ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Hair metal fans got a triple dose of nostalgia at Allentown Fair's grandstand Saturday, as Ace Frehley, Quiet Riot and Great White brought heavy riffs, soaring vocals and crowd-pleasing anthems.
With KISS classics courtesy of Frehley and fist-pumping 1980s staples, the rockers delivered a celebration of the genre's glory days that had fans headbanging and throwing up horns.
Quiet Riot, the first band to take the stage, and with bassist Rudy Sarzo as the only member of the classic lineup still proved they still live up to the band's reputation.
That was largely thanks to frontman Jizzy Pearl's infectious energy.
Blame it on the music, kids, as Pearl, who joined the band seven years ago, exclaimed.
"You guys are the kids," Pearl told the audience. "You might be in your 50s, but you're still effing kids because rock 'n' roll keeps you alive."
The set opened with “Run For Cover," a driving number that immediately got the crowd engaged.
From there, Pearl, Sarzo, guitarist Alex Grossi and drummer Johnny Kelly charged through “Slick Black Cadillac” and “Mama Weer All Crazee Now,” each song delivered with chugging intros and gritty vocals.
Midway through the set, the band slowed things down for "Thunderbird," a ballad penned in 1979 by original frontman Kevin DuBrow (1955–2007) as a heartfelt tribute to guitarist Randy Rhoads, who later joined Ozzy Osbourne before Rhoads' tragic death in a 1982 plane crash.
The song was dedicated to Rhoads, Dubrow and Osbourne, who passed away in July.
Quiet Riot finished its set with anthems including “Cum On Feel the Noize,” before closing the night with its signature "Metal Health.”
Props to Sarzo's neat flipping of the bass upside down mid-performance without missing a beat.
Quiet Riot's original members are long gone, but on Saturday, the group played with the same fire that made them MTV darlings in the '80s.
Taking a bite out of Great White
Another frontman, Brett Carlise, took a note, er, bite, from years past, for Great White's time on stage.
Carlise, who joined the band in 2022 as its sixth lead singer, treated fans to a set that spanned the group's career — from radio hits to deep cuts — anchored by soaring vocals, gritty riffs and extended guitar jams.
The set kicked off with “Desert Moon,” then dove into “Lady Red Light" and "Stick It."
Bluesy swagger continued with "Gonna Getcha" and emotionally heavy "House of Broken Love," which turned the spotlight on the instrumental prowess of guitarist Mark Kendall, who co-founded the band in 1979.
Kendall's momentum built again with "Mista Bone," a crowd pleaser that is steeped in blues influences.
The band closed its set with "Save Your Love," Rock Me" and the 1989 radio hit "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."
That song proved nostalgic for those who sang along word-for-word, except for maybe Carlise, born in 1997, 12 years after the single first entered the airwaves.
Sealed with a KISS
Lastly, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Ace Frehley brought his space-age guitar wizardry to the stage with a mix of solo staples and timeless KISS classics.
Frehley opened with KISS's 1977 "Shock Me" — on which he originally sang lead vocals — and 1974's "Deuce."
Technical difficulties marred his set, from what Frehley said were sound dropouts to equipment glitches.
"I got to hear the rest of the band. Don't blow my f—ing ears out with guitar," he said as fans erupted with laughter.
"This is what happens, you come here, everything's supposed to be right, and it's all f—ed up. We'll do our best to entertain you guys."
Indeed, the former KISS guitarist, who left the band for the second time in 2002, powered through his set with humor, grit and plenty of six-string fire (when he could hear himself).
Frehley dedicated 1987's “Rock Soldiers,” a defiant anthem from his solo years, to veterans and military members in the crowd, and turned to his drummer, Scot Coogan, to lead on vocals for a raucous rendition of KISS's 1997 single "Love Guns."
Fans didn't seem to mind the shift in vocals, seemingly feeling bad for Frehley, who held his own on guitar (the mic not so much).
Yes, despite the hurdles, Frehley’s guitar work remained undeniable, and he turned a night of frustration into perseverance, leaning on his catalog and band.
His solos cut through the noise, reminding fans why he and the other original members of KISS — Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss — will receive Kennedy Center Honors in December.
By the end of the night, the concert by the three groups was less about perfection and more about witnessing a rock survivor prove, once again, that spacemen never let up.
