Why Paul Stanley Was 'Scared to Hear' Ace Frehley's Solo Album

Kiss' Paul Stanley says that paying tribute to the late Ace Frehley at this weekend's Kiss Kruise: Land-Locked in Vegas "goes without saying." And he's anticipating that the all-star salute will be an emotional affair for all concerned.

"Ace is at the foundation of this band -- that can never be overlooked or overstated. There would be no Kiss today without Ace having been there," the Starchild tells UCR.

"I'm the first person to say that we never could've started Kiss without Ace -- or Peter (Criss), for that matter. They were instrumental in the foundation of what we built, during and afterwards. The four of us were a combustive force, and that's part of what made us what we were."

Frehley died on Oct. 16, 2025 at the age of 74, at the time working on a follow-up to his 2024 solo album 10,000 Volts. His death was acknowledged during last year's Kiss Kruise, which came too soon after to organize a full-scale tribute.

This year all four current Kiss members -- Stanley, co-founder Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer -- will perform Frehley's songs backed by the guitarist's solo band and joined by "a lineup of special guest to celebrate The Spaceman."

Those have not been identified yet, but former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick, Night Ranger, Faster Pussycat, Slaughter, Beasto Blanco, Enuff Z'Nuff and Chris Jericho's Kuarantine are also on the weekend bill and could well participate.

Stanley was still weighing his choice for the tribute at the time of our interview. "I don't know if I'll be performing it, but I think 'Shock Me' (from 1977's Love Gun) was a really great song," he says.

"And later on, I remember the first time I heard his solo album (Ace Frehley, 1978) and, frankly, I was scared to hear it because he wasn't somebody who committed himself to things without being pushed.

"And yet he came in with this album, and it was great," Stanley continued. "The first song I heard was 'Rip It Out,' and I was like, 'Wow, this is a surprise.' It was great. "So when I think of Ace, I think of 'Shock Me,' and from the solo album, 'Rip It Out.'"

Frehley joined Kiss in 1973, answering an ad Stanley and Simmons placed in the Village Voice. He served two tenures in the band, first leaving in 1982, then rejoining in 1996 and parting ways in 2002.

During his tenure he appeared on 10 Kiss studio albums and several of its live efforts. Frehley also released 10 solo studio albums, including two volumes of Origins covers sets.

This year's Kiss Kruise, at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas will, per usual, feature separate electric and acoustic band performances, sans makeup. "We'll do all kinds of tunes we hardly ever played live," Simmons promises, "and we'll give the fans a chance to call out songs and we'll dive into them."

The event also includes panel discussions, meet and greets, a Stanley-hosted Cook Off, tours through Simmons' Kiss Collection, a Thayer-curated wine tasting and karaoke, and a Drum Off and Q&A with Singer.

The Kruise will also offer the Kiss Army sneak previews of Kiss: End of the Road, a revealing new documentary about its 2019-2023 farewell tour that premieres Nov. 19 on KissOnline.com.

Kiss recently released 50th anniversary edition box sets of its fifth studio album, Rock and Roll Over -- the follow-up to Destroyer that was produced by Eddie Kramer, who remixed the album for this reissue.

The group is also working with Sweden's Pophouse Entertainment on an avatar show that's expected to roll out at some point during the next couple of years. Also in motion is a biopic to be directed by Joseph McGinty "McG" Nichol.