Watch Vinnie Vincent Reunite with Gene Simmons on Stage
Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent appeared alongside ex-bandmate Gene Simmons in Nashville yesterday (Apr. 14) to help promote the Gene Simmons Vault collector’s set. You can watch two video clips of the invite-only show below.
Simmons has been touring the U.S. to hand-deliver the limited-edition release to buyers, with previous guests at events including Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick. Vincent’s turn came three months after his first public appearance in 20 years, when he took part in the Atlanta Kiss Expo in January. Paul Stanley is set to join Simmons for a May 26 event in Las Vegas.
As Vincent settled on stage, Simmons told the crowd: “The song you’re now hearing is a demo Vinnie and I did in 1804 called ‘I Wanna Live.’” Vincent said: “This is one of my favorite songs.” Asked by a fan when he’d last seen Simmons, he replied: “1804!” As the argued about how long it had really been, Simmons mock-whispered: “See, I don’t get high, so I remember!” before plugging his new role as public spokesman for Canadian cannabis firm Invictus.
Vincent’s third public engagement this year came after he appeared at Spooky Empire on Orlande earlier this month, signing autographs and posing for pictures. During a question-and-answer session in Atlanta, the former Ankh Warrior said his departure from Kiss had come about in 1984 because he was being paid $550 a week, and he wanted a better deal to buy a house and look after his young children. When the band refused to negotiate, he refused to sign a new contract, and he was out, leading to a legal dispute that lasted nearly 30 years.
“We eventually settled everything that we had between us, all the problems, about seven years ago,” he said. “But I was in hell for 20 years, and it was my hell — nobody knew it. And I saw the world going by, I saw what everybody was saying about me, I saw what everybody in the band was saying about me, and I said, 'What a shame. What a shame.' There was no reason for it. I mean, we could have had — in my opinion — such a fucking great band. … I do dearly respect Gene and Paul with all my heart; I love them and I always will. They gave me this. With the good came the bad. But the magic that we have together never dies."