Ace Frehley Live Review

by Anthony Kuzminski

If you ever find yourself conferring about KISS with a claimed fanatic, the discussion of whom your favorite KISS character is inevitable. You may not vocalize this, but the truth is that you will largely pass judgment on them and decide if they are worthy of being your friend based on who they associate their alter ego with. If they tell you it is Gene Simmons, chances are Gene is the only member of KISS who they know by name. If they pick Paul Stanley, it's either because he is the one who kept KISS alive musically for an entire decade or they have a thing for pronounced sexual love songs full of cliché's ("Love Gun" anyone?). If they pick Peter Criss, it's most likely because they love the song "Beth" or they have a thing for cats and let me tell you, based on experience, if it's a woman you're talking to…turn around and run (don't walk) the other way. However, if the person tells you their favorite is Ace Frehley, they instantaneously have an aura of cool around them. Why? It's hard to say, but there's an indelible charming underdog quality to him in the same way there was for George Harrison in the Beatles. It's always the quiet ones that seem inexplicable and enigmatic. Harrison spent years under the shadow of Lennon and McCartney before finding his voice in the late 60's and then upon the release of his debut album, All Things Must Pass he made it be known he was no mid-level talent. Ditto the stoic  Ace Frehley who in 1978, when all four KISS members released solo albums simultaneously on the same day, proved to have the diamond in the rough. Ace's album was not only the best of the bunch, but it stands today as one of the most essential hard rock album's of the 70's. Frehley did not have the same level of success once he left KISS, but his output always appeared to be superior to the material KISS was releasing during the same time. For my money, Trouble Walkin' is still an exceedingly underappreciated gem from the era. For the first time in my life, I was able to experience most of these gems live as Ace Frehley made his first solo stop in Chicago at the House of Blues in well over a dozen years. 

Lifting off with the crashing "Rip It Out", notice was served early that this would be more about substance than style. For the next 110-minutes KISS fans were treated to a rare evening chocked full of some of the best songs in their cannon and of Ace's solo career. After the triumphant 1996-1997 Reunion tour, KISS largely coasted on its success and chose the road most traveled. It's one of the defining reasons I stopped going to see them live; there are only so many times I can see "Detroit Rock City" before wanting to gouge my eyes out while 90% of their colossal and undervalued catalog goes unperformed. Ace's current show is a refreshing jolt to the body, mind and nostalgic soul. Ace Frehley is a guitarist who inspired an entire generation and even though there were more accomplished people out there, his playing was always more about feeling than virtuosity. KISS had the widest appeal of almost any act in rock's history because of their comic book image. You don't see a lot of seven-year olds wearing Rolling Stones shirts, but I amazingly still see young kids cling to the larger than life image of this band. KISS was and is the introduction to music for generations of kids, and instead of growing out of their love for this band, the KISS Army often continues to embrace their heroes long after they have left puberty in the dust. There's no denying this concert was an evening drenched in nostalgia and there is nothing wrong with that. Ace is a lot like your first girlfriend. You may have gone further with others, dated others longer and found even prettier ones (this is not a direct comparison to Ace), yet no matter how mangy or ugly that girl may have been, you'll always remember her. The way they smell, what color their hair was, what they were wearing the first time you kissed…all deep-rooted memories steeped in the vaults for all time. The reason KISS continues to sell seats and live off of their legacy is because of these recollections. The innocuous innocence of a simpler time prevails when people listen to this music. 

When he launched into "Parasite" with that breakneck opening, it was explosive and the way I always envisioned it. It took me right back to that moment in time when I was twelve listening to Hotter Than Hell and wondering why it wasn't as poppy as the KISS I had become accustomed to. But that opening riff…it made me look beyond the façade of the band and realize the music was too good to merely be dismissed. "Snow Blind" was a trippy psychedelic whirlwind that took me back to my bedroom where I discovered Ace's solo album. Before Ace returned to the KISS fold, I was never able to see him live since I wasn't old enough, so I only experienced the shows through bootlegs. I am pleased to report that his current touring band of Derrek Hawkins (Guitar), Anthony Esposito (Bass) and Scot Coogan (Drums) all elevated this material to new heights. They were far better than I could have hoped for. The gruff keen of the band was a sight to behold as they soaked up in the material. Beside a treasure trove of KISS classics unheard in concert, the evening was also about reintroducing the solo artist Ace Frehley, who in the 1980's released three albums shot full of rock. "Rock Soldiers", "Breakout" (dedicated to late KISS drummer Eric Carr who co-wrote the number) and "Stranger in a Strange Land" all reminded us what no nonsense guitar rock is all about. "Strange Ways", "Speeding Back To My Baby", "Rock Soldiers" and "Five Card Stud" found the band effortlessly segueing between songs to an ecstatic crowd reaction culminating with fists flying in the military unison during "Trouble Walkin'". Even "Into the Void" proved to be rather luminous, far surpassing the performances of it with KISS. This time it's rough around the edges and the sheen is a little less blinding, revealing its true colors. "New York Groove" still serves Frehley well with the crowd stampeding back and forth as the ingrained beat and succinct clapping making it an audience highlight. It's miraculous that Ace Frehley has provided me with something I have been yearning for from KISS ever since they put the make-up back on-an evening full of deep album cuts. I've been salivating for a night like this where it wasn't necessarily about big hits, but about the best music. 

"Shock Me" is a timeless classic and the solo that followed was intoxicating, even if the smoking guitar didn't work properly. It was one of the rare solo moments where everyone's eyes were upon the stage and no one dared to leave. "Fractured Mirror" was equally luminous and the band nailed it. "Rocket Ride" was stupendous beyond my wildest dreams and makes me wonder why the reunited KISS never played it? This is where the Ace tour is exceeding the current KISS tour, Frehley is providing the audience an experience they have been yearning for. 

Ace Frehley began to cleave through the hefty chords of "2000 Man," I felt as if I was witnessing the entire rock n' roll era right in front of me. Now, I've never shied away from making outlandish statements in my writing, so why stop now? Call me crazy but Ace Frehley managed to embody the entire six decades of the era with just a few magnificent strummed chords. Now, I realize how nonsensical this statement may appear to be, alas, for many inside the sold-out House of Blues in Chicago, their knowledge of this art form comes from the kaleidoscope colors of his former band, KISS and Frehley is ground zero for them. They know of Elvis, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Phil Spector, but largely through the KISS looking glass. Their love, their history and their knowledge is definitively all things KISS. KISS was a band who never really had any street credibility once Alive! was released. However, Frehley, even with his Spaceman character, always seemed the one member fans could relate to the most. Not everything in music should be about virtuosity, it's about feeling and Ace Frehley is all about feeling. It's been over a dozen years since Ace has toured solo and I had doubts if he really would be capable of launching a tour and not being a mere shadow of his former self. I couldn't have been more wrong as he unblinkingly rocked the sold-out crowd flawlessly for nearly two-hours. However, the best news is that Frehley's show exceeds the ones being put on by his former bands mates. Instead of being recycled and tired, Frehley's show is audacious and alive!

Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer for the antiMusic Network and his daily writings can be read at The Screen Door and can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com. 

Ace Frehley Live

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