Music Existence Because of Music, We Exist
Performance art-rock legend Alice Cooper is on the road promoting Paranormal, the recently released 27th studio album of his 50 year career. Cooper, 69, pulls no punches. With a stage show virtually unchanged over the years, it’s a delightful spectacle of over-the-top theatrics and horror props backed by an incredibly talented band. The 70 minute set was packed with time-tested fan favorites like “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” and “I’m Eighteen.” Cooper was animated and interactive–captivating from curtain fall as he stalked the stage waving his baton or rapier.
In an age that an artist has to constantly reinvent him or herself, Cooper has tapped into a performance piece vein that’s entertaining, and sought after. “Feed My Frankenstein” wouldn’t have been the same without a riotous electrocution scene and appearance of a larger-than-life Frankenstein running around the stage. And Cooper, flanked by top-notch and equally engaging talent, delivered through the last fading notes of the 1972 hit “School’s Out.”
Alice Cooper will be on tour with Deep Purple through September 10th. You can check tour dates below, and order Paranormal here, if you haven’t done already.
Check out some of my shots from the show:
Setlist:
1. Brutal Planet
2. No More Mr. Nice Guy
3. Under My Wheels
4. Billion Dollar Babies
5. Paranoiac Personality
6. Woman of Mass Distraction
7. Guitar Solo by Nita Strauss
8. Poison
9. Halo of Flies
10. Feed My Frankenstein
11. Cold Ethyl
12. Only Women Bleed
13. Killer (snippet)
14. I Love the Dead (snippet)
15. I’m Eighteen
Encore:
16. School’s Out (with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall (pt2)”)
Remaining Tour Dates:
Aug 30 – Klipsch Amphitheater – Indianapolis, IN
Sept 01 – KeyBank Pavilion – Pittsburgh, PA
Sept 02 – Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
Sept 03 – DTE Energy Music Theatre – Detroit, MI
Sept 06 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – Chicago, IL
Sept 08 – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
Sept 09 – Blossom Music Center – Cleveland, OH
Sept 10 – Riverbend Music Center – Cincinnati, OH
