Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare
Alice Cooper - Raise the Dead Setlist
Tonight to the Usher Hall for 6:45 to queue to get into the Alice Cooper gig...
I purposefully chose a standing ticket - mainly because all tickets were the same price and the only seats left by the time I partook were way up in the Gods...
Met chum Jim Park outside...
He didn't have a ticket but was hoping for a deal...
In the end £80 for a £36 ticket was too high a price to pay...
So, Jim, below, you will find some pics from probably the closest your correspondent has managed to get to the stage for any of the sixteen or so Alice Cooper shows he's attended since 1982...
But first, the support bands...
Duff McKagen's Loaded kind of won me over, as did the reformed Ugly Kid Joe, complete with singer in Alice make up...
But, really, at an AC gig, no matter how great the support acts, once the Coop takes the stage, they are forgotten...
The anticipation amongst the crowd was high - many of them in Hallowe'en fancy dress...
In fact, pre show, as a distraction, there was a wee competition with the best costumes invited onto the stage...
Finally, three and a half hours of standing at the front of the stage were rewarded, as the curtain fell to reveal Mr Cooper and band in all their glory just a few feet away for my favourite album opener, "Hello Hooray"...
Straight into "House of Fire" and I sensed a welcome setlist revamp...
Alice's three guitarist, Dennis Dunaway-a-like menacing bassist and top notch drummer rocked the house...
2011's "I'll Bite Your Face Off" was nicely sandwiched between Cooper Classicks "No More Mr Nice Guy" and Michael Bruce's autobiographic "Be My Lover", during which guitarist Orianthi gave the first of many of this evenings performances as Alice's female foil...
Jacket off and into "Caffeine" - so good to hear songs from the latest album...
...this complete with Giant Coffee Cup...
"Billion Dollar Babies" eschewed the babies' heads for the old taunting-the-audience-with-money-on-a-sword trick...
Throughout the night at various spots, the Coop left his fans scrabbling round the floor for souvenirs...
A third song from "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" next and "The Congregation" was revealed for the rocker it really is - something which doesn't come across so well "on vinyl"...
Nice big hat!
Followed by a hat thrown from the audience for the singalong 1991 hit, "Hey Stoopid"...
On "Dirty Diamonds" the front rows were teased with the prospect of souvenir necklaces, most of which were launched into the back of the packed crowd and even up to the balconies...
Band freak out and impressive drum solo with non-pictured explosive drumsticks followed, while Alice left the stage to ready himself for the "dark" section...
"Welcome to my Nightmare", followed by...
...the inevitable straight-jacket scene for "The Ballad of Dwight Fry"...
As always, the Coop escaped and killed the henchmen who'd tried to contain him...
...and it was into "Go to Hell"...
..with Coop looking exceptionally evil...
For "Hallowe'en" serial killer Jason's theme tune, "He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask"), an unwanted photographer...
....was dragged from the stage by a hockey mask wearing maniac with a machete...
And on came the snake for "Devil's Food"...
For the Cooper aficionados amongst you, this was the original "long" version, complete with extra verses...
The snake played its part perfectly...
And time for Dr Alice Frankenstein to get his comeuppance...
As the band rocked out on "Feed My Frankenstein"...
..Alice approached the large machine wheeled onto the stage...
..was fitted with a gas mask...
...and strapped in...
There was much smoke and flashing of lights...
...before he reappeared as his 12ft high alter ego...
...to menace the band...
Then, in a departure from Alice's normal show, he didn't reappear all dressed in white to sing "School's Out" - not yet anyway...
There's been a bit of criticism for this part of the show - so much so that Alice's manager Shep Gordon has actually had to explain it to those who haven't quite grasped the concept...
Alice breaks character at the tribute section.
We realize we didn't explain what happens clearly enough.
For over 40 years Alice on stage has done despicable acts to society, has been killed for this and has immediately returned reborn in white.
This year Alice deals with the question of "what happens when Alice Cooper dies?" Is he burned in hell? No... he goes to join his friends who have also died... his friends from his drinking club THE HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES.
He goes to the rock star graveyard, as well he should, but nothing can keep Alice down.. it's not his time yet... so he raises the dead so he can come back!
Also please remember there are very special reasons for each artist as I'm sure you should know.
Jimi Hendrix introduced Alice and John Lennon
John Lennon gave Alice his first big show.. the show where the chicken was unleashed!!!!!!!
Jim Morrison taught Alice how to REALLY drink!!!!!!
And what needs to be said about Keith Moon.. He's Keith Moon and was Alice's outrage buddy!!!!!! Who more fitting than Alice to raise these dead.
So we got to see him join his buddies from the Hollywood Vampires in the Rock Star Graveyard...
The Doors' "Break on Through"...
...followed by The Beatles' "Revolution"...
..Hendrix's "Foxy Lady"...
...all lapped up by an appreciative audience, including one small boy in black eye makeup who spent the entire show bopping on his dad's shoulders (and looking a bit scared at many points)...
The Who's "My Generation" rounded off the covers...
...leading into Alice's very own teen angst anthem, "I'm Eighteen"...
Into the final straight with rocker "Under My Wheels"...
Followed by "Poison"...
...all eyes on the monster who would quite happily bite your face off...
...and all raising their hands to indicate they are indeed themselves, poison...
Even Thor was poison tonight...
..and it's all over...
But then, as the unmistakable intro to "School's Out" is played by Orianthi...
...it's party time...
..and then, it really is all over...
..and we come back down to earth...
Another brilliant show from the master - but then I am 40 years biased of course...
Outside I bumped into amazed old chum Jamie Frain, emerging from his first ever Cooper show, having been well and truly entertained...
A couple of drinks at The Traverse to discuss plans for our December covers show and then a taxi home and to bed at 1 am...
A good night indeed...
And 36 miles walked this week...
And a busy October is gone...
Highlight of the day : Erm...
