Review: Guitarist Ace Frehley dives into Kiss history in Pittsburgh area show

Ace Frehley didn’t rock and roll all night on Friday, with the former Kiss guitarist’s show at Jergel’s Rhythm Grille in Warrendale ending shortly before 11 p.m.

But “The Spaceman” showed why countless guitar players derived inspiration from his Kiss heyday, as he and his band took a dive into Kiss classics as well as a few from his solo career.

Frehley played in Kiss from 1973-1982 and rejoined from 1996-2002, with the band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

The 74-year-old hit the stage decked out in sunglasses, which stayed on all night, and a black T-shirt and coat — he’d have several wardrobe changes including Hello Kitty shirt and leopard print shirts, while the rest of the band wore matching bedazzled shirts with all four last names on the front.

Frehley opened with the first Kiss song he sang himself, “Shock Me,” as he flicked guitar picks and strummed his Les Paul guitar. The 1974 classic “Deuce” gave Frehley the chance to solo twice before he, bassist Ryan Cook and rhythm guitarist Jeremy Asbrock convened closely at center stage for the conclusion.

For all the shows Frehley’s done in his career, forgive him if he wasn’t 100% sure of where he thought the show was supposed to be.

“I thought we were in Philly. I don’t know,” Frehley said. “Wherever we are, we’re happy to be here. You guys ready to rock?”

The newest song “Cherry Medicine,” off last year’s “10,000 Volts” album, came before another solo cut from his 1987 “Frehley’s Comet” album, “Rock Soldiers,” which had even more impressive solos.

Frehley’s solo shows feature frequent shared vocal duties among his band, including drummer Scot Coogan singing “Love Gun,” Cook on “Detroit Rock City” and all three on “She.” In fact, Frehley gestured to his throat right before “Detroit Rock City,” a possible sign to skip “Parasite” and “Rip It Out,” which were on the original setlist but ultimately not played.

“Rocket Ride” had the rawest, heaviest riffs of the night, as Frehley hammered the end of his guitar with his fist. For “New York Groove,” he switched to his light guitar, with the whole body flashing during his solo.

A swap brought out his smoking pickup guitar for “Cold Gin,” which segued into a six-minute solo that included nods to the Beatles, ZZ Top and more, with plenty of smoke streaming from the guitar.

After “Shout It Out Loud,” there could only be one song left for Frehley to end the night appropriately.

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“If you haven’t heard this next song, you gotta be an alien,” Frehley said, “because everyone’s heard this one.”

With that they jumped into “Rock and Roll All Nite,” the longtime closing song for Kiss.

Kiss may have called it quits with their last show on Dec. 2, 2023, but Frehley is still going — he’ll be back in action tonight at the Clearfield County Fair with Stephen Pearcy and Vixen.

New York’s Wicked set the stage for Frehley, with a high-energy set replete with (bleach blonde) hair whips, synchronized moves, vertical guitars, strutting and more straight out of a 1980s hair metal video.

The band, formed by brothers Chad Michael and Danny Martin, looked to be enjoying themselves in their hard-driving set that included a new song, “Obsession,” that should be on an album released later this summer.

Pittsburgh’s Ringleader, which bills itself as a tribute to hair metal, glam and sleaze, lived up to its description in its half hour, which included a cover of Guns ‘N Roses’ “You Could Be Mine.”