Ace Frehley is a legend. He is a Rock N’ Roll Hall of Famer who influenced a generation of guitar players. Even though Ace isn’t what he used to be, it’s still a big deal when he comes to town. When the show was announced, Frehley was supposed to be joined by Motley Crue frontman Vince Neil, however Neil backed out of the show a few weeks prior and was replaced by Slaughter. While the two bands played to half-filled arena, those in attendance enjoyed a night of fun, memorable music. Please scroll down for exclusive Ace Frehley live photos and recap of the night.
Slaughter opened the night with a nearly one-hour set touching on all their hits. Slaughter is a regular at Mohegan Sun, frontman Mark Slaughter even commented how the band plays the complex a few times a year. I last saw the band here in 2022 and was a bit disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised this time as Mark, one of the nicest people in the business, was in fine voice. Original bassist Dana Strum and Jeff Blando on guitar are in constant motion on the stage while you can’t keep your eyes off of the whirling dervish that is drummer Jordan Cannata.
Slaughter hit big with their first 3 records, but the band hasn’t released a new studio album in over 25 years. While a Slaughter performance is always great, the setlist is getting a bit stale. The band has played the same setlist at their Mohegan Sun stops since 2022, it would be great to hear some tracks from Fear No Evil or deeper cuts from the first two records.
Ace Frehley and his band hit the stage to Ace’s classic “Shock Me” from the Love Gun record. Ace was in good voice and his stellar band was definitely ready to rock. Despite releasing the well-received 10,000 Volts album just one year ago, the set was made up primarily of Kiss songs, which was fine with the crowd. The third track of the night, 2024’s “Cherry Medicine” and “Rock Soldiers” from the 1987 Frehley’s Comet record were the only two non-Kiss related songs. “Rip It Out” and “Back In The New York Groove” from his 1978 Kiss-era solo record were also played.
Frehley handled himself well on stage, but the night was a success due to his band. Ryan Cook on bass, Jeremy Asbrock on guitar, and Scott Coogan on drums are the true stars of the night. Each member handles lead vocals on at least one song and share vocals with Frehley throughout the night. Asbrock does a lot of the heavy lifting on guitar leaving Frehley to add his flourishes in each track. Prior to the show, Coogan actually got married on the Mohegan Sun stage!
Ace was proud of the fact that the band was loose and having fun, as he said, “something his former partners forgot”. In between songs, Ace would play a random classic riff, and the band would join in. That wasn’t the only shot he took as his former band, prior to “New York Groove”, he pointed out that his solo record sold more than any of the other three Kiss solo albums.
If you’re a Kiss fan, it was a fun night of hearing classic songs. It was strange to see the already sparse crowd thin out even more as Frehley’s set went on. Ace Frehley will always be a guitar hero to all of us who grew up putting on Kiss face paint with friends in the basement. Luckily, these days he is surrounded by a great backing band who can help him carry the show and still provide an enjoyable night.
