Ace Frehley Blasts ‘Black Diamond’ with Pearl Jam Guitarist

Original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley took the stage on Tuesday (May 15) to perform his former band’s classic song ‘Black Diamond’ with Flight to Mars, a UFO cover band lead by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready.

It’s certainly a cool “WTF?” moment. The only thing more unusual than the idea of a UFO tribute band featuring a grunge rock millionaire covering a Kiss song would have been if Frehley appeared on stage in full Kiss regalia: makeup, boots and more!

That said, we’ve gotta throw props to McCready and to the more casually attired Frehley, who turn in a pretty kicking rendition of the song, performing on the tiny stage of the Casbah in San Diego, Calif. (Editor’s note: How is it that nobody ever thinks to cover ‘Back in the USSR‘ from the Beatles there? The place is right at the end of the airport runway, you get the necessary introductory plane sounds every 30 minutes.)

Flight to Mars are on tour through May 23, with proceeds benefit Camp Oasis for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s and Advocacy for Patients With Chronic Illness. McCready suffers from Cohn’s, so it’s a cause that means quite a bit to him.

Watch Ace Frehley Perform ‘Black Diamond’ With Mike McCready