I got Ace face tattooed on my upper left arm when I was like 14 and was able to hide it from my mom for the next 3-4 years. But I get it brother. I'd love to meet him. He's earned the right to be grumpy I guess haha
I grew up on Ace also. But he acted like an asshole. And I would have told him. “ I spent all this money for your gambling habit. Bye Dick” that kills me he did that. What a prick. I’m glad you got your guitar. Yes dude would have lost.
It’s ironic, Ace always claimed Gene and Paul were all about money but what he did speaks volumes about him. Totally unfair but you handled it with class
@mr.brenman2132 Slow down there killer you're misunderstanding what I'm saying!! I despise Paul, but Gene is Gene, and he is all about Gene. I have always thought Paul was a asshole and trashed Ace and Peter and a thousand other people. All I'm saying is Paul said Ace was rude to fans, crew members, and hotel staff, and it looks like he is telling the truth.
@@chuckydall9250 I've only heard the opposite from fans and crew members. You can get this experience from Paul and Gene for 50k. I don't think Ace is even with it anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if he has been diagnosed with something and hasn't told the public. He's not running this whole operation.
So you paid 5k to be treated like shit by a guy you idolize sad. I'm glad you're not bitter about the experience, but I have lost all respect for Ace after hearing this. He knows you paid big money for this he can at least fake that he is a good guy and treat you with respect. I got to meet Jimmy Page when I was a waiter years ago, and I have to say he was the most humble decent guy he actually took 10 minutes out of his fay to talk to me while he was waiting on his daughter he knew it meant a lot to me so he went out of his way to be nice Ace could take sone class lessons from Jimmy.
Ya know, I kind of expected it. Like, I've heard ace is not the nicest person in the world to be around and he's old. I just wanted to meet him. I will say that I wish I wouldn't have spent the money to be honest. Big disappointment, but not much I can do about it now. I just laugh because, it's almost what I expected for the most part. But, it was actually still better than the Vai/Satch "meet and greet/q and A" That was the absolute worst experience I've ever had, and I only paid $700 for that
I have been a big Ace fan for several decades. I think for $3500 Ace should have should have treated you better. Ace needs to realize how hard it is for a person in the real world to come up with $3500.
Not Ace's fault hes not gonna a see a dime of that money ,, all TicketMasturbater dose is tell Ace he has sign a guitar and do a photo opp he has to do it its in his contract ,,Ace is lucky if he makes 2,000 for the whole show TicketMasturbater gets the rest ,,Musician's get fucked by these corporations but what can they do as TicketMasturbater has a monopoly on the market ,
For 3500 he should have jammed a couple songs together and traded t-shirts and brought you to dinner and take you gambling and give you coke and hookers after the bars closed.
I met Ace in 2015 while he was on the Space Invader tour in NZ. He was my idol growing up. I can't remember the VIP price, but I think it was about $500 NZD and it came with a VIP tshirt, lanyard, a set of picks and he signed a Space Invader poster in front of you and you could bring one item for him to sign, so I naturally brought my Kiss Ace solo vinyl and he wrote 'To Matt' and signed it which is badass, I still have it all framed and also I was front row and he dropped a pick on stage and I tried to lean over and grab it but couldn't quite reach (tiny venue) so he kicked it over to me which was badass. All that was cool, but meeting him was weird, because he was my idol and same thing, he was just keen to get it all over with. My whole calf has a big Ace tattoo of him playing a solo with smoke pouring out of his guitar and I showed him and he just glanced at it and didn't really say anything haha. It was my one and only meet and greet but the gig itself was incredible, especially being in such a tiny venue I could literally reach out and touch him lol and had to keep dodging Richie Scarlet's guitar because he was moving around like crazy.
@@charlielack8359 I understand. I saved for three years to see ACE, but it is very expensive, and I went over budget. I will agree there should be more goodies and time for the money. Keep rockin' . Respect, Scott🛡️
Met Ace in 1994 in my hometown, Bangor, Maine. Had established myself as a diehard KISS fan for years though I was still in high school, and turned my best friend into a KISS fan. He and I camped ourselves outside of the rock club that he was playing in that night all day long. We were too young to go inside and attend the show. About an hour and a half before the show was to start we saw a van pull up and a few guys jump out. It hit me that Ace was one of the guys but he had already walked in as I realized. A few minutes later a van from the local rock station pulled up. They were looking for parking but couldn’t find a spot. The driver asked us if we knew who was parked “right there.” I responded “yeah, why?” They explained that they wanted to park there. I told them that we’d move but it would cost them the chance for us to meet Ace. They looked puzzled. I furthered that we were too young to attend the show. The driver asked us to watch the van for a moment. A female came out shortly afterwards and said “you guys are in luck, he’ll meet you.” We moved my buddy’s car and met the gal who walked us in. Ace was sitting in a chair after having done some finger exercises with one of his guitars. We shook his hand and were blown away by the fact that his hand was huge - we’re talking a grown man’s hand. I had brought in a bunch of old KISS cards, which he signed without any complaints. He asked if we were going to come check out the show. We told him that we were too young. He yelled out “hey, get these fellas some fake IDs!” We laughed and that was that. We thanked him for his time. As we were leaving Ace goes, “hey curly.” We turned around and Ace handed over his guitar pick to my friend. Being the diehard fan for longer, I was bummed. I asked if he had another (for me). He pat his pockets (without much effort as if he was looking) and goes “no, sorry.” We walked out and were both on cloud 9.
I played in the Canadian Kiss tribute band Alive for several years-back in the early 90’s we did a Toronto fan convention and Ace appeared (he later jammed with us). He was signing things for fans, as long as they made a donation to a cancer fund (The Eric Carr cancer fund, I believe ). Anyway, the line up went outside the club and down the block-people waited in the freezing cold weather for literal hours to get in. And this one kid-God, I feel terrible telling this story-finally got to the table and handed Ace his 1978 solo album to sign. I was onstage behind them, adjusting the drum kit, and I heard the kid gasp in shock and say ‘You bastard!’ to which Ace cackled laughing. Turns out he had signed the kid’s record ‘To Fatso, love Ace’ Unreal. Yet…very real. Ace is a mixed bag: I’ve met him several times and he can be funny and engaging…when he WANTS to be. Otherwise, he’s morose and grumpy and treats fans like they’re an inconvenience. Sorry you had a bad experience-the guitar looks cool as hell, though. Cheers!🎉
Ace once gave me a thumbs up. My father used to work maintenance at the Summit in Houston, TX. Kiss played there in 1977. My dad used to bring me to work with him all the time. I would run all around the Summit, sitting in the seats, skateboarding down the hallways. I watched them change the floor for basketball games, the circus and hockey games. Kiss comes in for a sound check, no makeup. My dad takes me up on the catwalk high above the stage. They play a few seconds of I Stole your Love and Take Me. Peter isn’t there, I guess a roadie is filling in, it definitely wasn’t Peter. They stop playing and Ace walks over to the side and talks to someone. He’s directly below me and my dad. I yell Ace!! Didn’t hear me, I yell again and he trying to figure out where that voice is coming from. I yell again and the guy he was talking to points up at us. I wave at him and he raises his arm and gives me a thumbs up. I was only 13 at the time. My dad took me and a friend to the concert that night. We sat in a sky box way up at the top.
Yep. Gene and Paul were always very cool even to my son. Did one show with Peter and I laid on the compliments pretty thick so he was pretty cool with me, lol. Ace didn’t even try.
Didn't get to meet him, but just seen him a few weeks ago in Franklin Ohio. Had the best seats in the house. Finally getting to see him play was a dream come true man. 🤟
I met Duff from GnR once randomly at a bodega in NYC. Super cool guy, chatted for a bit and got his photo with me too. Cost: $0 and priceless memory for me :)
Met Duff as well. Very deluxe dude. Down to earth type guy. Same with George Lynch. Ran into him years ago at a guitar shop. He actually showed me how to play some riffs. Same guitar shop had Pride and Glory play in their back parking lot. Zakk Wylde hung out with all of us and drank some beer for like hour. Nice guy really.
I met Ace and the Frehley's Comet band in the summer of 87. He was promoting his solo album which was brand new. They were really cool, he wasn't "short" with people back then. And the best part was it didn't cost me a penny. I still have the autographed flat of the album signed by all 4 band members. Ace is one of my all time favorite guitarist.
I first heard Ace when Casey Casey played RnR All Night on AM radio….that was probably 1973, maybe 1974. In the scheme of the world, my opinion means very little, but he has been my number one influence for 50 years. I would never pay to see anyone in person and not even Ace. His painting on the guitar is very cool.
Met Ace at a book signing in Phoenix. No photos were allowed (why?). He stuck out his hand and said, "Merry Christmas, Man." I shook his hand--he smiled and chuckled. It's a good memory, but no photo to document it.
