KISS kicked off their first show in nearly two years with a candlelit moment of silence for Ace Frehley.
The outdoor unplugged show marked the launch of the KISS Kruise: Land-Locked in Vegas weekend, which is the first time the band has played together since the December 2023 end of their farewell tour.
Before the show, electric candles were handed out to the audience. When the group took the stage, Paul Stanley asked the crowd to lift them in the air and take a moment “think about somebody who is at the foundation of this band. We’re talking about Ace. We certainly had differences, but that’s what family is about. Why don’t we take a moment… think about him looking down on us – from Jendell, probably – and let’s have a moment for Ace.”
You can see the tribute here.
Frehley died after a fall in his home studio on October 16. Stanley, Simmons and founding drummer Peter Criss all attended his funeral.
After the tribute, the band kicked off the music with their traditional unplugged set opener, Hotter Than Hell‘s “Comin’ Home.” You can see the full set list below.
Both the band and the crowd were clearly thrilled to be together again, with the normally jokes-heavy Gene Simmons noting that seeing a bunch of familiar faces in the crowd “means a lot to us.”
Both Simmons and Stanley were in proud papa mode, pointing out their sons (Nick and Evan, respectively) in the crowd and bragging about the album the younger duo are about to release. “This is not a paid announcement,” Stanley declared. “Wait until you hear Nick and Evan’s album, it’s unbelievable. It’s hard to believe they came from us!”
The group was in a playful mood all night, offering impromptu renditions of the Beatles’ “I’ll Be Back” and Redbone’s “Come and Get Your Love” in between their own songs. After a bit of debate onstage, the group managed to convince lead guitarist Tommy Thayer to close out the show with “Love Her All I Can” even though he feared the solo wouldn’t translate to an acoustic setting.
“This may suck,” Stanley warned, “but we’ll make it up to you tomorrow night.” It did not suck and the group will play an electric show Saturday night. Stay tuned!
KISS Acoustic Setlist — KISS Kruise Vegas Unplugged Show
1. “Comin’ Home”
2. “See You Tonite” (Gene Simmons song)
3. “A World Without Heroes”
4. “Hard Luck Woman” (first performance since 2019)
5. “Christine Sixteen”
6. “Nothin’ to Lose”
7. “Goin’ Blind”
8. “Hide Your Heart” (first performance since 2019)
9. “Plaster Caster”
10. “Beth”
11. “Love Her All I Can”
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
