By Ted Cohen/Patch.com
The guy who helped found KISS and electrified audiences with his lead guitar made a splash in Maine nearly 30 years ago.
Ace Frehley, who died last week, spoke ahead of his iconic rock group’s Portland concert in 1998 ¹to mid-Maine music writer Lucky Clark.
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“For two hours we give the kids the best show they’ve ever seen,” he said of the time. “It allows me to let go and just be the ‘Space-Ace’ again.”
Frehley also soloed in Portland earlier this year in a concert promoted by AuraMaine.com.
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“The only thing more recognizable than Ace Frehley’s signature ‘Spaceman’ makeup is his guitar playing,” Aura said in February. “Those thundering riffs and singable solos have enshrined him as one of the most influential, inspiring, and impactful musicians of all-time.
“Simply put, rock ‘n’ roll and heavy metal wouldn’t sound, look, or feel the same without him,” Aura added. “Among hundreds of accolades, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame® inducted him in 2014 as a co-founder and the original lead guitarist of Kiss.”
Guitar World named him in the Top 15 of its “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” and plugged the lead from “Shock Me” on the “50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.”
