races. Vehicles manned by funny car specialist Tony Pedregon, top fuel dragster Doug Kalitta, and pro stock driver Kurt Johnson all will be painted with KISS themes, to launch a die-cast car promotion for Action Performance.