Ace Frehley: Back In The Adelaide Groove … At The Gov – Live Music Review

Governor Hindmarsh, Wed 6 May. It’s just after 10pm when, to the obvious delight of the full house, one-time KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley and his band hit the Governor Hindmarsh stage. They kick off with a storming version of Rocket Ride, a KISS song from the Alive II album. Proud of his geographical as well as his musical origins, Frehley sports a black (is there any other colour?) t-shirt with “NEW YORK F*CKIN CITY” emblazoned across the chest. 2014’s Gimme A Feelin’ and Toys come next, just to let everyone know that this isn’t going to be some sort of tribute show. The band is in good form, buoyed by a crowd that appears to have been anticipating this concert for some time. Frehley liberally showers the crowd with guitar picks; a nice souvenir for lucky fans. Going way back in time, Parasite (from the 1974 Hotter Than Hell LP), 1978’s Snowblind, and the classic KISS song Love Gun all invoke a little yearning for those heady days of yore. There’s no escaping the fact that Frehley, the band and the audience all have a strong connection with KISS; the band and the songs. However, despite the place being awash with KISS t-shirts, there’s a lot of love in the room for Frehley’s solo work, if the volume of the widespread singing along is any indication. Frehley sings most of the songs, but is happy to share lead vocal duties around with the other members of the band. Notably, many of the KISS classics are handled with aplomb by drummer Scot Coogan, while Breakout is sung by guitarist Richie Scarlet. Bassist Chris Wyse also takes the microphone on occasion. Space Invader features some lengthy Les Paul shredding from our favourite ex-Spaceman. The hits keep on coming. King of the Night Time World, from Destroyer (KISS’ finest hour) and Strutter take the audience higher, and the biggest crowd reaction of the night comes at the beginning of 2000 Man. It appears that everyone is warming to the task. Rock Soldiers again establishes the warm regard for Frehley’s solo work, before Strange Ways takes us back, once again, to 1974. The catchy Talk To Me is followed by Back In The New York Groove, crowd favourites both. 2 Young 2 Die, Shock Me and Rip It Out close the set. The encore is worth the short wait. The evening reaches an entirely suitable climax with the perfect rock of Detroit Rock City and Deuce. It’s a sweaty, breathless and satisfied horde that spills out onto Port Road at a few minutes to midnight. 4.1 Stars David Robinson Image courtesy of huffingtonpost.com Setlist: Rocket Ride Gimme a Feeling Toys Parasite Snowblind Love Gun Breakout Space Invader King of the Night Time World Strutter 2000 Man Rock Soldiers Strange Ways Talk to Me New York Groove 2 Young 2 Die Shock Me Rip It Out Detroit Rock City Deuce