Who’s Got the Better Set List?

Although they’ve followed very different career paths over the past four decades, founding Kiss stars Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley have used remarkably similar set list formulas on their recent solo tours.

Since first leaving Kiss in the early ’80s, Frehley has toured steadily and released nine studio albums. (He also returned to Kiss for a five-year reunion in 1996.) Simmons remained busy with Kiss until their 2023 retirement from touring, but began playing occasional solo tours in 2017.

Comparing the average set lists of Frehley and Simmons’ recent tours reveals some common patterns. At a typical show Simmons plays nine Kiss songs, which is either one or three less than Frehley depending on if you count songs from his 1978 solo album, released while he was still in the band, as solo songs or not.

Read More: The Kiss Album That Made Gene Simmons ‘So Nervous’

What’s more, the two former bandmates play five of the same Kiss songs most nights: “Parasite,” “Cold Gin,” “Deuce,” “Shout It Out Loud” and “Rock and Roll All Nite.” The first two songs were written by Frehley, although Simmons sang them on the 1974 albums Kiss and Hotter Than Hell.

On his 2024 tour Simmons usually played two songs from his solo albums. Despite having a much bigger solo discography, that’s the same number Frehley plays from his post-Kiss solo albums at an average show, compared to 12 from his former band. Simmons has also been mixing in covers of songs by Van Halen, Led Zeppelin and Motorhead at recent shows.

Simmons’ Kiss song selections are also tied closely to his time with Frehley – only one of the nine Kiss songs he plays comes from after the guitarist’s departure from the group, 1982’s “I Love it Loud.” And Frehley was still technically a member of the band at that time. Although he doesn’t perform on the song, for contractual reasons the “Spaceman” appears in its video and on the cover of its home album, Creatures of the Night.

All these commonalities might make you think, “Hey, why don’t Ace and Gene just tour together?” In fact they did just that on a brief 2018 tour of Australia, which went so well that Frehley wound up wholesale replacing his former band with Simmons’ touring band.

But considering how they’ve already broken up over personality and creative differences twice, and still occasionally trade nasty barbs with each other in the press, it’s probably best that the two Kiss stars stay on their separate tour buses.

So who has the better set list? It’s a tough call since the majority of both shows draws largely from the same half-decade of Kiss’ career. Simmons is clearly having a blast performing without 50 pounds of leather and metal or a rigid set list timed to match up to Kiss’ pyrotechnics and lighting cues, and the cover songs are well chosen.

On the other hand, the perhaps too small selection of solo songs that Frehley plays each night rank among the finest work by anybody ever associated with Kiss. So decide for yourself, or even better go to both shows!

Gene Simmons Band Average 2024 Set List

1. “Deuce”
2. “War Machine”
3. “Are You Ready” (from Gene Simmons Vault, 2017)
4. “I Love It Loud”
5. “Shout It Out Loud”
6. “House of Pain” (Van Halen cover)
7. “Communication Breakdown” (Led Zeppelin cover)
8. “Ace of Spades” (Motorhead cover)
9. “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (from Asshole, 2004)
10. “Charisma”
11. “Parasite”
12. “Cold Gin”
13. “Calling Dr. Love”
14. “Rock and Roll All Nite”

Watch the Gene Simmons Band Perform ‘Shout It Out Loud’

Ace Frehley Average 2025 Set List

1. “Shock Me”
2. “Deuce”
3. “Cherry Medicine” (from 10,000 Volts, 2024)
4. “Rock Soldiers” (from Frehley’s Comet, 1987)
5. “Love Gun”
6. “Rocket Ride”
7. “Parasite”
8. “Detroit Rock City”
9. “Rip It Out”
10. Blues Jam
11. “She”
12. “New York Groove”
13. “Cold Gin”
14. Guitar Solo
15. “Shout it Out Loud”
16. “Rock and Roll All Nite”

via SetList.fm

Watch Ace Frehley Perform ‘Shout It Out Loud’

Simmons will launch a nine-date tour on May 2 in Peachtree City, Georgia. That same night Frehley and his band will be at the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, New Jersey. You can keep up with the Kiss legends’ tour plans at GeneSimmons.com and AceFrehley.com.