Lost + Late Ace Frehley Guided to Show by ‘Pokemon GO’-Playing Fan
KISS legend Ace Frehley played a solo show in Homer, N.Y. on Sept. 29, but it wasn't easy getting there. Lost and late, the Spaceman's driver stopped to ask a local man on the street for directions. That man's night, much like the car, took a quick turn and changed direction, making it one to remember.
"We were supposed to be in Homer an hour and a half ago," the driver of a black Cadillac SUV explained to Tim Lord, a 55-year-old resident of nearby city Cortland who was outside for a walk, playing Pokemon GO (as reported by Syracuse.com). The driver and Frehley needed directions to the venue, so Frehley rolled down his window and inquired, stunning Lord, who is a KISS fan and instantly recognized the icon now directly in front of him.
Though Lord was familiar with how to get there, he couldn't produce a set of directions from memory, so Frehley invited him into the car so he could guide them. Lord said he "about fainted," explaining that he goes outside to play Pokemon GO every night. Worrying about how he'd get back home, Frehley told him to pay no mind and "we'll worry about that afterwards."
The distance between Cortland and Homer is only a handful of miles and the driver got the guitarist to the gig with great haste, racing to reported speeds of 85-95 mph. In Lord's estimation, the driver was a "complete idiot."
He was also taken aback by how unfazed Frehley was by the speedometer's climbing needle. "He acted like he’s used to that type of driving," Lord said of the Spaceman, noting, "He never batted an eye. I thought we were going to die."
With the commute was over in a matter of three minutes and Frehley now finally at the venue, he offered Lord backstage passes and an opportunity to come up onstage for a thank you during the show. Lord declined the offer, stating he had to return home to put his granddaughter to bed. Now it was Lord who was the "idiot," which is what his wife called him for turning all of that down.
Lord did, however, get a hot tip regarding the estranged KISS guitarist and his former bandmates, who are in the midst of a lengthy farewell tour. "It’s not carved in stone, but [Frehley said] that they’re trying to get together for another farewell tour. The problem is money is involved," Lord explained.
Those sentiments match those Frehley had previously expressed when he said he had a "gut feeling" a reunion would take place.
Head here to see Ace Frehley's remaining 2019 tour dates. His latest album, Spaceman, was released in 2018.
See Ace Frehley in the Top 66 Hard Rock + Metal Guitarists of All Time