I did the Ace meet and greet for $500. He signed my Ace KISS solo record. Wrote NY Groove on it. Got a picture. Loved it. I'm not a guitar player but like you I'm a KISS fanatic from childhood. Great story.
Hey Zach. Glad you have a positive attitude towards your Ace experience despite all the negative vibes Ace was giving out. My 14 yo son and I met him earlier this year at a signing at Sam Ash in NYC for the release of 10,000 Volts. We waited on line for about 4 hours in the freezing cold. He barely acknowledged us and my son greeted him at his table and got no response, not even a glance from the spaceman. I didn't expect much from him personally based on his reputation with fans but my son was really disappointed and told me " Daddy...He's a POS." I couldn't disagree. As they say... "Never meet your heroes."
Zach; you are funny!! You should try comedy ( i was genuinely cracking up ). Anyway, yes meeting your heros is generally a...🦉freakin surreal thang. @Ce is definitely a character.
I got to meet Ace Frehley at guitar center in Danbury. He was playing that night and leslie west from Mountain was there. I actually got to spend quite a bit of time with him walking around. He asked me lots of questions about what kind of guitar I had and what equipment I used. He was looking at some of the guitars there and asked me what I would buy. I politely told him I am in college so window shopping only but if I could there would be a few guitars that interested me. I went out into the lobby with him and asked for his autograph (he was hanging out with his then girlfriend or whatever she was to him) and he happily signed. I then remembered my brother was a huge Kiss fan and actually got me into them so I asked for his autograph for my brother. He laughed at me because I grabbed a bus map of Danbury and asked him to sign that because I had nothing else. He laughed and said some sister you are LOL! Maybe because he wasn't doing a meet and greet he was more relaxed? I don't know (or maybe he was wasted it was in the early 90's) I remember telling him about problems I was having in college at the time being in the music program and being the only guitarist and he encouraged me to continue and ignore the idiots. I think that will be a good enough memory for me and have no desire to pay for a meet and greet now. It seems he doesn't want to do it but needs to probably to pay the bills. It was amazingly cool though and I will never forget how kind he was to me especially because when I first met him I cried. I just remember him saying hey don't cry!! LOL ! It definitely was a cool night!
I’m still waiting for an autographed Ace picture I bought from his website in February 2023. Every few months I e-mail “his people” asking about it, and every time it’s a different excuse.
Your story literally sent a surge of energy right to the tip of my manhood! Seriously, it was good to hear that your experience with 70+ year old Ace was a positive encounter. As an aging musician and fan I completely understand both sides of your great experience.
@ZachAdkinsGuitar If you were his age you'd probably see it much better from his perspective. You will remember it more vividly because of the struggle.
I’m 63 I grew up in the day, all the bands back in the 70’s. I like everyone else that says he inspired me to play in the band and play guitar, which is very true. Thanks for your video and your experiences. You were great, especially when you told the guy you’d fight for the guitar in the parking lot .he would lose.😊 so cool
On my third time meeting him; he shook my hand, signed my arm (thats tatted on ) , & talked a minute with no problem. Only issue was that he was still a total prick as always. 😂. But, total hats off to his manager John Ostronomy who was beyond cool. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I was very down in my lower back and he looked out for me. 👍😎🎸
Great story man. Congrats! I met Ace years ago when his book came out... i was the last one and he basically signed the book...told his people he wanted to leave... then told me to leave a review of his book on his website... got up and left hahaha i wasn't surprised at the experience ha
I met my idol Max cavrlara of soulfly. On the cruise. Was nervous. But was cool. Ever since then. He remembers me. I have helped his band out. A half dozen times. Loading in
Met ace last summer in July. He had played an outdoor show that was very hot and was clearly exhausted. Not the nicest dude I’ve ever met but didn’t really do anything out of the way rude. Signed a custom sticker that I had made with pics of him and some other guitar players I like together. Put it on a guitar I built so it’s something I can treasure forever. As a huge ace freak it was special but to say he was superbly nice would not be truthful haha
I met Ace around 99 or 2000 when he came to LAPD Pacific station to bail out his girlfriend who got snatched up for buying drugs in Venice. Didn’t cost me a dime. True story BTW.
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar I had somewhat of a different experience. Ace joked with me when I sat down beside him. He was curious about my name and couldn't remember where he heard it before. When I was done he actually extended his hand out to shake mine. I told him nice show and he said thanks.
I also did Ace meet and greet. He treated me like an inconvenience. I'm 58 and been a kiss fan since 1975. He is rude and could care less how much I spent to meet my hero. I will never again spend a dime on anything to do with kiss . Sorry bro he got you to
Appreciate your brutal honesty and realistic expectations. Kiss, they're like my crazy uncles, I don't necessarily like them, but I love them. each one has been a total dick to the others at some point. I don't really need to know about them slagging each other off. I met Gene once and he was incredibly nice, sincere, really present, was concerned, did I enjoy the show, just emanated genuine-ness, he doesn't always come off that way in interviews with journalists, and anyone can have a bad day, but I thought I'd be cool, but when it was my turn to get his signature on one of his books, I turned into a stupid 14 year old boy again briefly, telling him when I was 14 it was Not cool to be a Kiss fan, going to a Yeshiva, we're both Jewish bassists, so we have something in common, I was talking too fast, and he was like "slow down cowboy!" lol. he calmed me down, I regained my cool, we had a nice little chat. would not have paid 3 grand to meet anyone, except probably Kate Bush, but she wouldn't do that anyway. I don't agree with everything he says, but he's done far more good than harm in the world. this band will never get the respect they deserve for what they achieved. inspired tens of thousands of people to become musicians. boosted instrument sales, helped the economy, and entertained like no one else, hardest working band in show biz. and wrote some killer classic rock tunes, as good as anything by Zep.
I attended an 80s rock festival in South Florida a few years ago. It had 2 stages that played simultaneously. I skipped seeing winger to stand off to the side of the front row for Sebastian Bach, (outdoor grass venue) then after his set was done, moved up to front and waited 30 mins for Ace Frehleys set to begin. After some time in his set, you know he does this little monologuing before he starts a song. He had his sparkle blue les paul on (I knew he used it for shock me) . Ace said into the mic "You know this world is fuckin crazy, but after all these years you know what it really does?" and 2 seconds later I was the only one in the silent crowd and I pointed at Ace and said "Shock me!" as loud as I could. He smiled and pointed back at me and said "THATS RIGHT!" and he threw a pick at me which I still have. Then he started playing. It was a fun moment.
Nice!, I too met Ace. I'm 55 from Australia, Kiss are and especially Ace were my idols as a kid. I 1st saw Kiss in 1980 I was 11. just like you I love Kiss. About 6 years ago Gene came to Australia and Ace was his supporting act. I just had to do the M&G with Ace as he was my childhood hero It cost $600 Aus. They say never meet your heroes. He did not let me down. I was able to bring in one item to get signed, he signed 2 posters I got 3 photos and some other small stuff. he too signed my arm with his full name and the Ace card, and I got it tattooed too. we made small talk about my other tatts and had a few laughs too I was with him for about 5 min I would say. Just like yours It wasn't organised properly, and I was in a panic thinking I just got ripped off as I didn't hear from them until the very last week of the concert. but it all ended up well. I would do another M&G with Ace if he ever comes back to Australia
I had a nice free experience with Metallica around the release of Death Magnetic. They were doing an in-store midnight release signing-thing, and the crew was like "you can take pictures OF the band, but not WITH the band. You can talk to them but you can't shake their hand. You can only get the new record signed" Then when it finally gets to be my turn, James puts his hand out and go "How are you? Nice to meet you!". All of them shook hands except for Kirk, because he was saving his hands for the concert the next day. And Lars signed some extra LPs that a guy brought as well :)
We were at the merch table just as you had the guitar set aside & were still there when the other guy walked up & asked about it. Haha! You should have stuck around instead of going to the movie. There were a lot of great bands! We got comp passes to get a picture with Stephen Pearcy on the 2nd night of Roctember! Not prepared for cold night in Minnesnowta?? Great story!
I actually like these guitars for what they are. Light weight, decent fret work, and hot ceramic pickups. Kids don't know how good they have it these days. But I do think it is stupid that they do these raffle/VIP package/etc. deals with the cheapest guitars possible. I'd pay the price difference for a Gibson SG, Junior, Special, etc. that is a good guitar that comes with a case.
My first concert was KISS Knoxville,Tn 1976. Mom took me and my brother. I was only 11. I had all their stuff/KISS ARMY etc. Later on in the late 80’s I lived in California and me & my gf ran into Ace with a pretty Asian chick in the bar at the Bonaventure hotel. When he and his girlfriend were leaving, I said bye, and he nodded his head and pointed his finger like himself a rockstar! He was Cool!
