Ace Frehley @ Greek Theatre, Los Angeles - August 12th, 2018

Ace Frehley, the original guitarist from KISS, was at the Greek Theater opening for Alice Cooper. I hadn't seen the guy since the KISS reunion tour in 1996 but I had seen recent clips on YouTube and I was expecting a disaster.

It wasn't quite the embarrassment it could have been, thanks to drummer/singer Scot Coogan who was the MVP of that band. Richie Scarlet on second guitar looked like Johnny Thunders if he'd been mainlining bacon instead of heroin, but he did the job. Ace was the weak link in the band: his vocals were terrible and his playing was mediocre but for some reason it worked.

He did his smoking guitar trick, which must mean that Gene Simmons forgot to trademark it... Maybe it was the margaritas I had ingested but it I had a great time and I loved hearing those KISS classics and some solo songs too. At some point, he asked: "I still got it, wouldn't you say?" It's debatable if he ever had it but it was a fun start to a great night.

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