MEDIA
Hartford Courant of Hartford, CT 85-02-28 (Calendar section p. 7)
Hartford Courant of Hartford, CT 85-02-28 (Calendar section p. 21)
LOCATION: West Hartford, Connecticut
VENUE: The Agora
OPENER(s): Girlschool
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
Rip It Out
Audio Video/Catch Me When I Fall
Cold Gin
Give It to Me Anyway
Dolls
Breakout
Back into My Arms Again
Animal
Stranger in a Strange Land
New York Groove
Back on the Streets
We Got Your Rock
Deuce
Remember Me
Opening show for the mini tour which, according to some accounts (Rocket no. 4 1985, p. 22), was supposed to be a warm-up to recording an album.
Setlist comes from an audio recording courtsey tolvis.
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Hartford Courant of Hartford, CT 85-02-28 (Calendar section p. 7)
Hartford Courant of Hartford, CT 85-02-28 (Calendar section p. 21)
LOCATION: Asbury, New Jersey
VENUE: The Stone Pony
OPENER(s): Shrapnel
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
Rip It Out
Audio Video/Catch Me When I Fall
Cold Gin
Give It to Me Anyway
Dolls
Breakout
Back into My Arms Again
Animal
Stranger in a Strange Land
New York Groove
Back on the Streets
We Got Your Rock
Deuce
[Remember Me]
Some have suggested that John Eddie & Oliver's Twist were the opening band for this show but that's a misreading. John Eddie—who at the time had just signed an album deal with CBS—actually played the Stone Pony the night before (on Friday) and Oliver's Twist was the opening band for that show. The opening act for the Frehley's Comet show that Saturday seems to have been a band called Shrapnel.
It should be noted that a later newpaper article about Oliver's Twist mentioned that the band had "opened shows for such established recording artists as Robin Trower, Ace Frehley, David Johansen and Bon Jovi" (Asbury Park Press of Asbury Park, NJ 86-07-06 p. G-7) but there is nothing to suggest that it was this show.
The recording of this show lacks Remember Me but it is generally assumed that it was played. Setlist courtsey tolvis.
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Daily Record of Morristown, NJ 85-03-01 (p. D-2)
The Courier News of Bridgewater, NJ 85-03-01 (p. C-9)
The Courier News of Bridgewater, NJ 85-03-02 (p. C-4)
Concert ad
LOCATION: Scranton, Pennsylvania
VENUE: West Side Theatre
OPENER(s): Kix
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
Rip It Out
Audio Video/Catch Me When I Fall
Cold Gin
Give It to Me Anyway
Dolls
Breakout
Animal
Stranger in a Strange Land
New York Groove
Back on the Streets
We Got Your Rock
Deuce
Remember Me
This was an all ages show meaning that the drinking age didn't limit admission.
A column by Jerry Kishbaugh in The Citizen's Voice 85-02-22 (p. 32) mentioned that "the "silver-eyed" singer/songwriter/guitarist is touring in support of his new LP which is slated for early summer release". In the review of the show in the March 11 edition of the same paper, Vince Roberts notes that "Frehley provided a sneak preview of his soon-to-be-released album, Frehley's Comet, due to hit the record racks in late spring". (p. 16)
According to Brian W. Delgross—who at the time worked at WYSP-FM 94.1 in Philadelhia, PA—at this show Ace wanted to rig one of the Peavey 4x12 cabinets so that the speakers would explode and "fly out of the front of the cabinets". The Scranton Fire Marshall apparently caught wind of this during the inspection during soundcheck and effectively put a stop to it.
The pair of tickets that promotor Parties Unlimited gave away (see below) was won by Dave Margallis of Swoyersville.
Setlist courtsey tolvis.
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The Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre, PA 85-02-25 (p. D-10)
The Times Leader of Wilkes-Barre, PA 85-03-01 (p. D-6)
Photo by Rex Eisen (from Comet Watch no. 5)
Photo by Rex Eisen (from Comet Watch no. 5)
Photo courtsey Brian W. Delgross
Photo courtsey Brian W. Delgross
LOCATION: Commack, New York
VENUE: Dimensions
OPENER(s): Mazarin
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
The "review" only mentions two songs:
Cold Gin
New York Groove
Commack is on Long Island, New York, and this venue—then rechristened The Showcase—would also host a show on Paul's solo tour in 1989.
A fan who remember seeing Ace at this show has suggested that Ace was a little worse for the wear: "Place was packed. Ace was a mess. At one point he fell backwards into the drumset [sic.]".
Thanks to Richard Daly for sharing the ticket stub.
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Canarsie Courier of Brooklyn, NY 85-04-11 (p. 39)
Ticket stub courtsey Richard Daly
Ace live at Dimensions in Commack, New Jersey
LOCATION: Baltimore, Maryland
VENUE: Hammmerjacks
OPENER(s): -
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: N/A
N/A
Julian Gill of KISS FAQ has this show listed as canceled and the review of the 1987 show at Hammerjacks seems to support that: "Two years ago he formed Frehley's Comet and did 10 live shows, one of which was supposed to be at Hammerjacks but was canceled due to sound problems at the venue". (The Evening Sun of Baltimore, MD 87-06-24, p. C-6) In addition, the clipping from The Baltimore Sun below doesn't mention neither Frehley's Comet nor Hammerjacks. Plus, as seen below, Frehley's Comet seems to have been in Spring Valley, New York, instead.