Met him in the 90's at a convention here in The Netherlands. Can't remember how much you paid for those things, but it was never more than 50 bucks. Everyone there would get an autograph and the guys (Ace, Peter & Vinnie between 1994 and 1996) would do Q&A's and play a couple of songs with the tribute band as well Those were the days man. Really miss those kind of Kiss Conventions.
Hey Zach, J King sent me this, we’re going to Richie Kotzen on the 27th, “my” personal favorite artist ever. I snagged the VIP thing Since it’s at little ol Barnato and the last time I saw him there it was probably only about 50-75 people probably. Hopefully it’ll be cool. I imagine traveling, soundcheck, shows and all they deal with can add up to being stressful and not really think about perspective from another point of view so if he’s not all that into it I won’t let it get to me. Honestly I’m looking forward to having him sign the back of the headstocks on my MIJ Signature RK Tele and RK TransRed Strat. Never thought I’d own the Strat since they are not available outside of the Japanese market without ordering it from a music dealer and getting hit with taxes and import fees that make it not worth it in my opinion. Maybe I’ll see you there if you decide to go. Probably gonna meet up at Justin’s place after the sound check. I got us a table up front
I’ve been a fan of KISS since I first saw the lunch box and Colorforms in 2nd grade in the 70s, but I never saw them live which is one of my biggest regrets. I kept putting it off, putting it off, and they finally came to Peoria on one of the farewell tours, but the tickets were stupid expensive so I passed thinking I would save up for the Chicago or St. Louis show. During that time I kept seeing reviews/clips of how much lip syncing there was and the band may or may not be playing, so I decided not to blow the $$ on that. I definitely should have made time to see them years ago, but live and learn.
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I’m a magician and ace is a fan of magic. So I’m set to meet him sometime soon. He sent me a signed poster. Says keep rocking your magic. I bout lost my mind ! I know when i meet him. Im sure it won’t be as awesome for me as I’d like or imagine. But still cool af that an Og member of KISS acknowledged me!
Sorry he treated you like that. At least you are happy with the guitar and it looks like he did some cool artwork on it. No excuse for treating fans who have paid a lot of money like that though. I met Peter Criss when I was 14 in the early 90s and I idolized him and he was a complete asshole to me and everybody there and it just crushed me. That’s why they say don’t meet your hero’s.
To be fair also hes just old its night time and just did a show he probably just wants to go do his own things lol, i dont care how rude he is i would love to meet him he is the most inspirational guitar player every thats so cool i think the money was well spent 🤘⚡️⚡️
Ace disappoints every KISS fan eventually, mine was the reunion tour in 1996 when he could barely plays play the songs and solos that I had somehow managed to learn by the age of 17. And even in that disappointment, he’s still a legend and always will be.
Met Ace a couple times, best one was, I had a pint of Crown Royal I wanted him to sign, Ace says; "That shit is for people who think the bags are cool". I actually cracked up, and he walked off with my Crown Royal🤔😲🤣😂
I'm sorry to hear you had such a mixed experience. His team should have been better prepared. I've met Ace on 3 separate occasions - twice 2009 and once in 2012. All left much to be desired. The first meeting was at an album signing for Anomaly, which had just come out. The signing took place at the now defunct Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ. Ace was over an hour late arriving and staff continually made excuses for him. When he finally did show up, he waved as he got out of his car and yelled "I'm only an hour late!" before proceeding inside. Then he didn't like how his signing table was set up, so it had to be rearranged. Then, when he finally began signing, they rushed everyone through because he was only supposed to be there for a few hours and he was late. ----------------------------------------------------- The second time in 2009 was at the Monster Mania Convention in Cherry Hill, NJ. I was hoping for a better experience and thought since it was a con he'd be at all weekend, it'd be a more relaxed environment. WRONG! Right before the weekend of the event, the promoter announced that Ace would only be signing Saturday and Sunday because he'd agreed to play a concert IN FLORIDA on Friday night. So, he'd be flying into NJ Saturday morning and coming straight to the con from the airport. Needless to say, he was late. He didn't get to the con until 1 PM (after we'd been lined up since 10 or 11 in the morning) and then needed another hour and a half to get ready for the signing. So 2:30 rolls around and the first lot of us are taken inside to a holding room. Our bags were checked for weapons and then we were filed in to see Ace. His manager John was changing autograph prices on the fly. He literally told the money taker that Ace had decided to charge $30 for albums/photos, $50 for large items and $500 for guitars. This was done on the spot. When I got up to him, he barely acknowledged me and didn't understand my inscription request (a simple "To [my name]"). He was also grouchy and hard of hearing. There was additional drama with him that weekend like backing out of a Q&A panel he was scheduled for and demanding a private elevator him and his entourage. ------------------------------------------------------- In 2012, I had my "KISS Year". During the summer and fall, I had met Gene, Paul and Peter at separate events. They'd all signed an Alive! vinyl for me and wouldn't you know it, Ace was doing another convention in October that was within driving distance. The con was happening on the same weekend as Hurricane Sandy. I'd arrived early and waited for the event to open at 10 AM. Ace had been there since Friday so I thought it'd be an easy "in and out" before the hurricane arrived (and the clouds indicated that would be soon). Well, we get in, I go to the short line forming outside of Ace's room. Other celebrities are already at their tables meeting and greeting. We hear the staff talk amongst themselves that "Ace won't come downstairs until his line is 50 people deep." People in line are growing restless. So finally after 12 PM (when some were prematurely packing up due to the incoming storm), Ace finally arrives. I wondered if he was sober because he was literally being led to his room like a child (trailing behind his manager with his hand on the man's shoulder for guidance) and seemed "off". We were assured by staff "Don't worry, it'll go quick once he starts signing." Well, it was nice of them to prepare us for a lackluster experience. I guess. I get up to Ace and place my album before him. He spends 30 seconds studying it intently, even moving his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose so he could inspect it closer. I thought he was looking for a place to sign it, so I motion towards his feet on the cover. Finally, he puts my album down on the table in a huff of exaggeration and loudly exclaims "WHY THE F*** IS PETER ALWAYS SIGNING OVER MY F****** FACE?!" Peter had signed my vinyl cover right next to his drum kit. Ace, as we know stands in front of Peter's kit on the album cover, so Peter's signature happened to be right on top of Ace. Then he shrugged and quietly signed my album before handing it back to me. While my encounters with Ace make for entertaining stories in hindsight, experiencing them in real time left a lot to be desired.
I met ACE backstage in his RV in Lyndon Washington. Emmy takes a while to contact you, but will message you directly by text.. I got my space helmet signed. I showed up in full astronaut suit. I got two CD's autographed by ACE. STEVEN ADLER BAND WAS AWSOME in Lyndon. It was an honor to meet ACE. ALSO...after the show i waited for a pic from the stage. Scotty threw me a pic. I gave it to a man in an electric scooter. He was disabled. Then Scotty saw me doing that. He then threw me a pic. I got a pic from Scotty....from the stage. He was on point. Kindness rewarded. Got an autographed drum stick from Stephen Adler for my girlfriend. Went to Walgreens and made a poster of my picture of ACE. Great show. Emmy ROCKS!!!!!
Emmy was the highlight of the whole show!! She was very nice and friendly. Had her shit together, it just sucks that she had a horrible team above her that don't go e her any support or information!
I have his original smoking guitar poster still, that was hanging up in my room in the 70's. Always wondered, but never attempted to get him to sign it. After seeing this , I am sure he would charge a lot.
Wow the same experience but mine is 30 years old, He played a show at the Off Ramp here in Seattle and I paid 75.00 or 85.00 for the aftershow meet. I already had Kiss solo album portrait tattooed on me with ace under it that was a direct transfer of his signature from another item. I told only one item allowed to get signed so I brought the 3 LP Originals to get signed but I also had a 8-track of double plat with me just in-case I could get two cause of there uniqueness. To my surprise he complemented me on the originals said he had not see one in years so I showed the 8-track and he laughed said something like you got all the old shit and he did sign both. I showed him my tattoo he said I know i didn't sign that, I told him it was a copy from a copy of Destroyer that I bought secondhand so he offered to sign it so now I have his signature of just Frehley under the tattoo little off centered but it's his and a playing card
I mean, you can go on his website and find a town he's coming to and pay $500 for the meet and greet, or $3500 for the guitar package meet and greet I don't regret doing it, but tailor your expectations down. Because he really wasn't nice and didn't care that I spent the money. He just wanted to go gamble 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
Ace is my favorite member of Kiss by far and also really bad to meet. I've paid for m&g's multiple times to get specific things signed. I need him to complete an Alive II poster. Before I got to him I heard him ask his handler how many more he had to do. I also got his Epiphone guitar signed (luckily when it was "only" $500 for that). He spent the entire 90 seconds asking his handler to find some girl he thought was attractive. The last time he was in town I refused to pay the now $500 price for the m&g but I was hoping to get the solo Alive II poster signed to finished that set. At a convention you could get that done for $75-100. Luckily I had a contact before hand who proposed the $100 offer. No picture, nothing else, just sign my poster for $100. I was told it was fine. After the show the merch person said they changed their mind but I could try giving the poster to someone who was doing the m&g. I was allowed to stand in the vip line and then when his manager, John, saw me, he threw me out of the venue. I'll never pay to meet Ace again.
