Ace Frehley Live!
He is Space Ace. He is Shock Me. He is the original Rock Soldier, the king of the flaming/smoking guitar and the original lead guitarist for KISS. He is the one and only Ace Frehley.
What can I say about Ace Frehley that has not already been said? Frehley and his band brought the house down at The Palace Theatre in Greensburg, PA on October 6, and took the fans on one hell of a rock and roll Rocket Ride. I personally have not seen Frehley live in concert since the mid 90’s but have heard both good and bad from those who have seen him in recent years. They say “It’s Ace, you get what you get” as if they are somehow disappointed. We cannot forget that Frehley of the KISS days past is still Frehley, only without the makeup and Space Ace costume. At 65 years of age, he still delivers better than most at his age. Also, most of the cell phone YouTube videos of Frehley live simply do not do him and his band justice. His show is a show that must be experienced live and in person.
Frehley and his band hit the stage at 8:55pm and played a solid one hour and forty-five minute set of both KISS classics and Frehley fan favorites. They also delivered great renditions of Thin Lizzy’s "Emerald" and Led Zeppelin’s "Bring It On Home." Surrounding the Space Man on stage is a trio of high caliber musicians. Chris Wyse was on bass guitar and vocals, followed by Scot Coogan on drums and vocals, and rounding out the band on guitar and vocals was the Emperor of Rock N Roll, Richie Scarlet.
An Ace Frehley live show is not filled with many theatrics, smoke cannons, and explosions or an over-the-top stage set as were his days with KISS. Instead, Frehley lets the music do the talking these days and even though it’s been quite a few years since he dawned the makeup and stood on stage as a member of Kiss, his presence as the one and only Space Ace is still just as commanding. As soon as the first pre-recorded opening notes of "Fractured Mirror" made its way to the people's ears, everyone rushed the stage to be as close to Frehley as they possibly could be. After several failed attempts to get the fans back to their seats, security had no choice but to let the fans have their way.
This night Frehley and his band rocked a hit-packed set with his first solo album-opening track, "Rip It Out" and closed out the night with a two-song encore of KISS classics "Detroit Rock City" and "Deuce." Each member of the band got their chance to shine vocally as bassist Wyse handled lead vocal duty on KISS classic "Strange Ways" after laying down one truly incredible bass guitar solo, while Scarlet grabbed lead vocal duty on "2 Young 2 Die" off Frehley's Trouble Walkin’ album and drummer Coogan grabbed lead vocal duty on "Love Gun" and "Detroit Rock City."
Two highlights that all Frehley fans live to experience are when Frehley breaks out the multi-light guitar for his #1 hit "New York Groove" and then the coup de gras when Frehley slams into "Shock Me" and electrifies the fans with his flaming/smoking guitar. Frehley was truly an innovator in the realm of guitar theatrics and although many have attempted to copy him through the years no one has ever been able to quite pull it off as Frehley always has. An original will always be an original and Frehley is certainly original. He is the reason that so many guitar players ever picked up a guitar in the first place.
This was such an amazing night of rock and roll. As one of the biggest KISS fans, having seen Frehley live several times with KISS and many times solo in the mid-nineties while also having had the opportunity to chauffeur Frehley to the airport after one of those mid-nineties performances, along with finally having the opportunity once again to see and hear Frehley live, I have to say that I was just as impressed with his show as I always have been. I highly recommend to any live music lover to get out and see and experience Ace Frehley live, you will not be disappointed.
I cannot close this without sending out a huge congratulation to Frehley on his ten years of sobriety as of September 15, 2016. Way to go Ace, you continue to inspire so many people, myself being one of them.
Ace Frehley Set List:
1. Fractured Mirror (Intro)
2. Rip It Out
3. Toys
4. Emerald (Thin Lizzy)
5. Parasite
6. Love Gun
7. Snow Blind
8. Rocket Ride
9. Bring It On Home (Led Zeppelin)
10. Rock Soldiers
11. Bass Solo
12. Strange Ways
13. New York Groove
14. 2 Young 2 Die
15. Shock Me
16. Cold Gin
Encore:
17. Detroit Rock City
18. Deuce
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About John Tedeski
JournalistI’ve been a musician since the age of 7 when my parents bought me my first drum set. By the age of 16, I was playing the local bar scene. I’ve played around the east coast, and in 1994, through those travels is how I met Founding member of Center Stage Magazine, Tommy Lemon as we were both auditioning for the same band in the Boston Massachusetts area and we’ve been friends ever since. Through the years I’ve met a lot of great musicians such as Vinny Paul (Pantera), Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Ace Frehley (KISS), Marc Ferrari (Keel), Bobby Dall (Poison), and even got to share the stage with Jaime St. James (Black ‘N Blue) and Billy Morris (Warrant), just to name a few. Unfortunately, life had a different path in store for me other than being a full-time musician, yet I’ve been blessed to still be able to play on the weekends with some great local talent. Here I am now with another huge blessing, still within the music world, but this time as a journalist for Center Stage Magazine where I get to talk with and interview musicians who do what I have always longed to do. It’s all good and much less hassle than having to lug my drums all around the country. Rock Out, Roll On & Follow Your Heart ...
