Ace Frehley
Bear’s Den Showroom (Inside Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino)
Niagara Falls, NY
August 13, 2022
Ace Frehley did not disappoint last Saturday night, Aug. 13, when he played a sold-out show at the intimate Bear’s Den Showroom in Niagara Falls, NY. Frehley, best known as the original lead guitarist and co-founding member of KISS, played a mix of material from both his solo career and KISS classics.
The show got underway just before 9 PM with Rip It Out – off Frehley’s first solo record in 1978. He wasted no time and went into three KISS songs – Parasite, Strutter, and Rocket Ride. Backing up Frehley was a band he described as “the best band” he’s ever played with – guitarists Jeremy Ashbrock and Ryan Spencer Cook, bassist Zach Throne, and drummer Matt Starr.
The crowd stood for Frehley’s entire set, which lasted nearly 70 minutes. Some highlights included Rock Soldiers, New York Groove (with his light-up guitar!), and Shock Me (Frehley brought out his signature smoking guitar for this one!) The 15-song set ended with the encore Deuce.
All in all, it was a great night and no one seemed despondent. For me, I could not have thought of a better way to return to the U.S. concert scene after being away for nearly 2.5 years due to border closures and other issues as a result of the pandemic.
Setlist:
Rip It Out
Parasite (Kiss)
Strutter (Kiss)
Rocket Ride (Kiss)
Never in My Life / Good Times Bad Times
Detroit Rock City (Kiss)
Love Theme from Kiss (Kiss)
Rock Soldiers
Hard Times (Kiss)
Strange Ways (Kiss)
New York Groove (With “God of Thunder” intro)
Shock Me (Kiss)
Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
Cold Gin
Encore:
Deuce (Kiss)
All photos by Joel Naphin
©2022. Please DO NOT copy or use without permission.