I have seen Ace a total of 3 times now.: 6/19/2000-Erie, PA…4/27/2023 Jamestown, NY…8/21/2024-North Tonawanda, NY. I never heard or read anything about the VIP events for the latest two. I remember they were $500 just to meet him. I didn’t realize you could bring people with you. The way that you described your interaction with him is about how I imagined him to be. I suppose he becomes tired of the whole thing over time. It sounds like he could have been friendlier but wasn’t the worst either. He and Peter have always been my favorites in KISS. Great videos and channel👏🏼
I've seen Kiss many times. The only time I came close with them was at City Island Harrisburg. That was the era that they ditched the makeup for a while. I was a foot away and got to see all of them. This little lady came running up "Heeeeyyyy". I was like "yeah I know I know." "Hi guys" 😆 Gene pointed at me and smiled. Probably laughing like haha You got busted. That was years ago man, damn.
Sweet and sour story. Hey, i was given a Wayne's World cap as a gift...same exact one. Party on!!! I met every member of KISS except for Ace (ok and Tommy).
Honestly the tattoo is actually pretty cool, nice he didn't just sign with couple of letters. I feel the tattoo is the best thing you got out of it. I suppose the art work on the guitar is worth some too even if it would have been better on a more expensive looking guitar. Sorry you where treated so badly when you payed so much, they should have sent the guitar, so close someone bought it.
Cool video! Glad to met your idol, and have that memory. It does suck spending that much money and him not at least acting like he cares. I’ve done M&G’s with plenty of artists, I’ve had one that was like that, Mötley Crüe. I saw Ace at a small theater back in January. That venue used to be a 1950’s movie theater that had cracks in the walls.. Ace played there, dude I couldn’t believe he even had a show in Frankfort KY. Most the time it’s Louisville or Lexington, but little town of Frankfort? Ace was sloppy as hell, band was good. The show overall was great, I was appreciative to see the legend in person, I’ve not had the chance to see him with KISS. There was probably about 200 people max. It was wild. I’d see him again though.
I'd be pissed off if an idol of mine treated me like that, especially if I'd spent the amount of cash you did. But if you were happy with that, then I'm happy for you.
Man i dont even know what to say bro .... Ace is one of my childhood heroes and i wish he would of been more grateful to fans like yourself that are are willing to spend that kind of money to meet him and buy that guitar btw is killer. I actually got to see him twice solo and once in 96 reunion tour. But the last time back 2016 wife got me tickets to his show and we got there early front row and stood through the opening band so we didn't lose our spot and it was great my wife got one of chris whyse bass picks...Ace threw a pick that hit the palm of my FN hand and i didn't get it lol... Glad you was able to make your childhood dream come true brother! PEACH!!✌️
Thanks for the story!!! I got to meet Ace in 95 for the bad boys tour… if you joined the rock solders fan club for 50 bucks ! He was very nice and cool! He singed my Kisstory book and my buddies Alive! Album!! While he was signing my book I said Ace you can scratch out Gene and Paul’s name if you would like because you are KISS to me!!! He looked at me with a sly smile and gave me a thumbs up!!! He said no we’re gonna leave there names on here!!
I did the meet and greet with ace last year the $500 vip one. I got a little frustrated because i thought the confirmation would come maybe a few days after i bought it. Instead i waited months and even asked someone who i saw also bought and he said the confirmation came actually the day prior to the show. Once i got to the show i think i went too late to the merch boot because what was supposed to be in the bag with stuff i think i was missing a few items. Although when i went in i was the first one to meet him pretty cool experience we had a laugh. His manager is a nimrod thoe lol. I did notice you also said he doesnt shake hands, its obvious he was in a HORRENDOUS attitude. When i first walked in i went for a fist bumo instead he shook my hand after i was about to leave too i didnt even go for a fist bump or anything he just straight up shook my hand again
3500 is a bit too much, but then again maybe it kinda depends how much you love Kiss. I would pay a lot of money for a hand painted by Wes Borland guitar on a cheap Squire, but not sure if I'd go that high. Maybe 2K?
I'm glad you got to meet him, despite all of the stress leading up to it. So did he paint it before or after his show? I think I heard you say it wasn't painted when you first saw it
![Coheed and Cambria - Searching for Tomorrow [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/hDsYGLbmadg/mqdefault.jpg)
Btw. Shush about how I pronounce Ace's last name. I've been saying it that way since I was 10 and it's burned into my brain 🤣🤣🤣
I say it the same damn way LOL there ain't nothing wrong with how you say it
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar so, we should ‘shhh’ to justify your mistake.
Ok.
I got Ace face tattooed on my upper left arm when I was like 14 and was able to hide it from my mom for the next 3-4 years. But I get it brother. I'd love to meet him. He's earned the right to be grumpy I guess haha
I grew up on Ace also. But he acted like an asshole. And I would have told him. “ I spent all this money for your gambling habit. Bye Dick” that kills me he did that. What a prick. I’m glad you got your guitar. Yes dude would have lost.
I say it “Free - Lee”….and that’s the way I say it. And that’s the way it is. 😂
It’s ironic, Ace always claimed Gene and Paul were all about money but what he did speaks volumes about him. Totally unfair but you handled it with class
@chrisdeibel1987 Exactly, I've lost all respect for him it seems Paul was telling the truth the whole time
@@chuckydall9250Hilarious. I guess the whole myriad of people that have problems with Paul and Gene must be lying.
@mr.brenman2132 Slow down there killer you're misunderstanding what I'm saying!! I despise Paul, but Gene is Gene, and he is all about Gene. I have always thought Paul was a asshole and trashed Ace and Peter and a thousand other people. All I'm saying is Paul said Ace was rude to fans, crew members, and hotel staff, and it looks like he is telling the truth.
@@chuckydall9250 I've only heard the opposite from fans and crew members. You can get this experience from Paul and Gene for 50k. I don't think Ace is even with it anymore. It wouldn't surprise me if he has been diagnosed with something and hasn't told the public. He's not running this whole operation.
"there's a sucker born every minute".
-Ace Freely
Having done it myself; Meeting ace should come with no expectation. It’s the only way to not be disappointed.
Lmao. That's what I told my wife
😂😂😂😂
So you paid 5k to be treated like shit by a guy you idolize sad. I'm glad you're not bitter about the experience, but I have lost all respect for Ace after hearing this. He knows you paid big money for this he can at least fake that he is a good guy and treat you with respect. I got to meet Jimmy Page when I was a waiter years ago, and I have to say he was the most humble decent guy he actually took 10 minutes out of his fay to talk to me while he was waiting on his daughter he knew it meant a lot to me so he went out of his way to be nice Ace could take sone class lessons from Jimmy.
Ya know, I kind of expected it. Like, I've heard ace is not the nicest person in the world to be around and he's old. I just wanted to meet him. I will say that I wish I wouldn't have spent the money to be honest. Big disappointment, but not much I can do about it now. I just laugh because, it's almost what I expected for the most part. But, it was actually still better than the Vai/Satch "meet and greet/q and A"
That was the absolute worst experience I've ever had, and I only paid $700 for that
Dude... you're so relatable and hilarious! 😂
Much appreciated 🙏🙏 Glad you dig the story 💪
Ace is mean and bitter to a lot of people
:/
I have been a big Ace fan for several decades. I think for $3500 Ace should have should have treated you better. Ace needs to realize how hard it is for a person in the real world to come up with $3500.
You're absolutely right! 2 mortgage payments 👀👀👀
Not Ace's fault hes not gonna a see a dime of that money ,, all TicketMasturbater dose is tell Ace he has sign a guitar and do a photo opp he has to do it its in his contract ,,Ace is lucky if he makes 2,000 for the whole show TicketMasturbater gets the rest ,,Musician's get fucked by these corporations but what can they do as TicketMasturbater has a monopoly on the market ,
For 3500 he should have jammed a couple songs together and traded t-shirts and brought you to dinner and take you gambling and give you coke and hookers after the bars closed.
For $3500 Ace should have been kissing your ass!!
Ace had gambling to do. He obviously has no respect for money or what it takes to earn it.
