Ace Frehley shared an embarrassing moment from his first Led Zeppelin show in a new Instagram video.
“I was at Led Zeppelin’s first New York appearance at the Filmore East,” the guitarist began. “They were opening up for Iron Butterfly. I think I was 17 years old, 16 or 17. After Led Zeppelin went off, half the people left the Filmore East.”
He went on, “I felt so sorry for the… embarrassed for the headliner because I mean who you know… People usually come to see the headliner not the opening act but I think there was a real buzz in New York City about this new band, Led Zeppelin and the word was out.”
Frehley added, “And the Filmore East isn’t that big of a venue. So a lot… I think I noticed when I looked around, there was a lot of older people there, well-dressed. It wasn’t a normal rock and roll crowd. So I think there was a lot of record executives and people in the music business that came to see them.”
KISS and Led Zeppelin had a rivalry during their rise in the music scene. In a past interview, Eddie Trunk asked Frehley, “I don’t know if you remember this, but back in the ’70s, when KISS was ranked the biggest band in the world. Back in those days, there would be magazine covers that would say stuff like ‘KISS versus Zeppelin – Who’s better?’ Do you remember that stuff back then, like that sort of rivalry that existed, at least in the press?”
Ace responded, “I don’t remember that rivalry, but obviously, the Zeppelin kicked our a**, hands down. I mean, musically and all that. We were more of putting on a big show, but Zeppelin musically kicked not only our asses but everybody else’s in those days. Nobody could come close to Led Zeppelin.”
In a 2023 interview with Goldmine, Frehley revealed how Led Zeppelin’s debut album influenced him. He complimented Jimmy Page’s guitar playing and mentioned that Zeppelin’s influence could be heard in KISS songs like ‘Cold Gin’ and ‘Black Diamond.’
