Legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley passed away earlier today in Morristown, New Jersey at the age of 74. KISS and Rush developed a lasting friendship back in the early '70s when Rush opened up for KISS on several of their early tours. Rush was particularly fond of Ace Frehley, who loved telling stories of both bands' antics on the road. He particularly liked telling the story of The Bag; from Frehley's 2011 biography No Regrets:
... I have so many road stories, but one that always comes to mind is the tour we did in the summer of 1975 with Rush opening for us. I always liked Rush (and still do). After a few weeks on tour I started to get to know the guys in the band, and their very funny tour manager, Howie. One thing led to another and before long Peter and I were getting visits from the Rush boys. It usually turned into late evenings filled with beer and grass and whatever else was around. Alex Lifeson, the band's guitarist, used to do this hysterical routine with a large paper laundry bag. He'd draw a ridiculous giant face on the bag with a black marker and put it over his head with a couple of holes poked in it so he could see and breathe. Everyone in the room at this point was either drunk or stoned, but usually a little of both. Anyway, Alex would go into this routine with the bag over his head and while smoking a joint out of his eye he put everyone into total hysterics. He really milked the routine until everyone was gasping for air! ...
There's also this video from the Time Stand Still documentary where Ged/Al reminisce about the incident.
Rush was heartbroken by the news, and posted this tribute to Instagram a short time ago:
Absolutely stunned and saddened by the news Ace Frehley has tragically passed away. Back in 1974, as the opening act for KISS, Alex, Neil and myself spent many a night hanging out together in his hotel room after shows, doing whatever nonsense we could think of, just to make him break out his inimitable and infectious laugh. He was an undeniable character and an authentic rock star. RIP Ace .. thanks for welcoming us newbies into the rock and roll world.
#ripacefrehley #thebag
Billboard announced earlier today that Alex Lifeson's "Envy of None" project with Andy Curran, guitarist Alfio Annibalini and vocalist Maiah Wynne have signed an exclusive worldwide co-publishing agreement with Anthem Music Publishing ...
Alex Lifeson and Mojotone are commemorating Rush's 50th anniversary with the release of the Lerxst R50 Collection, a trio of limited-edition products including the R50 CHI Combo Amp, R50 By-Tor Pedal, and R50 Blah Blah Wah Pedal ...
Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson have decided to dust off their instruments and bring back the Rush tour machine with new drummer Anika Nilles for a 7 city, 12 date "Fifty Something" tour in 2026 ...
Geddy Lee and Rush's "Tom Sawyer" starred in a video teasing the Sportsnet broadcast of the ALDS matchup between the Blue Jays and Yankees in Toronto, and Ged is also there in his seats behind home plate ...