I met Ace in 2015 while he was on the Space Invader tour in NZ. He was my idol growing up. I can't remember the VIP price, but I think it was about $500 NZD and it came with a VIP tshirt, lanyard, a set of picks and he signed a Space Invader poster in front of you and you could bring one item for him to sign, so I naturally brought my Kiss Ace solo vinyl and he wrote 'To Matt' and signed it which is badass, I still have it all framed and also I was front row and he dropped a pick on stage and I tried to lean over and grab it but couldn't quite reach (tiny venue) so he kicked it over to me which was badass.
All that was cool, but meeting him was weird, because he was my idol and same thing, he was just keen to get it all over with. My whole calf has a big Ace tattoo of him playing a solo with smoke pouring out of his guitar and I showed him and he just glanced at it and didn't really say anything haha. It was my one and only meet and greet but the gig itself was incredible, especially being in such a tiny venue I could literally reach out and touch him lol and had to keep dodging Richie Scarlet's guitar because he was moving around like crazy.
Ace is one of my all time fav guitarists, but I wouldn't pay him 2 cents for an autograph or a handshake
@@Jasonsg1210 Why?
@@scottwalmer9248 Scott, these are tough economic times, bro- Jason's limit for autographs and handshakes is 1 cent. Inflation dude, come on.
@@charlielack8359 I understand. I saved for three years to see ACE, but it is very expensive, and I went over budget. I will agree there should be more goodies and time for the money. Keep rockin' . Respect, Scott🛡️
I though his autograph tattoo was pretty cool.
Cool story!!! Who cares what the guitar is "worth". It's priceless to you.
Ex-zach-ly!! 🙏🙏🙏
Met Ace in 1994 in my hometown, Bangor, Maine. Had established myself as a diehard KISS fan for years though I was still in high school, and turned my best friend into a KISS fan. He and I camped ourselves outside of the rock club that he was playing in that night all day long. We were too young to go inside and attend the show. About an hour and a half before the show was to start we saw a van pull up and a few guys jump out. It hit me that Ace was one of the guys but he had already walked in as I realized. A few minutes later a van from the local rock station pulled up. They were looking for parking but couldn’t find a spot. The driver asked us if we knew who was parked “right there.” I responded “yeah, why?” They explained that they wanted to park there. I told them that we’d move but it would cost them the chance for us to meet Ace. They looked puzzled. I furthered that we were too young to attend the show. The driver asked us to watch the van for a moment. A female came out shortly afterwards and said “you guys are in luck, he’ll meet you.” We moved my buddy’s car and met the gal who walked us in. Ace was sitting in a chair after having done some finger exercises with one of his guitars. We shook his hand and were blown away by the fact that his hand was huge - we’re talking a grown man’s hand. I had brought in a bunch of old KISS cards, which he signed without any complaints. He asked if we were going to come check out the show. We told him that we were too young. He yelled out “hey, get these fellas some fake IDs!” We laughed and that was that. We thanked him for his time. As we were leaving Ace goes, “hey curly.” We turned around and Ace handed over his guitar pick to my friend. Being the diehard fan for longer, I was bummed. I asked if he had another (for me). He pat his pockets (without much effort as if he was looking) and goes “no, sorry.” We walked out and were both on cloud 9.
I played in the Canadian Kiss tribute band Alive for several years-back in the early 90’s we did a Toronto fan convention and Ace appeared (he later jammed with us). He was signing things for fans, as long as they made a donation to a cancer fund (The Eric Carr cancer fund, I believe ). Anyway, the line up went outside the club and down the block-people waited in the freezing cold weather for literal hours to get in. And this one kid-God, I feel terrible telling this story-finally got to the table and handed Ace his 1978 solo album to sign. I was onstage behind them, adjusting the drum kit, and I heard the kid gasp in shock and say ‘You bastard!’ to which Ace cackled laughing.
Turns out he had signed the kid’s record ‘To Fatso, love Ace’
Unreal. Yet…very real.
Ace is a mixed bag: I’ve met him several times and he can be funny and engaging…when he WANTS to be. Otherwise, he’s morose and grumpy and treats fans like they’re an inconvenience. Sorry you had a bad experience-the guitar looks cool as hell, though. Cheers!🎉
😅😅😅
Ace once gave me a thumbs up. My father used to work maintenance at the Summit in Houston, TX. Kiss played there in 1977. My dad used to bring me to work with him all the time. I would run all around the Summit, sitting in the seats, skateboarding down the hallways. I watched them change the floor for basketball games, the circus and hockey games. Kiss comes in for a sound check, no makeup. My dad takes me up on the catwalk high above the stage. They play a few seconds of I Stole your Love and Take Me. Peter isn’t there, I guess a roadie is filling in, it definitely wasn’t Peter. They stop playing and Ace walks over to the side and talks to someone. He’s directly below me and my dad. I yell Ace!! Didn’t hear me, I yell again and he trying to figure out where that voice is coming from. I yell again and the guy he was talking to points up at us. I wave at him and he raises his arm and gives me a thumbs up. I was only 13 at the time. My dad took me and a friend to the concert that night. We sat in a sky box way up at the top.
That's awesome! Something you remember forever :)
Funny enough thats the time ace was actually quirky. He was probably thinking in his head whos calling me!??? I can see it in my head him laughing
I used to work for KISS, in the 90-2015 on & off. Ace was a nightmare.
Yea, I can imagine!
Yep. Gene and Paul were always very cool even to my son. Did one show with Peter and I laid on the compliments pretty thick so he was pretty cool with me, lol. Ace didn’t even try.
Nightmare how?
Didn't get to meet him, but just seen him a few weeks ago in Franklin Ohio. Had the best seats in the house. Finally getting to see him play was a dream come true man. 🤟
Elaborate please
I met Duff from GnR once randomly at a bodega in NYC. Super cool guy, chatted for a bit and got his photo with me too. Cost: $0 and priceless memory for me :)
Duff is a notoriously cool and friendly guy. All genuine, not fake at all.
@@AlanE5150-cd5xs 100% confirmed. I was in awe too LOL
Met Duff as well. Very deluxe dude. Down to earth type guy. Same with George Lynch. Ran into him years ago at a guitar shop. He actually showed me how to play some riffs. Same guitar shop had Pride and Glory play in their back parking lot. Zakk Wylde hung out with all of us and drank some beer for like hour. Nice guy really.
@@tone1798 wow, such great luck meeting these guys!
Amazing!
They say don’t ever meet your heroes….
🥹🥹🥹
EXACTLY !!
Meet Anti-Hero like Vinnie Vincent, Corey Feldman instead 😆
I met Ace and the Frehley's Comet band in the summer of 87. He was promoting his solo album which was brand new. They were really cool, he wasn't "short" with people back then. And the best part was it didn't cost me a penny. I still have the autographed flat of the album signed by all 4 band members. Ace is one of my all time favorite guitarist.
I first heard Ace when Casey Casey played RnR All Night on AM radio….that was probably 1973, maybe 1974. In the scheme of the world, my opinion means very little, but he has been my number one influence for 50 years. I would never pay to see anyone in person and not even Ace. His painting on the guitar is very cool.
Thank you for the comment!! Fellow Ace inspiration 💪
Met Ace at a book signing in Phoenix. No photos were allowed (why?). He stuck out his hand and said, "Merry Christmas, Man." I shook his hand--he smiled and chuckled. It's a good memory, but no photo to document it.
I did the Ace meet and greet for $500. He signed my Ace KISS solo record. Wrote NY Groove on it. Got a picture. Loved it. I'm not a guitar player but like you I'm a KISS fanatic from childhood. Great story.
Hey Zach. Glad you have a positive attitude towards your Ace experience despite all the negative vibes Ace was giving out. My 14 yo son and I met him earlier this year at a signing at Sam Ash in NYC for the release of 10,000 Volts. We waited on line for about 4 hours in the freezing cold. He barely acknowledged us and my son greeted him at his table and got no response, not even a glance from the spaceman. I didn't expect much from him personally based on his reputation with fans but my son was really disappointed and told me " Daddy...He's a POS." I couldn't disagree. As they say... "Never meet your heroes."
Damn. sorry to your son 😭
Zach; you are funny!! You should try comedy ( i was genuinely cracking up ). Anyway, yes meeting your heros is generally a...🦉freakin surreal thang. @Ce is definitely a character.
I got to meet Ace Frehley at guitar center in Danbury. He was playing that night and leslie west from Mountain was there. I actually got to spend quite a bit of time with him walking around. He asked me lots of questions about what kind of guitar I had and what equipment I used. He was looking at some of the guitars there and asked me what I would buy. I politely told him I am in college so window shopping only but if I could there would be a few guitars that interested me. I went out into the lobby with him and asked for his autograph (he was hanging out with his then girlfriend or whatever she was to him) and he happily signed. I then remembered my brother was a huge Kiss fan and actually got me into them so I asked for his autograph for my brother. He laughed at me because I grabbed a bus map of Danbury and asked him to sign that because I had nothing else. He laughed and said some sister you are LOL! Maybe because he wasn't doing a meet and greet he was more relaxed? I don't know (or maybe he was wasted it was in the early 90's) I remember telling him about problems I was having in college at the time being in the music program and being the only guitarist and he encouraged me to continue and ignore the idiots. I think that will be a good enough memory for me and have no desire to pay for a meet and greet now. It seems he doesn't want to do it but needs to probably to pay the bills. It was amazingly cool though and I will never forget how kind he was to me especially because when I first met him I cried. I just remember him saying hey don't cry!! LOL ! It definitely was a cool night!
