Hosted the kickoff of the Ace Frehley Space Invader tour in NJ last night. If you followed on Twitter I did song for song coverage and posted a ton of photos. Also posted a few on my FB. Like most tour kickoffs there were a few technical issues during the show but it wasn’t really a huge deal and Ace had fun with it. He is also working in a new band and I think after a couple shows under their belt things should be very tight. This band really is great! Richie Scarlett back in the fold is a huge addition. I always loved Richie’s playing, performance, voice and attitude on stage and he is a perfect wing man for Ace. Their two Les Paul’s sounded amazing all night and there was some cool dual guitar stuff as well. Scot Coogan also is a great re-addition to the band. He is a killer drummer and has a phenomenal voice which enables Ace to play many Kiss/Paul Stanley vocal era songs that he was a part of like “Love Gun”, “King Of The Nightime World” and others. Hearing Scot belt these out was really pretty awesome, especially when you consider how well he plays at the same time! Ace is only doing Kiss material he played on and was a part of and it sounded great with Scot singing. New bassist Chris Wyse sang lead on Strange Ways and he is a great player and rounds out what is a killer band with all able to sing lead. Because of the technical issues the nearly 2 hour set was trimmed and Deuce and Detroit Rock City were not played, but Ace told me he will toy with the set as he goes. 3 songs from Trouble Walkin were in the set including opener Lost In Limbo and two from the post Kiss debut (Rock Soldiers and Breakout which was dedicated to Eric Carr who co-wrote it). Nothing from Second Sighting or Anomaly. Cold Gin was the set closer. I posted a photo of the set list on my FB. I know there has been an outcry from some fans for deeper obscure Ace / Kiss tunes liked Dark Light, etc. He may very well work some of that up as he goes. But the simple truth is with any band playing deep tracks live it makes about 10% of the crowd happy and loses everyone else, so there must be balance. Trust me, I LOVE deep tracks from bands and I’m burned on the usual hits. But the huge majority are not. One example is when Ace played Too Young To Die, a great track I love from Trouble Walkin. About 80% of the crowd had no clue. It is a balance every band has to deal with. The major amount of people buying tickets just don’t know the deep stuff. So that’s why you get Kiss hits scattered in with the solo hits and deep tracks. Four songs from the new album were in the set, the title track, Toys, Gimme A Feelin and Change, although Change was scrapped due to a tuning issue (like I said, first night mess ups). As I walked with Ace to the stage to intro him he said “oh shit, I forgot to put Rip It Out in”! So no doubt that will be added very soon. The plan is for Ace to do the announced dates, then break for the holidays, then do more US shows and European festivals next year. I hope this band sticks together and enough people come out to support this tour and have it make sense and grow. It really was a fun, raw, loud rock show that was loud and punchy and loaded with a great variety of Ace/Kiss classics. All confirmed dates at www.acefrehley.com I’ll be at the second night at BB Kings in NYC. Win tickets to those shows in ET’s Box Office on this site.
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Hey Eddie, maybe you can talk Ace into playing his ’78 solo album in it’s entirety? That would be awesome! Oh yeah, can you end the confusion regarding Peter Criss, did he play on the bonus tracks from the Love Gun deluxe edition or not? Keep hearing different stories, thanks! 🙂
The bonus tracks on Love Gun are demos, so could have been anyone. Most demos are made with a drum machine or the person that wrote the song doing everything. There are no finished studio songs as bonus tracks that didn’t make the album. I did ask Ace about doing ’78. Was discussed like a year ago but he wants to do a little of everything it seems
Thanks Eddie, can’t wait to see Ace on the 22nd at the Borgata, Atlantic City, still my favorite playground! Looking forward to the whole set, especially Rocket Ride, my favorite song from Ace! 🙂
Maybe Tommy can do his usual “Rip It Off”
Tommy…Who ??? Roger Daltry ?? LOL !
Hey Eddie,
Notes from my turntable:
The first two Kiss live records destroy all of their other records. It’s not even close. Another absolutely smokin’ album is Made In the Shade by the Stones. This is one of the baddest, bone rattling albums I’ve ever heard.
