Tonight's the night I finally get to meet Ace Frehley.  Ace being a bit of a god to any self respecting Über Röcker and the only member of the original Kiss line up I'd yet to meet. Prior to tonight's show I'd actually read a few reports that the turn out for this European jaunt had not been that great and that during the pre show meet and greets Ace was less than friendly. Never the less, armed with my $250 VIP laminate, I joined a group of equally dedicated saddos behind a roped off area at the back of the venue where we would be asked to wait and wait and wait.

The meet and greet was originally supposed to be at 4 o'clock and then 8 o'clock, but now it's 9.15 and the celestial one is supposed to be onstage in fifteen minutes. But we've entered Ace's world now where time doesn't really matter and as we are lead off to queue in a back stage stairwell things are not looking good. Strangely even though everything is running as late as late could be, the guy organising the 'VIP Experience' tells us we can now get three things signed rather than the one originally stated. Bonus! So as I clutch my bag of goodies I begin to quickly sober up, and I feel like a little kid about to meet Father Christmas (uuuhhh) and as the guy at the door shouts "next" and as I enter Ace's little room I'm practically quaking. 

As I walk in Ace is sitting behind a desk in an office, and all I could think to say was "Alright fella. You brought the snow with you haven't you..." Perhaps I was the only person so far not to fall into a state of hero-worshipping jelly because he looked a touch surprised by my opening gambit. Anyway, I sit next to him just like Father Christmas and he begins to sign my goodies (uuuhhh again). Obviously three items to me is just a suggestion rather than a rule but Ace happily signs them all.

I'd handed the guy at the door my camera prior to my brain shutting down, and luckily he reminds me he was going to take a photo of me and Santa Frehley. So with a snap and a grin I'm out of there.

Okay, so to sum up my 'VIP Experience'; Ace is definitely not the bitter person I'd been led to believe, he is actually a really nice bloke and the VIP ticket (complete with laminate, CD and T Shirt) is well worth the $250 asking price.

As it's now nearing 10 o'clock, the punters in the main auditorium are getting kind of restless. There's a curfew at 11, it's snowing outside and the atmosphere has become decidedly edgy. Then as if by magic a Spaceman appears, leading his gang of Rock 'n' Roll mercenaries straight into a double header of 'Rocket Ride' and 'Parasite'.

Bugger me I'm moist, and even though the venue is only about half full, it's packed and smokey downstairs, and as Ace cracks on with 'Snowblind' and then a double dose of 'Sister' and 'Outerspace' from his new 'Anomaly' CD, the place is electric.

Time is rolling on and Ace has to drop several songs from the set to meet the curfew, and strangely Ace chooses to keep 'Shout It Out Loud' and 'Love Gun' (both ably sung by drummer Scott Coogan) in the set as opposed to a couple of tracks from his new album, or 'New York Groove' and 'Rip It Out' from his original '78 solo outing which were all axed.

'Cold Gin' is the perfect end a tight seventy minute set though, and as we trudge out into the freezing London night I'm full of praise for the wizened old Spaceman. A great night indeed with Jendell's finest son.

Photo kudos to Skinny Martin and Irostoke from the KISSinUK forum (thanks guys).