That's badass!
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar by the way I subscribed today!
$3,500 could have gotten you a nice Gibson Les Paul or Music Man guitar. Oh well.
Luckily I get music man guitars at half price, being endorsed. 🙏🙏🙏
But, on a separate note. The 3500 was worth it to me.
I’m still waiting for an autographed Ace picture I bought from his website in February 2023. Every few months I e-mail “his people” asking about it, and every time it’s a different excuse.
Your story literally sent a surge of energy right to the tip of my manhood!
Seriously, it was good to hear that your experience with 70+ year old Ace was a positive encounter. As an aging musician and fan I completely understand both sides of your great experience.
It was hit or miss. I understand he is who he is. Wish it could have been a little more friendly on his side. But, it is what it is
@ZachAdkinsGuitar If you were his age you'd probably see it much better from his perspective. You will remember it more vividly because of the struggle.
I met Ace in Washington Square park in NYC back in 1981. The coolest part was he was hanging with Joey Ramone
Man you have a wicked sense of humor. That is so cool you got to do what you have always wanted to do. Great story. ACE is the man!
Thank you! I try to just go with it most of the time :)
I’m 63 I grew up in the day, all the bands back in the 70’s. I like everyone else that says he inspired me to play in the band and play guitar, which is very true. Thanks for your video and your experiences. You were great, especially when you told the guy you’d fight for the guitar in the parking lot .he would lose.😊 so cool
On my third time meeting him; he shook my hand, signed my arm (thats tatted on ) , & talked a minute with no problem. Only issue was that he was still a total prick as always. 😂. But, total hats off to his manager John Ostronomy who was beyond cool. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I was very down in my lower back and he looked out for me. 👍😎🎸
Great story man. Congrats! I met Ace years ago when his book came out... i was the last one and he basically signed the book...told his people he wanted to leave... then told me to leave a review of his book on his website... got up and left hahaha i wasn't surprised at the experience ha
I think tailoring your expectations is the best when meeting him lol
I met my idol Max cavrlara of soulfly. On the cruise. Was nervous. But was cool. Ever since then. He remembers me. I have helped his band out. A half dozen times. Loading in
That's badass!
Met ace last summer in July. He had played an outdoor show that was very hot and was clearly exhausted. Not the nicest dude I’ve ever met but didn’t really do anything out of the way rude. Signed a custom sticker that I had made with pics of him and some other guitar players I like together. Put it on a guitar I built so it’s something I can treasure forever. As a huge ace freak it was special but to say he was superbly nice would not be truthful haha
That's a good description. Happy you have some cool stuff to have with you forever!!
I met Ace around 99 or 2000 when he came to LAPD Pacific station to bail out his girlfriend who got snatched up for buying drugs in Venice. Didn’t cost me a dime. True story BTW.
Met Ace at a show back in 2019 and we shook hands......
God dang it!!
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar I had somewhat of a different experience. Ace joked with me when I sat down beside him. He was curious about my name and couldn't remember where he heard it before. When I was done he actually extended his hand out to shake mine. I told him nice show and he said thanks.
The artwork on that guitar is pretty sick. The way he drew Jupiter is awesome. $3500 is probably what KISS got paid for their first record deal.
That's probably true
I also did Ace meet and greet. He treated me like an inconvenience. I'm 58 and been a kiss fan since 1975. He is rude and could care less how much I spent to meet my hero. I will never again spend a dime on anything to do with kiss . Sorry bro he got you to
Appreciate your brutal honesty and realistic expectations. Kiss, they're like my crazy uncles, I don't necessarily like them, but I love them. each one has been a total dick to the others at some point. I don't really need to know about them slagging each other off. I met Gene once and he was incredibly nice, sincere, really present, was concerned, did I enjoy the show, just emanated genuine-ness, he doesn't always come off that way in interviews with journalists, and anyone can have a bad day, but I thought I'd be cool, but when it was my turn to get his signature on one of his books, I turned into a stupid 14 year old boy again briefly, telling him when I was 14 it was Not cool to be a Kiss fan, going to a Yeshiva, we're both Jewish bassists, so we have something in common, I was talking too fast, and he was like "slow down cowboy!" lol. he calmed me down, I regained my cool, we had a nice little chat. would not have paid 3 grand to meet anyone, except probably Kate Bush, but she wouldn't do that anyway. I don't agree with everything he says, but he's done far more good than harm in the world. this band will never get the respect they deserve for what they achieved. inspired tens of thousands of people to become musicians. boosted instrument sales, helped the economy, and entertained like no one else, hardest working band in show biz. and wrote some killer classic rock tunes, as good as anything by Zep.
I attended an 80s rock festival in South Florida a few years ago. It had 2 stages that played simultaneously. I skipped seeing winger to stand off to the side of the front row for Sebastian Bach, (outdoor grass venue) then after his set was done, moved up to front and waited 30 mins for Ace Frehleys set to begin. After some time in his set, you know he does this little monologuing before he starts a song. He had his sparkle blue les paul on (I knew he used it for shock me) . Ace said into the mic "You know this world is fuckin crazy, but after all these years you know what it really does?" and 2 seconds later I was the only one in the silent crowd and I pointed at Ace and said "Shock me!" as loud as I could. He smiled and pointed back at me and said "THATS RIGHT!" and he threw a pick at me which I still have. Then he started playing. It was a fun moment.
I would not allow any one to treat me like dirt like Ace. He looked really impressed to meet you. Have some self respect and dignity.
😭😭
Nice!, I too met Ace. I'm 55 from Australia, Kiss are and especially Ace were my idols as a kid. I 1st saw Kiss in 1980 I was 11. just like you I love Kiss. About 6 years ago Gene came to Australia and Ace was his supporting act. I just had to do the M&G with Ace as he was my childhood hero It cost $600 Aus.
They say never meet your heroes.
He did not let me down. I was able to bring in one item to get signed, he signed 2 posters I got 3 photos and some other small stuff. he too signed my arm with his full name and the Ace card, and I got it tattooed too. we made small talk about my other tatts and had a few laughs too I was with him for about 5 min I would say.
Just like yours It wasn't organised properly, and I was in a panic thinking I just got ripped off as I didn't hear from them until the very last week of the concert. but it all ended up well.
I would do another M&G with Ace if he ever comes back to Australia
The only meet and greet I've done was with "Weird Al" Yankovic. Free, twice. Amazingly nice guy, humble, shy. A great experience.
I am happy to be born and living in Europe, I saw Kiss in 1997, but there are just another band here.
I had a nice free experience with Metallica around the release of Death Magnetic. They were doing an in-store midnight release signing-thing, and the crew was like "you can take pictures OF the band, but not WITH the band. You can talk to them but you can't shake their hand. You can only get the new record signed"
Then when it finally gets to be my turn, James puts his hand out and go "How are you? Nice to meet you!". All of them shook hands except for Kirk, because he was saving his hands for the concert the next day.
And Lars signed some extra LPs that a guy brought as well :)
We were at the merch table just as you had the guitar set aside & were still there when the other guy walked up & asked about it. Haha! You should have stuck around instead of going to the movie. There were a lot of great bands! We got comp passes to get a picture with Stephen Pearcy on the 2nd night of Roctember! Not prepared for cold night in Minnesnowta?? Great story!
Haha that's awesome. Sorry we didn't get to meet!!
Once again you are spot on!!!!.....I feel for you buddy!
Cool story. I once brought my wife and my girlfriend to meet Ace and along with family. Good experience.
I actually like these guitars for what they are. Light weight, decent fret work, and hot ceramic pickups. Kids don't know how good they have it these days. But I do think it is stupid that they do these raffle/VIP package/etc. deals with the cheapest guitars possible. I'd pay the price difference for a Gibson SG, Junior, Special, etc. that is a good guitar that comes with a case.
Love how excited you are to meet Ace! Great story!
That story was cool .
I had ACE fall in top of me at the lime light in N.Y.C
As he was about to fist bump me lol it was funny 😅
Great..you got your "Im not worthy" moment
Awesome story. Congratulations on that sweet guitar.
Thanks!
Awesome story thoroughly enjoyed it
Thank you!
Dude Molly hatchet is amazing! You definitely need to check out more of there stuff dude. They were killer in their day.
I will!