I have both Icons on vinyl. And the first kicks the crap out of the second. Night Of the Crime, is good to even very good. In other words, the first is rawer, yet still written. It captures their thunder. When I lived in Hollywood in 1988 I worked a telemarketing job with their drummer, Pat Dixon, we were hustling vitamins, the scam was featured on the news after awhile…lol. But, I kid you not, he hated Night of the Crime, he said it was forced on the band, and that’s why they didn’t make it, “we sold out..” were his exact words. As always, thanks for the report. Ace was great in ’07.
Hey Shannon, welcome back again, good to see you changed your mind! Now don’t let anybody else change it again! Later… 😉
Thanks Doug R, but I’m not really back…I will only talk to you…as well as our hosts. Anyone else, well, besides Richman and Mike B, I can’t take a chance on. Every single one either went mental on me, or might in the future. So, I am still done. It’s a waste of valuable resources to engage people like that.
But Doug R, I have been playing lots of records on my turntable and Cat Scratch Fever didn’t make it past the initial trial. It’s been banished to my vast collection of three star records. Most records are, in fact, three stars. Nothing wrong with that, the thing is Doug R, the damn songs/records are supposed to be good, well put together. You don’t get extra points for that. Hence, Zeppelin, the Who (although he’s a better than average lyricist) all get threes. Fours have something extra, something that transcends mere cleverness, playing, etc…
Fours.:
Icon, the first one…hard to believe that came out in ’84, it’s already a progression of the synthesis of what was going on…it sounds more like an ’88 record. It’s a pulverizing album. Sorry Ed, the second one is pretty weak.
Mob Rules…Ronnie, at this time, had that thing going where his whole act was directed at corrupting the youth of America, he was that kind of menace, and yet, he does nothing of the sort. I can’t think of anyone else that could do that.
AC/DC…Back in Black….this kicks the crap out of Zeppelin. Zeppelin is actually pretty boring.
Women and Children First…like being caught in a Jetstream, supersonic. Even state of the art.
(Funny, this is their best record, the others…threes)
Kiss Alive, and Alive II…these destroy all of their studio records.
Yngwie, Marching Out…a tour de force
Mahavishnu Orch./ with the London Symphony Orch, Apocalypse…This record is incredible.
The Doobie Bros., The Captain and Me…they took their influences, but they had something extra, an extra spark….great riffs on this.
The Stones, Made in the Shade..a lean and mean, rattle your head, badass rock and roll record.
Master of Reality….They added something extra to what was happening. Doug R, they started losing their edge after this. Sorry Richman, Sabotage, the drugs were taking over. They weren’t connecting to their spark.
The Tubes, Completion Backward Principle
Fives..
Sgt Pepper, and Abbey Road, Elvis, Live in Memphis, and believe it or not, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, a perfect stand alone rock and roll experience.
Screaming for Vengeance. Rob, quite the thespian. A weird Matrix like secret agent in “Electric Eye” that weird nasally thing he does when he sounds like he’s interrogating you..lol.
More to investigate..
Damn Shannon, you have been busy! I still think Cat Scratch Fever is a perfect album, in my book, 5 stars! (My highest rating) I’ve been going a little bit AC/DC crazy lately, playing all my AC/DC CD’s & DVD’s a ton, probably a lot to do with the anticipation of the new album coming out soon. And also the fact that it’s F’N AC/DC!! I Hope it’s not too late for Phil, hopefully he sorts & straightens himself out, and gets back behind the drums, where he belongs! Have fun investigating, talk to you soon, take care buddy, cheers! 😉
Doug R that is so cool, I do the same thing: I will get into a band’s entire output just to gauge how the stuff holds up, compare/contrast, etc… I have to say I thought the new AC/DC song was great. That is one band that can age gracefully, i.e. their music doesn’t demand youthful endurance like say, Priest’s. They can just settle in and play those killer blues licks until the Sun goes down. As for Rudd, criminal charges or no, he’s strung out on meth (the absolute worst drug of choice), I don’t see him joining the tour, though I hope I am wrong. The stuff they put in that, it could kill him, they put flammable chemicals in that stuff…goodness what a mess. Standing Hampton is a pretty slick record Doug R, it has some very good songs on it, I really like Sammy solo, but not in Van Halen so much. Another cool album is Skullduggery from Steppenwolf, another three.
