Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons Perform Live Together for the First Time in 16 Years
Ace Frehley joined his former bandmate and fellow KISS co-founder Gene Simmons last night (Sept. 10) at The Children Matter benefit concert to support the victims of Hurricane Harvey. The two rolled back the clock for a trio of classics from their time together in the legendary rock and roll outfit, all of them written by Frehley. It marked the first time in 16 years the pair performed onstage together.
"Before you were born, 1973, in New York City, this guy and I - and two other guys - put together a band we'd never seen onstage," says Simmons in the clip which can be viewed above. "Let's hear it for Ace Frehley! He still looks great goddamn it - doesn't he?"
A beaming Frehley then launched into "Parasite" from Hotter Than Hell.
The show took place in downtown St. Paul, Minn., at the CHS Field Stadium. All proceeds from the gig are going towards the hurricane relief nonprofit The Children Matter, which works with on ground relief organizations to source and ship out highly needed items including meal kits, sanitation and contamination prevention supplies.
"I'm so glad that I got here and I'm so glad that we could help the people down in Texas, you know, recovering from Harvey," Frehley said after "Parasite." "God bless everybody for showing up!"
"Pretty good, huh?" ask Simmons. "Ace wrote that last one all by himself. Here's another one he wrote all by himself. He's powerful, attractive and he can play guitar."
The band, which has been backing Simmons this year, went into "Cold Gin" from the 1974 eponymous KISS debut. That video can be seen below. To close out Frehley's featured set, he told a snippet (also below) of the well-known story behind "Shock Me" from 1977's Love Gun.
"I got electrocuted in Lakeland, Florida in 1977 - I think," he said. "Anyway, subsequently I wrote a song about [it]."
There's no telling if this will lead to Frehley eventually playing some shows with KISS, but there's little denying that both he and Simmons couldn't have looked happier being onstage in front of the fans again.
“We’re here for a much important thing, and it ain’t about me,” Simmons said, according to the StarTribune, at a brief press conference prior to the concert.
Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons Perform "Cold Gin"
Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons Perform "Shock Me"
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