Damn straight! Gator lovin'
My first concert was KISS Knoxville,Tn 1976. Mom took me and my brother. I was only 11. I had all their stuff/KISS ARMY etc. Later on in the late 80’s I lived in California and me & my gf ran into Ace with a pretty Asian chick in the bar at the Bonaventure hotel. When he and his girlfriend were leaving, I said bye, and he nodded his head and pointed his finger like himself a rockstar! He was Cool!
That's awesome!
I love how when Ace is insulting you love it i would feel the same !!!
Hahaha. He's still my hero 🤣🤣
Met him in the 90's at a convention here in The Netherlands. Can't remember how much you paid for those things, but it was never more than 50 bucks. Everyone there would get an autograph and the guys (Ace, Peter & Vinnie between 1994 and 1996) would do Q&A's and play a couple of songs with the tribute band as well Those were the days man. Really miss those kind of Kiss Conventions.
Oh yes, I remember those......
@@frankkuth5635 Yeah lots of stuff went wrong at those as well, but at least they didn't cost an arm and a leg.
Wish I could have been there!
I was like 5 😭😭
True!
I like your story glad you got to some what enjoy it. Take care
Thanks for the comment!
Well done well done indeed throw some PAF’s in there and locking tuners and you have a custom custom epiphone
Super custom!
Zach, all I can say is that you deserve the future...good luck.👍
Sounds like Ace was typical Ace ! 🤣😂 You probably would have been disappointed if he was someone else.....a nice guy. Congrats man !
Hey Zach, J King sent me this, we’re going to Richie Kotzen on the 27th, “my” personal favorite artist ever. I snagged the VIP thing Since it’s at little ol Barnato and the last time I saw him there it was probably only about 50-75 people probably. Hopefully it’ll be cool. I imagine traveling, soundcheck, shows and all they deal with can add up to being stressful and not really think about perspective from another point of view so if he’s not all that into it I won’t let it get to me. Honestly I’m looking forward to having him sign the back of the headstocks on my MIJ Signature RK Tele and RK TransRed Strat. Never thought I’d own the Strat since they are not available outside of the Japanese market without ordering it from a music dealer and getting hit with taxes and import fees that make it not worth it in my opinion. Maybe I’ll see you there if you decide to go. Probably gonna meet up at Justin’s place after the sound check. I got us a table up front
I’ve been a fan of KISS since I first saw the lunch box and Colorforms in 2nd grade in the 70s, but I never saw them live which is one of my biggest regrets. I kept putting it off, putting it off, and they finally came to Peoria on one of the farewell tours, but the tickets were stupid expensive so I passed thinking I would save up for the Chicago or St. Louis show. During that time I kept seeing reviews/clips of how much lip syncing there was and the band may or may not be playing, so I decided not to blow the $$ on that. I definitely should have made time to see them years ago, but live and learn.
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good story....thanks for sharing...all hail KISS...all hail Ace.....sigh....
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Thanks for sharing bud, cool story
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I’m a magician and ace is a fan of magic. So I’m set to meet him sometime soon. He sent me a signed poster. Says keep rocking your magic. I bout lost my mind ! I know when i meet him. Im sure it won’t be as awesome for me as I’d like or imagine. But still cool af that an Og member of KISS acknowledged me!
I garuntee you. The motherfucker will want money. He is a sick man.
Absolutely!! Magic was my first love before guitar 🙏🙏
Sorry he treated you like that. At least you are happy with the guitar and it looks like he did some cool artwork on it. No excuse for treating fans who have paid a lot of money like that though. I met Peter Criss when I was 14 in the early 90s and I idolized him and he was a complete asshole to me and everybody there and it just crushed me. That’s why they say don’t meet your hero’s.
Yea I've heard stories about Peter and experienced it first hand
To be fair also hes just old its night time and just did a show he probably just wants to go do his own things lol, i dont care how rude he is i would love to meet him he is the most inspirational guitar player every thats so cool i think the money was well spent 🤘⚡️⚡️
It was cool. He's awesome. And it wasn't what I wanted, but I'm happy I had the means to be able to meet him and it's a checkmark on my bucket list 💪💪
You don't care if people you just gave thousands to are rude to you? Leave Ace's Jonestown cult now!!
Dude I met him and he totally shook my hand . But I was the only one . I think cause I said happy birthday and congrats on the hall of fame .
I love it bro….all round. Your experience, your humor, and love of Ace ! Very cool.
Met Ace before he was pretty cool. Also met Paul at his book signing. Going to meet Peter tomorrow
Let me know how it goes meeting peter!!!
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar 👍sure will
Ace disappoints every KISS fan eventually, mine was the reunion tour in 1996 when he could barely plays play the songs and solos that I had somehow managed to learn by the age of 17. And even in that disappointment, he’s still a legend and always will be.
Unfortunately. The more I hear about him, the more it seems to be the case!
Met Ace a couple times, best one was, I had a pint of Crown Royal I wanted him to sign, Ace says; "That shit is for people who think the bags are cool". I actually cracked up, and he walked off with my Crown Royal🤔😲🤣😂
I'm sorry to hear you had such a mixed experience. His team should have been better prepared. I've met Ace on 3 separate occasions - twice 2009 and once in 2012. All left much to be desired.
The first meeting was at an album signing for Anomaly, which had just come out. The signing took place at the now defunct Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ. Ace was over an hour late arriving and staff continually made excuses for him. When he finally did show up, he waved as he got out of his car and yelled "I'm only an hour late!" before proceeding inside. Then he didn't like how his signing table was set up, so it had to be rearranged. Then, when he finally began signing, they rushed everyone through because he was only supposed to be there for a few hours and he was late.
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The second time in 2009 was at the Monster Mania Convention in Cherry Hill, NJ. I was hoping for a better experience and thought since it was a con he'd be at all weekend, it'd be a more relaxed environment. WRONG! Right before the weekend of the event, the promoter announced that Ace would only be signing Saturday and Sunday because he'd agreed to play a concert IN FLORIDA on Friday night. So, he'd be flying into NJ Saturday morning and coming straight to the con from the airport.
Needless to say, he was late. He didn't get to the con until 1 PM (after we'd been lined up since 10 or 11 in the morning) and then needed another hour and a half to get ready for the signing. So 2:30 rolls around and the first lot of us are taken inside to a holding room. Our bags were checked for weapons and then we were filed in to see Ace.
His manager John was changing autograph prices on the fly. He literally told the money taker that Ace had decided to charge $30 for albums/photos, $50 for large items and $500 for guitars. This was done on the spot. When I got up to him, he barely acknowledged me and didn't understand my inscription request (a simple "To [my name]"). He was also grouchy and hard of hearing. There was additional drama with him that weekend like backing out of a Q&A panel he was scheduled for and demanding a private elevator him and his entourage.
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In 2012, I had my "KISS Year". During the summer and fall, I had met Gene, Paul and Peter at separate events. They'd all signed an Alive! vinyl for me and wouldn't you know it, Ace was doing another convention in October that was within driving distance.
The con was happening on the same weekend as Hurricane Sandy. I'd arrived early and waited for the event to open at 10 AM. Ace had been there since Friday so I thought it'd be an easy "in and out" before the hurricane arrived (and the clouds indicated that would be soon). Well, we get in, I go to the short line forming outside of Ace's room. Other celebrities are already at their tables meeting and greeting. We hear the staff talk amongst themselves that "Ace won't come downstairs until his line is 50 people deep." People in line are growing restless. So finally after 12 PM (when some were prematurely packing up due to the incoming storm), Ace finally arrives.
I wondered if he was sober because he was literally being led to his room like a child (trailing behind his manager with his hand on the man's shoulder for guidance) and seemed "off". We were assured by staff "Don't worry, it'll go quick once he starts signing." Well, it was nice of them to prepare us for a lackluster experience. I guess. I get up to Ace and place my album before him. He spends 30 seconds studying it intently, even moving his sunglasses to the bridge of his nose so he could inspect it closer. I thought he was looking for a place to sign it, so I motion towards his feet on the cover. Finally, he puts my album down on the table in a huff of exaggeration and loudly exclaims "WHY THE F*** IS PETER ALWAYS SIGNING OVER MY F****** FACE?!"
Peter had signed my vinyl cover right next to his drum kit. Ace, as we know stands in front of Peter's kit on the album cover, so Peter's signature happened to be right on top of Ace.
Then he shrugged and quietly signed my album before handing it back to me.
While my encounters with Ace make for entertaining stories in hindsight, experiencing them in real time left a lot to be desired.
Love these stories!! Thank you for the comment. Ace is still my favorite, it is what it is
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar Hopefully you'll get to meet Peter some day. He's the polar opposite of Ace - appreciative, humble and kind.
