Ace Frehley Live At The Forum Theatre

I really am a KISS diehard. I have seen them a number of times, even going to a stack of gigs that feature current or previous members of the band. I have lost count of the times I have seen Bruce Kulick, then there was Paul Stanley, even Eric Singer. On this night however it was Ace Frehley who I was seeing for the second time. Given that he was incredible last time, that his latest album Space Invader was awesome and that he was playing at the Forum it promised to be a memorable gig.

After some initial concerns (traffic, queue to get in, the usual) I did arrive in plenty of time. As is often the case there was nothing to worry about because the support was mostly forgettable. At least I did have time to relax and take in my surroundings. The Forum really is one of the nicest venues in Melbourne.

It wasn’t long into his set that I was relieved that I was seeing Ace again. He played songs that would have satisfied most fans. Plenty of KISS with Rocket Ride and King of the Night Time World being standouts. A real surprise was Ace’s drummer who sang a number of songs including a killer version of Love Gun. He almost stole the show. There were 3 songs from Space Invader, which was disappointing because I would have liked to hear more from it. For song of the night I couldn’t go past Rock Soldiers. It is as perfect as Ace gets and I acted like I had never heard it before, always a sign I am enjoying myself way too much.

It all came to an end with Detroit Rock City and Deuce. Some would say too predictable, by that stage I was too captivated to care.

I often forget that Ace was my favourite member of KISS. He is naturally entertaining and always keeps it about Rock N Roll. Hopefully he keeps recording albums and touring here.

Set list

Fractured Mirror
Rocket Ride
Gimme a Feelin'
Toys
Parasite
Snowblind
Love Gun
Breakout
Space Invader
King of the Night Time World
Strutter
2000 Man
Rock Soldiers
Bass Solo
Strange Ways
Talk to Me
New York Groove
2 Young 2 Die
Shock Me
Guitar Solo
Rip It Out

Encore

Detroit Rock City
Deuce