In the 1970s, KISS emerged as one of the most unique shock rock bands. The band wasn’t an immediate success and sparked controversy with parents across the country. Despite this, the four iconic members soon became one of the most recognizable and successful rock bands of the era. By the late 70s, the band’s popularity had peaked, though internal conflicts plagued their working relationships.
The first original member to leave the group was drummer Peter Criss on May 18, 1980. He was voted out of the band and replaced by drummer Eric Carr. The next original member to depart was iconic guitarist Ace Frehley in 1982. Given the band’s signature makeup and each member’s individual popularity within the group, this seemed like the potential end of the band.
Instead, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons persevered, finding replacements and guiding the band through the 1980s. They took off the makeup in September 1983 during a live viewing event on MTV. After this, KISS continued to transform and rebrand themselves throughout the 1980s. They went through multiple lead guitar player replacements, including Vinnie Vincent from 1982 to 1984, and Mark St. John briefly in 1984. In 1984, guitarist Bruce Kulick joined the group, becoming the longest-tenured member of the non-makeup era of the band.
KISS REUNITEd With Original Members, Abandoning Grunge Album
Guitarist Bruce Kulick contributed to the band’s glam metal era of the 1980s. These albums included Asylum (1985), Crazy Nights (1987), Hot In The Shade (1989), and Revenge (1992). Revenge is the bands most critically acclaimed from this era of the band. Drummer Eric Carr tragically died of cancer in 1991 and was replaced by Eric Singer for this album. At this point, the band pushed their sound into a harder rock edge, and even grunge.
In 1995, KISS recorded an album called Carnival Of Souls. This was the band’s attempt to appeal to grunge fans, taking the band into new terrain. Before the album could be released, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley caught wind of the high demand for a reunion of all original KISS members. Ace Frehley and Peter Criss returned for the band’s performance on MTV Unplugged, and it set the tone for a major full-scale comeback. The problem was that the band had a new drummer, and Kulick had decades of experience with the group. Plus, they had a new album to be released. But Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons saw dollar signs in a reunion, and they were right.
The original members appeared together at the 38th Grammy Awards on February 28, 1996. They shocked fans when they arrived in full makeup and costume at the ceremony. Less than two months later, they announced the Alive/Worldwide Tour during a massive press conference in New York City. Months later, on June 28, 1996, the band launched the tour at Tiger Stadium in Detroit, playing to a sold-out crowd of roughly 40,000.
KISS Renuion Is Successful, But Kulick And Singer ARE lEFT bEHIND
The tour ran for 192 shows, grossing over $43.6 million and becoming the top-drawing tour of 1996 and 1997. Their abandoned grunge album, Carnival Of Souls, was later released on October 18, 1997. By this point, they’d missed the grunge movement entirely but still peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200.
Bruce Kulick was never officially “fired” from the band. Instead, he was simply dismissed during this time, but remained on a yearly salary. This allowed him to focus on other projects and play for other bands. Though he never returned to KISS, drummer Eric Singer returned from 2001 to 2002 and again from 2004 until 2023.
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