Watch Gene Simmons, Peter Criss Reunite at NYC 'Vault' Experience

The founding rhythm section for KISS hadn't gotten together in four years prior to this past weekend when the pair said hello to a room of VIPs in New York City.

Bassist Gene Simmons appeared with drummer Peter Criss in public last week for the first time since KISS's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2014. 

"It's good to be here," Criss said after embracing his former bandmate. "I'm feeling great. I had to come and say hi to my bass player from my old band, KISS (laughs). No really, Gene sent me a wonderful invitation that I couldn't resist."

You can watch video of the reunion above.

Simmons' ongoing Vault Experience tour took him to his hometown of New York, NY, last week, where KISS formed in 1973 with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Criss and himself. 

The reunion with Criss signals that Simmons is friendly will all the members of KISS' original lineup, a fact that fans hoping for a reunion won't easily forget as the band contemplates retirement.

The bassist has even scheduled a Vault Experience with former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who replaced Frehley in the band for a brief period in the '80s. 

Simmons and Stanley are still in KISS, while Frehley and Criss have been out of the band since around 2002.

Frehley has collaborated with Simmons and Stanley separately for his last two solo albums. 

Frehley and Simmons even performed together during a Hurricane Relief Benefit last September. 

Criss retired from performing live last summer. 

While Stanley has flatly opposed talk of a reunion with KISS's original lineup, Simmons has been more diplomatic, saying last fall that he wouldn't oppose a reunion "for a one-off." 

Simmons' Vault is a specially-packaged box set that contains hours of never-before-released demos and alternate versions from Simmons' long career as a songwriter and recording artist.  

The bassist said last year around the time the Vault was announced that it's hard for artists to comprehend the impact they have on people's lives from the stage, so he'd like to enjoy his back catalog with his fans while he's still able.

"I didn't want this stuff to come out after I was dead and gone, if you see what I mean," Simmons said last year. "I want to celebrate it while I'm here with the fans."

Simmons claims it took him about 10 years to assemble all the recordings and get permission to release them from the other musicians involved. Much of the process involved rummaging through old tapes, he says, salvaging what he could and then deciding what was worth inclusion in the Vault

The result is "the largest box set of all time," he claims. 

"One day, I started at noon, I sat back and started playing all the songs back-to-back. It took me 18 hours to get through it all."

Get more info about the Gene Simmons Vault Experience here


Thumbnail Photo: YouTube / Mike Brunn


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