
by Matman
For many KISS fans, ACE was and still is the man! He certainly didn't have the best voice in the band but he had a load of personality and much of that could be heard in much of KISS' older material. Since I haven't seen Ace Frehley since 1987 (opening for Iron Maiden) I jumped at the chance to see him promotiong his new CD, SPACE INVADER.
Playing for a much bigger than expected crowd at the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun in CT, Ace and his band hit the stage with RIP IT OUT and for the next 90 minutes, took us all on a nice trip down memory lane!
Covering his solo career with gems like NEW YORK GROOVE, ROCK SOLDIERS and a few new ones like GIMME A FEELIN', Ace played every song with flash and style. His voice sounded pretty good and held out despite quite a few sound issues, but that is what makes live music so special.
His current band features longtime pal Richie Scarlet (guitar/vocals) and bassist Chris Wyse but it is drummer Scot Coogan that stole the show. If it wasn't his thunderous and steady drums that kept you engaged it was his incredible vocal ability; singing lead on suck KISS classics like STRUTTER and LOVE GUN that made your ears notice. I'm sure Ace would admit he was the best singer up on the stage.
Complete with tricked out guitars, ACE and his band put on a very energetic and very cool show. Ace, now many years sober seems to really enjoy the stage again and isn't the 'walking disaster' he used to be considered. Seeing him play his sort of street level, old school rock 'n' roll made me happy because it looks to be making him happy to play it... without the make-up and platform shoes e all remember him by.
I found it interesting (but incredibly cool) that he played KISS songs that he didn't write or sing lead on, like DEUCE or KING OF THE NIGHT TIME WORLD. After all... his heart and soul is on all those records and has the right to play them.
Thank you ACE and company for a great night of live and unpredictable rock 'n' roll, just the way it should be!!!
Pictures by Bryan Grenier