With Halloween on the horizon, the KISS Army packed the Paramount Hudson Valley for their favorite spaceman, Ace Frehley, on Friday, October 27. Frehley, a New York native growing up in the Bronx, has added a string of tour dates ahead of releasing a brand new record in February.
Frehley’s band is composed of Ryan Cook on bass and Jeremy Asbrock on guitar. Asbrock and Cook are also in The Rock City Machine Co. alongside former Ace Frehley band member Philip Shouse. Rounding out Frehley’s band on the drums is Scot Coogan who is in his second stint with Frehley.
With the 93-year-old theater filling up with eager KISS and Ace Frehley maniacs, Black Dawn hit the stage. As Black Dawn plugged in, they powered through a metal set that was on the shorter side. With Black Dawn leaving via stage left, the middle band, Mainline jumped on stage to an enthusiastic crowd. Mainline features Anthony Schettino on bass, Johnny Iodice on lead vocals and guitar, Devin Reck on guitar, and Mason Servedio on drums. Mainline had a very memorable set as the talented musicians played all new material with the exception of Aerosmith’s “Toys In The Attic” as the final song.
The anticipation for Frehley came to a boiling point as his instrumental song, “Fractured Mirror” blasted through the speakers. “Fractured Mirror” segwayed right into 2001: A Space Odyssey’s theme song and the announcement of “You wanted him, well you got ‘em, from The Bronx, New York, Ace Frehley!”
In the blink of an eye, Peekskill immediately turned into “Detroit Rock City” for the remainder of the band’s 13-song set which included tracks from Frehley’s solo record as well as KISS classics.
Frehley’s band is extremely talented in that the three other members of the band sang vocals on at least one song during the set. Asbrock took over lead vocals during “Speedin’ Back to My Baby” which can be found off Frehley’s KISS: Ace Frehley record. Cook did his best Paul Stanley impersonation during “Detroit Rock City” and Coogan grooved on drums while belting out lyrics during “Love Gun.”
Halfway through the set, Frehley stopped to address the crowd and announce that his brand-new solo record was being released in February. The crowd, which was filled with Frehley’s “Rock Soldiers” all cheered as this would be the first record since Origins, Vol. 2 which was released back in 2020.
Throughout the show, the entire band was throwing guitar picks, bass picks, and drumsticks into the crowd. There were so many guitar picks thrown into the audience that it seemed like everyone could have gone home with at least one. Fans were reaching into the air, jumping and diving into the rows of seats to collect fallen, unclaimed picks.
During KISS’ heyday in the 1970s, they were known for their theatrics. From pyrotechnics to spitting out blood and rocket guitars, they all had different ways to wow an audience. Despite Frehley not being in KISS since his last show of the Reunion World Tour in 2002, the theatrical side of “Space Ace” hasn’t left.
During “New York Groove,” Frehley brought out a guitar that lit up and flashed during the song. Once the guitar was brought out and Coogan pounded on the kick drum, fans immediately knew what song it was. “New York Groove” then transitioned into “Shock Me” off of KISS’ Love Gun. Frehley brought out his guitar that releases smoke and it was full steam ahead.
Even though the city of Peekskill was rather quiet on Friday evening, the rock and roll inside The Paramount was deafening. Despite Frehley not being in KISS for over 20 years, he still brings fans classic KISS songs that make audiences reminiscent of what was while also creating new memories for the newer generation of rock fans. The Peekskill crowd, which was full of fans of all ages piled out of the theater in awe after witnessing one of rock’s most influential guitarists of all time and went home knowing that they witnessed real live rock and roll.
Setlist: Rip It Out, Rocket Ride, Speedin’ Back to My Baby, Parasite, Rock Soldiers, Love Gun, Hard Times, Detroit Rock City, Emerald, New York Groove, Shock Me, Cold Gin, Deuce
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