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The Baltimore Sun of Baltimore, MD 85-03-06 (p. B-5)
LOCATION: Spring Valley, New York
VENUE: Club Manhattan
OPENER(s): -
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
Unknown
This may be considered partially confirmed. The backstage pass shown below—which, according to the person who auctioned it, was acquired in the late 80s from the band's soundman—is the only hard evidence. There is no mention in local newspapers, the listings for Club Manhattan in The Record don't mention that Wednesday at all.
As far as corroborating evidence goes John Regan remembers "playing that Club with the Original Comet lineup. Ace, Richie, Arthur Stead, Anton & myself." (Facebook post 20-05-04)
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Backstage pass auctioned on eBay
LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York
VENUE: L'Amour
OPENER(s): Sweet Pain
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
Rip It Out
Audio Video/Catch Me When I Fall*
Give It to Me Anyway
Dolls
Breakout
Cold Gin
Animal
Stranger in a Strange Land
Back on the Streets
We Got Your Rock
New York Groove
Deuce
Remember Me
Home-coming show. There are two recordings of this show, one complete show which is the basis for the setlist presented here, and an incomplete one—missing the last song, Remember me—which is the source of the classic bootleg Back in the Groove. Yes, even though the date mentioned on the bootleg cover is the second show on March 9, the source recording is actually from this show. Setlist and recording info courtsey tolvis.
Opening act comes from a second show ad when the March 9 show was added (see next entry).
Based on comments quoted in the OKEJ article they were there for this first show as was Ida S. Langsam who favorably reviewed the show for Kerrang.
*After the second song Ace says "Catch me when I fall, yeah" which suggests that this is the actual song title despite what John Regan remembers (see entry for SIR Studios 84-11-30). But, if that is the title why does Ms. Langsam refer to it as Audio Video in the Kerrang review...
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Handbill/ad from the show
Ticket stubs from the show
OKEJ magazine issue no. 7, 1985 (p. 22)
OKEJ magazine issue no. 7, 1985 (p. 23)
LOCATION: Brooklyn, New York
VENUE: L'Amour
OPENER(s): Wrathchild
HEADLINE: Frehley's Comet
ATTENDANCE: Unknown
Rip it out
Audio Video/Catch me when I fall
Give it to me anyway
Dolls
Breakout
Cold gin
Animal
Stranger in a strange land
Back on the streets
We got your rock
New York groove
Deuce
Also recorded but incomplete and, as mentioned above, not the source for the bootleg Back in the Groove. The setlist here is based on the recording and even though it is missing Remember Me there is obviously a chance that it was played. After the second song Ace says "We blew the roof off this place last night, we're gonna do it again tonight". Setlist and recording information courtsey tolvis.
The photos below are presumed to be from this second night since they show Ace with a cross necklace that he didn't have on the first night (see OKEJ photos above). Did he just remove it halfway through the show and all these photos are from the same show? Possibly, but then why leave the whistle necklace on...
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Signed handbill
Ad courtsey Julian Gill
And then there was the issue of further shows during 1985. In the fanzine KISS Explorer Army a number of late summer dates were reported:
This is the only mention of these dates that I have seen and there is really no evidence that these shows ever occured. The only thing we can say "for sure" is that the dates at Club Manhattan may very well have been planned since the venue's ads in early-to-mid August 1985 did feature a mention of Ace as "upcoming".
The Journal News of White Plains, NY 85-08-16
(Weekend section p. 13)
These mentions disappeared by August 23 so the two shows mentioned by KISS Army Explorer are highly unlikely to have taken place. When asked point blank about this supposed "second tour" by Brian Rademacher for the fanzine KISS Klassics, John Regan explicitly denied it ever having taken place:
Rademacher: How did the 1985 Tour go over?
Regan: It was short lived. [sic.] We only did 8 shows but it went great.
Rademacher: Wasn't there supposed to be another tour?
Regan: No! That was just someone playing games. It was only for 8 to 10 shows, than [sic.] go into the studio to record.
Talking to Robert Oermann of The Tennessean in July 1987 Ace mentioned that "We did one tour in the spring 1985. It was just a small East Coast tour." (The Tennessean of Nashville, TN 87-07-22 p. D-1) Lastly, when talking to Rock Scene for their June 1987 issue, Ace only mentioned that the band (or, in Ace's words, he) "did that tour... when was it?... A year and a half ago?" (p. 18), there was no mention of anything but that brief spring jaunt. The actual evidence—or, more accurately, lack thereof—and the contemporary recollections of those involved all point toward the same conclusion: the August dates were just a rumour.