Here’s some twos: Under the Blade..it’s as though Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote a metal record, it’s just too goofy for me take it seriously.
Dynasty, they were so out of touch with reality at this point…it’s so damn slow.
Two of the best records you can own: Elton John’s Greatest Hits vol I & II…
Double Vision by Foreigner: a frustrating record…it has two of the greatest rock songs every birthed that kick off each side, the second song on side 1 is pretty good, but then it’s clogged with filler. And listening to it, you know that they know they put junk on it.
Queen’s News of the World is kind of like this, some of the best songs ever, until you get past the first song on side two, then it sounds like demos.
Physical Graffiti: They finally hit the four mark, and it takes ’em two records to do it.
Hey Shannon, have to disagree with you on Zeppelin. Love everything they ever did! Never found anything boring at all about any of their songs. I’ve been listening to them since ’69, when I was only 3! Swear, true story! Loved them more as I got older of course, but I always found them interesting, intriguing, and inspirational. Always found it strange though that the song “Houses Of The Holy” wasn’t on the album “HOTH”, but that was Led Zeppelin for you, they always were a little bit “strange”, but in a good way! 😉
Doug R, I used to feel the same way, I’ll never forget hearing Black Dog for the first time when I was 11 years old and feeling this tremendous adrenaline surge. Physical Graffiti is the perfect road album. I traveled across the Country with it, it was just me…in the middle of nowhere, 2:18am, (cough, cough, cough, cough) put that thing on..In the Light….it was great.
Down By The Seaside, wherever I am, whenever I hear that song, it always makes me feel like I am there! The power of Zeppelin. 🙂
Here’s a five: Escape, by Journey. They took the care, and the effort into every single note on this. What’s cool is it’s a pop record, but the fusion chops from the band are latent throughout. Vinyl man, it’s the only way to experience these records, I’m tellin’ ya.
Holy crap, I just put Abominog on my turntable, it destroys the CD..I mean it’s night and day how much better the record sounds…this one…a high four.
Journey’s Escape? Definitely 5 stars in my book! Love it all, especially “Stone In Love”! 🙂
Doug R, Escape, if you listen to the record, it has Act I and Act II..the sequencing in and of itself is as much a part of the record as the songs. Open Arms is the last song on the record, in that context it’s a daring move. This has become a lost art. Rob won’t admit it because he’s supposed to be the ‘metal god’ but Steve Perry is his favorite singer.
If everyone would start discussing his cd collection here how much space can Eddie’s server supply?? I mean what is the use in this post? I have to answer that myself as you are only replying to the chosen few in your ivory tower.
Shannon, take a chance on me
You know what other album just completely rips? Raven’s All For One. That’s a four.
Shannon O am a huge Icon fan. Yes girst record is awesome slab of metal. The second while very good very comercial.Outside songwriting help. Good catchy songs but noy tje same. Stephen Clifford was great singer!
Hey Steve, yeah I can’t get that first Icon record off of my turntable. I worked a telemarketing job in Hollywood back in the late ’80s with their drummer Pat Dixon, and he was pretty devastated over how things turned out with the record co. They forced the outside writers and direction on the band. He used to say to me “if they didn’t like what we were before, why did they sign us?”
Very impressed with the band and Ace didn’t disappoint. I thought the set list was great (missed Rip It Out though) and was a good opening night show. By the time they get to BB King’s they’ll be smokin!
Thanks for the report. It’s nice to be able to know what his show was like since he will probably not come to South Carolina. I’ve seen a North Carolina date, but I wish he would come to Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Columbia, or better yet, Charleston. Why do you think he didn’t do any songs from “Anomaly”?
Just time. Selling a new album so that’s where the new material comes from
The tour is at the places he could book. 3 legs went to one pretty fast, There’s the story that Don Dokken is telling about a Dokken/Ace/Lita/JR Great white tour next June. That limp line up will bring em in.