Gene Simmons has faced plenty of drama over his decades-long career in KISS, but one terrifying near-miss could’ve turned the band’s fiery theatrics into a real-life tragedy. In a recent interview, Ace Frehley revealed the shocking truth about how a rocket from his guitar nearly hit Simmons—and that’s just the start of the chaos. Gene Simmons being nearly killed by a KISS member was detailed in a new video.
KISS shows in the 1970s were nothing short of explosive. The band’s over-the-top stage production included fire, smoke bombs, and Ace Frehley’s signature rocket-launching guitar. But according to Frehley, those stunts didn’t always go as planned.
Speaking with Music Radar, Ace revealed:
“I fired one of those rockets at Gene and it almost hit him. It flew right by his head. It would have burned him pretty bad.”
Ace added:
“I burned my leg real bad once back in the ’70s, man. A smoke bomb ignited too early inside the cavity of the guitar, and it melted the asbestos—which our costumes were made from—to my thigh.”
Frehley didn’t escape the hazards of KISS’s fiery performances unscathed. He also recalled a horrifying moment when a smoke bomb inside his guitar ignited too early, causing severe burns.
he most serious incident took place in Lakeland, Florida in 1976. A grounding issue led to a staircase rail being electrically charged, which nearly killed the guitarist:
“I should have been dead that night. The fact that I got electrocuted and didn’t fall forward was a godsend. There must have been angels pushing me back.”
“I was standing on top of four Marshall cabinets on a staircase when I got shocked. I had a heavy Les Paul around my neck, and my body should have fallen forward—but I didn’t.”
Despite the physical and and emotional trauma, Frehley turned the incident into inspiration for one of KISS’s iconic “Love Gun” track “Shock Me.” He said:
“If I fell forward, I would have broken my f**king neck. But I fell back, and the road crew dragged me back off of the staircase. I had no feeling in my hands for five to ten minutes.”
“I went on to finish the show. But I maybe had feeling in half of my fingers by the time it was done. It was crazy shit, man, but I did get ‘Shock Me’ out of it. So, I guess it wasn’t all for nothing.”
Over the years, Simmons and Frehley have had their share of tensions, both personally and professionally. But beneath the drama lies a deep bond forged by decades of making music together.
