GENE SIMMONS Invites ACE FREHLEY To Take Part In KISS's 'End Of The Road' Tour: 'The Fans Would Love It'

Gene Simmons has invited Ace Frehley to take part in KISS's "End Of The Road" tour, saying "the fans would love" to see the band reunited with its original guitarist.

Earlier today, Simmons took to his Twitter to wish Frehley a happy 71st birthday, and he added: "The invitations still stand. Jump up on stage with us for encores. The fans would love it."

Three years ago, Frehley said that he was up playing with KISS again, but only if the price is right. Speaking to Rock Candy magazine, he said: "It would be nice to go back out again with them. But it's not my call. I think we have a really good relationship now. I text Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] back and forth and we've worked together, as I have with Gene. I would seriously consider it, but the money would have to be right. I'm not gonna take [current KISS guitarist] Tommy Thayer's salary.

"It would certainly sell more tickets with me involved," Ace added. "I have a gut feeling it will happen."

At the time, Ace acknowledged that he wasn't always the easiest to work with in KISS, given his acknowledged problems with drink and drugs.

"I know that I put those guys through hell in the past," he conceded. "Sometimes I was too drunk at soundchecks, but sobriety has made me more dependable and reliable." Frehley said that he had been sober since 2006 and would be fighting fit to rejoin the self-styled "Hottest Band In The World" for what would be an unforgettable experience, especially if original drummer Peter Criss were to come back into the fold.

"It would be really exciting," he said. "Not just for me, but also for the fans. I'm ready. I feel reborn."

In the months after KISS announced "End Of The Road", fans wondered openly if Frehley and Criss would be involved in the tour, especially considering the apparent recent goodwill between Paul and Gene and Ace. Frehley's latest album "Spaceman" — a title suggested by Simmons himself — features two songs the pair wrote together, and the duo completed a joint summer tour of Australia, after which Frehley fired his solo backing band and hired Simmons's.

Four years ago, Frehley told VintageRock.com that "the only way" he would "seriously consider" taking part in "End Of The Road" is "if I took back my make-up and costume and my character — which I designed." He added that Thayer "is not a bad guitar player, but he basically just mimics everything I wrote, and tries to imitate my persona. He's been doing it for [20] years," he said. "But the reality is I'm the original guy. And nobody can really copy the way I play guitar."

Asked if he would still consider participating in the tour if Criss was not involved, Ace said: "I think it would be great if Peter was involved. Obviously, at this point in his life, he wouldn’t be able to do a two-hour show. But I can see if we worked out a situation where Peter came out at the end and did three or four songs — sang 'Beth', did 'Black Diamond' and a couple of others, I think that would be fun."

KISS's current lineup consists of original members Simmons and Stanley, alongside later band additions, Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, Criss and Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.