Alice Cooper doesn't act his age
Orpheum performance proves he's alive and well
By Jesse Claeys, Journal staff writer | Posted: Monday, August 11, 2008
Alice Cooper performs Sunday night at the Orpheum Theatre. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
Some concerts start with a bang. Alice Cooper's performance Sunday night at the Orpheum Theatre started with a murder.
When the stage curtain dropped the nearly 1,500 fans in attendance watched Cooper wrestle with a man, eventually killing him and leaving his corpse draped over the stage.
It set the tone for a theatrical and often morbid evening of classic rock.
Cooper, now 60, credits his 40-year, 20-plus album career to keeping audiences entertained. To reach this goal Cooper turned to costumes, elaborate lighting and more than a few twisted skits.
Staying almost entirely away from his just-released album "Along Came a Spider," Cooper strung together an evening of his most notable hits, packaged in an order as to unfold the story of a dark and mysterious man, played by Cooper.
Cooper's character gave some biographical information during "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "I'm Eighteen" before telling tales of angst, anger and a thirst for blood through song. At least five people died on stage Sunday evening, including a baby whom Cooper stole from a mother and drove a stake through its heart. "Dead Babies" was the soundtrack.
This act landed Cooper on the wrong side of the law, captured by some ghoulishly dressed stage hands, placed in a straight jacket (from which he escaped) and eventually hanged on gallows wheeled onto the middle of the Orpheum stage.
The show was more than likely the same one that angered crowds in the '70s, many of whom mounted protests whenever his concert tickets went on sale. Nowadays it's just entertaining music theater, lacking the shock value that once earned him a cult following.
All the theatrics of the concert did little to distract from the solid collection of songs Cooper has crafted over the years. Rather, it enhanced tracks like "Feed My Frankenstein" and "Welcome to My Nightmare."
The night wasn't all about Cooper and a cast of costumed characters ranging from gun-wielding Asian sexpots to zombie-like attackers. Cooper is a rock star, no doubt about it, but the four musicians backing him deserve recognition.
Drummer Eric Singer (best known for performing with KISS since 1991) and a dazzling array of strobe lights wowed the crowd with a nearly five-minute drum solo. Guitarists Keri Kelli and Jason Hook gave new life to some classic guitar riffs and bassist Chuck Garric kept the crowd amped up whenever Cooper left the stage to change costumes or rise from the dead.
And Cooper certainly didn't act his retirement age. His voice has remained strong over the years and his stage coverage rivals that of younger rockers. Plus, this is a guy who can twirl a sword or a cane with the best of them and not look silly dancing with a corpse.
Yes, by the end of the 23-song, 107-minute show Cooper had been hanged and was dead. It was this blend of theater and classic rock that proved to the Sioux City crowd Cooper is indeed alive and well.
Alice Cooper set list from the Orpheum Theatre:
"No More Mr. Nice Guy"
"Under My Wheels"
"I'm Eighteen"
"Is It My Body?"
"Woman of Mass Distraction"
"Lost in America"
"Feed My Frankenstein"
"Be My Lover"
"Dirty Diamonds"
"Vengeance is Mine"
"Desperado"
"Halo of Flies"
"Welcome to My Nightmare"
"Cold Ethyl"
"Only Women Bleed"
"Steven"
"Dead Babies"
"Ballad of Dwight"
"I Love the Dead"
"School's Out"
ENCORE
"Billion Dollar Babies"
"Poison"
"Elected"
When the stage curtain dropped the nearly 1,500 fans in attendance watched Cooper wrestle with a man, eventually killing him and leaving his corpse draped over the stage.
It set the tone for a theatrical and often morbid evening of classic rock.
Cooper, now 60, credits his 40-year, 20-plus album career to keeping audiences entertained. To reach this goal Cooper turned to costumes, elaborate lighting and more than a few twisted skits.
Staying almost entirely away from his just-released album "Along Came a Spider," Cooper strung together an evening of his most notable hits, packaged in an order as to unfold the story of a dark and mysterious man, played by Cooper.
Cooper's character gave some biographical information during "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "I'm Eighteen" before telling tales of angst, anger and a thirst for blood through song. At least five people died on stage Sunday evening, including a baby whom Cooper stole from a mother and drove a stake through its heart. "Dead Babies" was the soundtrack.
This act landed Cooper on the wrong side of the law, captured by some ghoulishly dressed stage hands, placed in a straight jacket (from which he escaped) and eventually hanged on gallows wheeled onto the middle of the Orpheum stage.
The show was more than likely the same one that angered crowds in the '70s, many of whom mounted protests whenever his concert tickets went on sale. Nowadays it's just entertaining music theater, lacking the shock value that once earned him a cult following.
All the theatrics of the concert did little to distract from the solid collection of songs Cooper has crafted over the years. Rather, it enhanced tracks like "Feed My Frankenstein" and "Welcome to My Nightmare."
The night wasn't all about Cooper and a cast of costumed characters ranging from gun-wielding Asian sexpots to zombie-like attackers. Cooper is a rock star, no doubt about it, but the four musicians backing him deserve recognition.
Drummer Eric Singer (best known for performing with KISS since 1991) and a dazzling array of strobe lights wowed the crowd with a nearly five-minute drum solo. Guitarists Keri Kelli and Jason Hook gave new life to some classic guitar riffs and bassist Chuck Garric kept the crowd amped up whenever Cooper left the stage to change costumes or rise from the dead.
And Cooper certainly didn't act his retirement age. His voice has remained strong over the years and his stage coverage rivals that of younger rockers. Plus, this is a guy who can twirl a sword or a cane with the best of them and not look silly dancing with a corpse.
Yes, by the end of the 23-song, 107-minute show Cooper had been hanged and was dead. It was this blend of theater and classic rock that proved to the Sioux City crowd Cooper is indeed alive and well.
Alice Cooper set list from the Orpheum Theatre:
"No More Mr. Nice Guy"
"Under My Wheels"
"I'm Eighteen"
"Is It My Body?"
"Woman of Mass Distraction"
"Lost in America"
"Feed My Frankenstein"
"Be My Lover"
"Dirty Diamonds"
"Vengeance is Mine"
"Desperado"
"Halo of Flies"
"Welcome to My Nightmare"
"Cold Ethyl"
"Only Women Bleed"
"Steven"
"Dead Babies"
"Ballad of Dwight"
"I Love the Dead"
"School's Out"
ENCORE
"Billion Dollar Babies"
"Poison"
"Elected"
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Paul wrote on Aug 18, 2008 4:20 AM:
The setlist is pretty cool, too bad he only plays Vengeance Is Mine from his new album. "
ivy wrote on Aug 15, 2008 1:11 PM:
jules wrote on Aug 13, 2008 3:28 PM:
Tiny wrote on Aug 12, 2008 7:09 AM:
Rock on Alice can't wait till next year in England your second home. "
lissa wrote on Aug 12, 2008 1:31 AM: