No act gathered more media attention in the lead-up to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony than KISS, but the heavy metal icons took their place among rock music's icons with little drama and almost no fanfare Thursday night.
The band was one of the first acts inducted, most likely because they were the only act that declined the chance to perform onstage. It's hardly a secret that original drummer Peter Criss and even more so original guitarist Ace Frehley haven't exactly been on speaking terms with longtime KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. The fire between the two sides was renewed when Simmons insisted that current band members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer get sue diligence at the ceremony, resulting in further arguments over what version of KISS was being inducted.
Simmons, Stanley, Frehley and Criss ended up taking the stage together Thursday night, and didn't seem too bothered by it. Each took a short section of "thank you" speech and made sure to highlight the contributions of the others.
"We are humbled that the fans gave us the chance to do what we love doing," Simmons said. "And so I'm hear just to say a few kind words about the four knuckleheads who, 40 years ago, got together and decided to put together the band that you see on stage, critics be damned."
KISS was one of the groups long held out of the Hall of Fame, despite the complaints of fans. The tension has never been low between the two sides as a result, and Stanley made sure to point out to Hall voters that fans should get the final say versus academics.
Tom Morello introduced the band, and his words lent deeper meaning to seemingly simple messages such as "I Wanna Rock 'n' Roll All Night": "KISS was never a critics' band. KISS was a people's band."
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