I met ACE backstage in his RV in Lyndon Washington. Emmy takes a while to contact you, but will message you directly by text.. I got my space helmet signed. I showed up in full astronaut suit. I got two CD's autographed by ACE. STEVEN ADLER BAND WAS AWSOME in Lyndon. It was an honor to meet ACE. ALSO...after the show i waited for a pic from the stage. Scotty threw me a pic. I gave it to a man in an electric scooter. He was disabled. Then Scotty saw me doing that. He then threw me a pic. I got a pic from Scotty....from the stage. He was on point. Kindness rewarded. Got an autographed drum stick from Stephen Adler for my girlfriend. Went to Walgreens and made a poster of my picture of ACE. Great show. Emmy ROCKS!!!!!
Emmy was the highlight of the whole show!! She was very nice and friendly. Had her shit together, it just sucks that she had a horrible team above her that don't go e her any support or information!
Steven
@@AssarKask-kp6uo Thanks. Typo. Fixed it👍👍🧑🚀
I have his original smoking guitar poster still, that was hanging up in my room in the 70's. Always wondered, but never attempted to get him to sign it. After seeing this , I am sure he would charge a lot.
Wow the same experience but mine is 30 years old, He played a show at the Off Ramp here in Seattle and I paid 75.00 or 85.00 for the aftershow meet. I already had Kiss solo album portrait tattooed on me with ace under it that was a direct transfer of his signature from another item. I told only one item allowed to get signed so I brought the 3 LP Originals to get signed but I also had a 8-track of double plat with me just in-case I could get two cause of there uniqueness. To my surprise he complemented me on the originals said he had not see one in years so I showed the 8-track and he laughed said something like you got all the old shit and he did sign both. I showed him my tattoo he said I know i didn't sign that, I told him it was a copy from a copy of Destroyer that I bought secondhand so he offered to sign it so now I have his signature of just Frehley under the tattoo little off centered but it's his and a playing card
How do you arrange that? My 6yr old daughter Salem LOVES Ace and I would want to do this for her
I mean, you can go on his website and find a town he's coming to and pay $500 for the meet and greet, or $3500 for the guitar package meet and greet
I don't regret doing it, but tailor your expectations down. Because he really wasn't nice and didn't care that I spent the money. He just wanted to go gamble 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
@@ZachAdkinsGuitar Thank you! Much appreciated
Ace is my favorite member of Kiss by far and also really bad to meet. I've paid for m&g's multiple times to get specific things signed. I need him to complete an Alive II poster. Before I got to him I heard him ask his handler how many more he had to do.
I also got his Epiphone guitar signed (luckily when it was "only" $500 for that). He spent the entire 90 seconds asking his handler to find some girl he thought was attractive.
The last time he was in town I refused to pay the now $500 price for the m&g but I was hoping to get the solo Alive II poster signed to finished that set. At a convention you could get that done for $75-100. Luckily I had a contact before hand who proposed the $100 offer. No picture, nothing else, just sign my poster for $100. I was told it was fine. After the show the merch person said they changed their mind but I could try giving the poster to someone who was doing the m&g. I was allowed to stand in the vip line and then when his manager, John, saw me, he threw me out of the venue. I'll never pay to meet Ace again.
Damn dude...
I have seen Ace a total of 3 times now.: 6/19/2000-Erie, PA…4/27/2023 Jamestown, NY…8/21/2024-North Tonawanda, NY.
I never heard or read anything about the VIP events for the latest two. I remember they were $500 just to meet him. I didn’t realize you could bring people with you. The way that you described your interaction with him is about how I imagined him to be. I suppose he becomes tired of the whole thing over time. It sounds like he could have been friendlier but wasn’t the worst either. He and Peter have always been my favorites in KISS.
Great videos and channel👏🏼
Thanks so much!! Hope you sub and watch some more :)
The Ace tattoo is worth it if you’re a fan. How many people have that?Great story.
Must be your age, but Molly Hatchet was huge in the late 70's. All the original guys have passed on, so don't know who is using the name now.
I'm not sure either. It's some super young singer guy. They did fine, I should probably consider listening to them more.
Zach "we will fight in the parking lot and you will lose" Adkins.
🫡😂😂😂 hell yea
Let's face it you got taken....with Ace.....I've met him many of times.....
I've seen Kiss many times. The only time I came close with them was at City Island Harrisburg. That was the era that they ditched the makeup for a while. I was a foot away and got to see all of them. This little lady came running up "Heeeeyyyy". I was like "yeah I know I know." "Hi guys" 😆 Gene pointed at me and smiled. Probably laughing like haha You got busted. That was years ago man, damn.
Dude that was a Great story and a GREAT rendition of Love Gun... Your 3500 helped entertain me while I watched your video. Thanks
Thank you!! Didn't take too long to program the bass and drums and record the guitar 💪💪
Cool!
I saw some recent videos of Ace playing and i wouldn't pay a dollar to even go to a concert.
Yes, the show I went to wasn't horrible. But it's not the best either of
Memory of a killer time...very cool!
It was cool, wish he would have been more excited about it all 🤣🤣
Saw ace frehley on frehley comet tour. Back in the 80s lmao.
I bet that was sweet
Sweet and sour story. Hey, i was given a Wayne's World cap as a gift...same exact one. Party on!!! I met every member of KISS except for Ace (ok and Tommy).
Great story and experience. The Guitar Art- someone would pay 5/6 K for- amazing 👊
It's cool art, for sure. Super grateful!
Honestly the tattoo is actually pretty cool, nice he didn't just sign with couple of letters. I feel the tattoo is the best thing you got out of it. I suppose the art work on the guitar is worth some too even if it would have been better on a more expensive looking guitar. Sorry you where treated so badly when you payed so much, they should have sent the guitar, so close someone bought it.
".. and you would have lost" hilarious 😂
🤣🤣🤣
Cool video! Glad to met your idol, and have that memory. It does suck spending that much money and him not at least acting like he cares. I’ve done M&G’s with plenty of artists, I’ve had one that was like that, Mötley Crüe.
I saw Ace at a small theater back in January. That venue used to be a 1950’s movie theater that had cracks in the walls.. Ace played there, dude I couldn’t believe he even had a show in Frankfort KY. Most the time it’s Louisville or Lexington, but little town of Frankfort? Ace was sloppy as hell, band was good. The show overall was great, I was appreciative to see the legend in person, I’ve not had the chance to see him with KISS. There was probably about 200 people max. It was wild. I’d see him again though.
I have to admit that I expected the tattoo to be way worse, but it looks really awesome.
The guy did an amazing job!!
Nope, I agree 100% if they are charging insane money they should provide great results
I'd be pissed off if an idol of mine treated me like that, especially if I'd spent the amount of cash you did.
But if you were happy with that, then I'm happy for you.
Man i dont even know what to say bro .... Ace is one of my childhood heroes and i wish he would of been more grateful to fans like yourself that are are willing to spend that kind of money to meet him and buy that guitar btw is killer. I actually got to see him twice solo and once in 96 reunion tour. But the last time back 2016 wife got me tickets to his show and we got there early front row and stood through the opening band so we didn't lose our spot and it was great my wife got one of chris whyse bass picks...Ace threw a pick that hit the palm of my FN hand and i didn't get it lol... Glad you was able to make your childhood dream come true brother! PEACH!!✌️
Thank you man! Love your story 🙏🙏
If you go in expected to be treated like shit then it was definitely a win 🤣🤣💪💪
Thanks for the story!!! I got to meet Ace in 95 for the bad boys tour… if you joined the rock solders fan club for 50 bucks ! He was very nice and cool! He singed my Kisstory book and my buddies Alive! Album!! While he was signing my book I said Ace you can scratch out Gene and Paul’s name if you would like because you are KISS to me!!! He looked at me with a sly smile and gave me a thumbs up!!! He said no we’re gonna leave there names on here!!
@g-man-uz3gx lucky!!
I did the meet and greet with ace last year the $500 vip one. I got a little frustrated because i thought the confirmation would come maybe a few days after i bought it. Instead i waited months and even asked someone who i saw also bought and he said the confirmation came actually the day prior to the show. Once i got to the show i think i went too late to the merch boot because what was supposed to be in the bag with stuff i think i was missing a few items. Although when i went in i was the first one to meet him pretty cool experience we had a laugh. His manager is a nimrod thoe lol. I did notice you also said he doesnt shake hands, its obvious he was in a HORRENDOUS attitude. When i first walked in i went for a fist bumo instead he shook my hand after i was about to leave too i didnt even go for a fist bump or anything he just straight up shook my hand again
3500 is a bit too much, but then again maybe it kinda depends how much you love Kiss. I would pay a lot of money for a hand painted by Wes Borland guitar on a cheap Squire, but not sure if I'd go that high. Maybe 2K?
I'm glad you got to meet him, despite all of the stress leading up to it. So did he paint it before or after his show? I think I heard you say it wasn't painted when you first saw it
He painted it afterward!! :)