Katjusa Cisar/The Capital TimesThe guitar reigned supreme Saturday night at the Majestic Theatre during Ace Frehley's blazing performance for a worshipful crowd.
It's probably safe to say the venue hasn't seen this much air guitar in a while. The audience of mostly 30- to 50-something dudes went absolutely wild for the former KISS guitarist, and it was almost as much fun to watch them rock out as it was to watch Frehley's hands slide, bounce and tap across his instrument.
Yes, he got his guitar to smoke and flame, using the trick he started 30-plus years ago. And yes, it was totally awesome. (Milwaukee wasn't so lucky -- a man who attended the show at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino Friday night said Frehley's special smoke bomb malfunctioned.)
Lean and leathery, Frehley performed with only Red Bull and water to drink onstage -- no beer. The 58-year-old conquered a lifelong struggle with alcohol abuse a few years ago, and he credits it with clearing his head and allowing him to produce his first album in 20 years, "Anomaly." He released "Anomaly" on Sept. 15, the third anniversary of his first day of sobriety (just a nice coincidence, he says).
Frehley's skill inspired a generation of both professional and amateur guitarists, and his fan base was out in force Saturday.
Only one guy came dressed in a KISS Army-worthy replica of Frehley's old "Spaceman" outfit, complete with full makeup and silver platform moon boots. The rest of the audience just banged their heads, flew devil horns and tapped their fingers on imaginary fretboards. In the balcony, a father and his 12- or 13-year-old son pumped their fists in tandem. A few friends got so caught up in the experience, they just grabbed and shook each other's shoulders.
Frehley gave them just what they wanted: the late '70s KISS hits -- including "Deuce," "New York Groove" and the cover of the Rolling Stones' "2000 Man" -- plus a few new and worthy songs off "Anomaly" (but none of the album's treacly ballads). He told his trademark joke ("Why did the monkey fall out of the tree? Because he was f---ing dead!") and in general moved through the show like clockwork, in keeping with his matter-of-fact nature.
That's not to say he didn't seem to be enjoying himself: He usually just looked like he was losing himself in his guitar, wheeling and swinging around as if intoxicated by the instrument in his hands. His voice sounded decent if a little weak, but he clearly wasn't putting much effort into it -- at least in comparison to his guitar.
The best part of the show came when his three-member backing band walked off and left him alone with his guitar. He can and does zip through incredibly fast finger-tapping, but what sets his solos apart are the moments when he just leans into a note, pressing and teasing it.
He led the show out with an encore of "Rip It Out," "Love Gun" (with drummer Scott Coogan filling in the vocals) and "Cold Gin" -- a song he wrote when he was 23 years old, he reminded the crowd. It's a moment that could have been pretty pathetic -- still performing juvenile hits at 58? -- but Frehley wears it with pride. He's as invested as ever in the music.
