Kiss co-founder, guitarist and singer Ace Frehley died last year at the age of 74, just before the Kiss Kruise. Although there were tributes to him during the event, it was in this year’s edition that they prepared a bigger tribute to him, including a show featuring songs that marked his career with Kiss and as a solo artist.
The show began with the band’s final line-up, featuring Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, who talked about Frehley between songs. Once the setlist began, Ace’s solo band served as the backing band for a lineup of special guests, including Chris Jericho, Bruce Kulick and Taime Downe.
See setlist and videos of Kiss tribute to Ace Frehley at Kiss Kruise
- “Shock Me” (Kiss song) – Paul Stanley
- “Talk to Me” (Kiss song) – Ace Frehley’s Band
- “Rip it out” (Ace’s song) – Chris Jericho and Kelly Keagy
- “Parasite” (Kiss song) – Bruce Kulick and Ron Keel
- “Rocket Ride” (Kiss song) – Eric Singer, Jack Blades, Brad Gillis
- “Hard Times” (Kiss song) – Tod Howarth and Marc Ferrari
- “Speedin’ Back to My Baby” (Ace’s song) – Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe
- “Strange Ways” (Kiss song) – Eric Singer
- “She” (Kiss ong) – Tommy Thayer
- “Cold Gin” (Kiss song) – Gene Simmons and Brent Woods
- “New York Groove” (By Hello and famously covered by Ace) – All the musicians above
Ace Frehley was part of the band until 1982 when he decided to leave, returning from 1996 to 2002. Over the decades Paul and Gene didn’t say many good things about him and Peter, often complaining about their behavior and substance abuse.
Since Ace Frehley passed away, Gene Simmons is the only original member of the band who is still touring. After the end of Kiss in 2023 he quickly formed the Gene Simmons band and started touring around the world. Paul Stanley only played live so far in Kiss related events.