Rock legend Ace Frehley is taking a brief pause from touring after a minor studio mishap.
According to a post on Frehley’s Facebook page, the rock guitar legend had to cancel a show as part of his 10,000 Volts Tour on a doctor’s order after suffering a “minor fall” in his recording studio.
“Dear Rock Soldiers, Ace had a minor fall in his studio, resulting in a trip to the hospital,” the post reads. “He is fine, but against his wishes, his doctor insists that he refrain from travel at this time.”
Frehley’s performance at the Antelope Valley Fair in Lancaster, California, was canceled. It was set for Friday.
The post encouraged fans to go to the fair and support his friends in the rock bands Quiet Riot and Vixen. The post also said that Frehley looks forward to continuing his tour and his work on the next album, Origins, Vol. 3.
Frehley, 74, a founding member of the rock band Kiss, is set to resume his tour on October 10 in Decatur, Illinois.
According to Guitar Player’s online site, Frehley has a history of falling during his tenure with makeup-clad Kiss, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes not. As part of the Kiss show, he would perform in high-heeled boots that would frequently cause him to trip up and take spills onstage. Whenever it happened, his bandmates – Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley – would begin playing over him, as if the entire episode was planned, according to the website.
“I used to fall a lot in those boots,” Frehley told Music Radar. “A lot of times, Paul would cover for me by walking over to me like it was part of the show. He made it look like was choreography or something.”
According to the report, Frehley damaged his knees by falling on them while performing. This often took place during the band’s performance of “Black Diamond,” and while he was holding his Les Paul guitar.
“I screwed my knees up by doing that,” Frehley is quoted as saying. “I would drop to my knees and the weight of that Les Paul really killed them.”
Frehley was the lead guitarist with Kiss during the band’s formation and through its 70s heyday, from 1973-1982. He rejoined the Kiss in 1996, for its reunion tour and continued with them until 2002.
His persona with KISS was that of the spaced-out “Spaceman.” On stage, he was known for his laid-back demeanor, fiery guitar solos, and signature smoking, light-up guitar effects, which became iconic in KISS’s live shows.
His slurred speech and eccentric humor added to his “space cadet” charm, making him a fan favorite. He also had the most successful and critically acclaimed of the four Kiss solo albums that were released in 1978, thanks in part to the song, “New York Groove.”
Kiss was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. The band will be celebrated in December with a lifetime achievement award at the Kennedy Center Honors. President Donald Trump, chairman of the Kennedy Center, will present the band with the award during the December 7 show in Washington, D.C. It will be later broadcast on CBS at 7:30 p.m. on December 22.