All Photos By Travis Failey/Rocket Sports & Entertainment
The “Godfather of Shock”, Alice Cooper brought his “Ol’ Black Eyes is Back” tour to a sold out Hard Rock Café in Orlando last week. Starting at 8 pm on a Wednesday night seemed a bit odd but without any opening bands, what could have been a late night turned into an action packed 1 hr and 40 minute horrifying musical adventure.
The curtain (with Cooper’s signature black eye’s makeup) dropped at 8:15 and the band opened up with the classic “Feed My Frankenstein”. Cooper traipsed onto the stage with his black top hat as he flipped his cane around like a martial artist swings his nunchucks. The stage setup was right out of an old Vincent Price movie mixed in with a Game of Thrones episode as it was multi-leveled castle with skeletal pirate ship artifacts mixed in. During the set, Alice referred to it as Alice’s Castle and it was the only time that Alice addressed the crowd directly.
The crowd got an idea for what they would be in for early during “Feed My Frankenstein” when an inflatable Frankenstein joined guitarists Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie at the front of the stage. It was a prop filled night as most Alice Cooper shows have been throughout his 50 year career of performing. Every song included a different prop or effects package and Alice showed off his musical range by busting out the harmonica during “Fallen in Love” and the maracas on “Muscle of Love”.
The show also included some human props as two young girls were chased around the stage by a knife wielding Jason from the Halloween movie franchise during “He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)”. As it happens in the movies also happened on the stage as Jason caught one of the girls and slit her throat to the cheers of the crowd.
The next three songs of the night were all “monster’ hits during Alice Cooper’s career with “I’m Eighteen”, “Billion Dollar Babies” and “Poison” all being played in succession. The screaming guitar intro by Nita Strauss on “Billion Dollar Babies” still reverberates in my ears days later and was a standout moment during her always stellar performances since joining his band in 2014.
We also got a new prop on this tour as a catapult full of confetti was shot into the crowd during “Billion Dollar Babies”. There were also harmonies galore when all 6 members of the band joined in for the chorus of “Poison” and as the song concluded, a few solos occurred as Alice took a break offstage and let his accompanying musicians take center stage. All three guitarists (Strauss, Roxie and Tommy Henrixson) took turns performing short solos which led into the intro to “Roses With White Lace”. Alice returned to the stage with a bride dressed in a white wedding gown covered in blood while carrying red roses.
After ”My Stars” and “Devils Food” a full blown sonic attack happened during the “Black Widow Jam” as the three guitarists traded licks and concluded with bassist Chuck Garrick and drummer Glen Sobel showing off their skills on their instrument of choice.
It was straight jacket time for Alice Cooper during “Steven” as two morphed-looking bald baby-men assisted Alice to mid-stage. Just before Alice sliced the throat of an infant with a butcher knife, He was taken to the guillotine to pay for his crimes with his neck.
After the beheading, images of dead babies with red laser type eyeballs then hit the huge backdrop leading into of course “Dead Babies” and “I Love The Dead”. The main set concluded with the inflatable Frankenstein making another appearance during “Teenage Frankenstein”.
During a short interlude between sets, you could really appreciate the stage and how the props accentuated each other. From the chandeliers to the torches on the wall, Alice spares no expense taking you into his world and out of the mundane.
All three guitarists once again got to shine with each of them taking short solos during the first song of the two song encore in “Under My Wheels”.
An Alice Cooper performance would not be complete without balloons, bubbles and Alice in a white top hat and jacket as the party kicked into a rousing conclusion with everyone’s favorite day from the past “Schools Out”. Alice popped the huge multi-colored balloons with a samurai sword and multiple knives that he pulled out from their sheaths on his belt. The band then segued into “Another Brick In The Wall Part 2” and then back to “Schools Out” where Alice took the time to introduce all the band members including Strauss. Alice called her the best female guitarist in the world.
More confetti and streamers flew through the crowd as Alice tipped his white top hat to the crowd as the other band members joined him by thanking the crowd and taking a bow before exiting stage right.
Alice is the consummate performer and entertainer and always gives the crowd their money’s worth. At 71 years old, he joins the growing list of performers over 70 that brings it every night without a drop-off in vocal abilities. With the tour continuing into the New Year, you can guarantee yourself a room inside Alice’s Castle by going here: https://alicecooper.com/tour/.
Check out some more photos from the show!
All Photos By Travis Failey/Rocket Sports & Entertainment
