Paul Stanley Leads All-Star Tribute to Late KISS Guitarist Ace Frehley With a Song That Holds Special Meaning

KISS is paying tribute to Ace Frehley. One year after the band’s founding lead guitarist died, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer took the stage to honor him during the 2026 KISS Kruise in Las Vegas.

With Frehley’s band backing them, KISS, along with a series of special guests, did the late guitarist proud with an epic 11-song set, per Ultimate Classic Rock.

Stanley kicked things off with a performance of “Shock Me,” the first song Frehley ever sang on a KISS album. The show came to an end with an all-star performance of Frehley’s biggest solo hit, “New York Groove.”

The performance came amid KISS’ annual Las Vegas fan fest. In addition to the Frehley tribute performance, the weekend included a pre-party, an acoustic show, panels, and meet and greets.

Next up, KISS is gearing up for the release of End of the Road. The documentary, which chronicles the band’s farewell tour, is due out Nov. 19.

The band’s final masked show took place in 2023, timing that was important to Simmons.

During an appearance on NewsNation’s The Hill with Blake Burman, Simmons discussed why his band called it quits when they did, saying they knew that they had to “respect the fans enough to know when to get off that stage.”

“A farmer who grows fruit, the smart ones always know when to pick the fruit when it’s ripe, because if it’s too early, the fruit is sour. You don’t get a good price. When it’s too late, it becomes rotten. You can’t sell it anyway,” Simmons said. “You’ve got to know when to gracefully and proudly step off that stage.”

See KISS’ Set List at Their Ace Frehley Tribute Show

1. Paul Stanley, “Shock Me”
2. Ace Frehley Band, “Talk to Me”
3. Chris Jericho and Kelly Keagy, “Rip It Out”
4. Bruce Kulick and Ron Keel, “Parasite”
5. Eric Singer, Jack Blades and Brad Gillis, “Rocket Ride”
6. Tod Howarth and Marc Ferrari, “Hard Times”
7. Faster Pussycat’s Taime Downe, “Speedin’ Back to My Baby”
8. Eric Singer, “Strange Ways”
9. Tommy Thayer, “She”
10. Gene Simmons and Brent Woods, “Cold Gin”
11. Most of the night’s performers, “New York Groove”

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images