Alice Cooper at the Orpheum Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

The king of shock rock has always been “ol black eyes” Alice Cooper, and for any critic who may have thought that perhaps his magic has worn off in recent years was in for quite a revelation as the Coops performance at the Orpheum last night was without a doubt; to die for! Yup, that’s right, Mr. Zombie and Marilyn Manson still have a lot to learnfrom the most original performer the rock world has ever known.

It has been a little more than a year since Alice has performed in Los Angeles (his last local show being a stripped down gig at the Whiskey in September 2011) but the wait was certainly worth the while as his new production that hit the Orpheum was a spectacle unlike any other show currently on the road. With a nifty stage setup that resembled a vaudeville spook show, Alice was able to fully utilize every dark theme his songs could conjure up. And with a set that drew heavy from his 70’s, 80’s and 90’s hits, fans were treated to more than just a concert, but an experience that still has this fan asking himself “How in the hell is he able to still work a stage and sing to well at almost 65 years old?!”

Well the answer may remain a mystery that only Alice knows, but the facts remains; older age isn’t slowing down the Alice and now more than ever, his songs continue to reach the broadest of audiences possible. The completely sold out concert was comprised of fans that were still in grade school to many who had graduated during an era when a gallon of gasoline cost less than a burger and a computer cost as much as a car.

With an arsenal of great songs and theatrics that are unmatched in the rock world it is easy to see how Alice and co. had fans in their grip right from the opening number Hello Hooray, the 1973 classic off the Billion Dollar Babies lp. Rock staple No More Mr. Nice Guy was also placed early in the set to all of the crowds delight and continued to amp up the energy in the theatre. New track I’ll Bite Your Face Off (which was performed the previous night on the Conan O’Brien show) was welcomed by fans in the same respect like any gem from his massive back catalog of must play songs. Just like a storm of favorites, various hits from every decade of his recording career kept audiences on their feet and shouting for more as the concert kept a rollin. Fans were treated to Billion Dollar Babies, Hey Stoopid, the haunting Welcome To My Nightmare, and the biggest surprise of the night; He’s Back! (Man Behind the Mask) off the Friday the 13th Pt VI soundtrack.

Early nineties hit Feed My Frankenstein saw the stage transform itself into a mad scientist laboratory where Alice was electrocuted in the same fashion as Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. It was then a gargantuan sized Alice Cooper appeared out of the smoke standing over 10 feet tall terrorizing his 3 guitarists and bassist for the remainder of the song. It’s instances like these where he is truly able to bring his songs to life in a way that is horrifying yet comical and truly something for every kind of fan in the audience. The next bit of the show featured a tribute to Alice’s dear and departed friends, those of which were his drinking buddies dubbed the Hollywood Vampires. They included John Lennon of the Beatles, Keith Moon of The Who, Jim Morrison of The Doors and guitar god Jimi Hendrix, and each of them would have been proud to have seen Alice joined by guitarist Johnny Depp pay tribute by covering 4 of the aforementioned artists’ swan songs back to back to the crowds manic delight.

Most solo artists probably would have ended their set on that high note, but Alice can go one step farther and come out for an encore that manages to top all previous expectations. The four song encore (with Johnny Depp still on guest guitar duties) saw some of his biggest hits go off like a firecracker with every one in audience singing their hearts out to I’m Eighteen, Poison, Under My Wheels and the grand finale, Schools Out. The historical Orpheum theatre resembled a mad carnival as the production called for explosive confetti canons, streamers galore and combustive balloons going off in every direction around Alice’s stage. The carefully executed chaos reached every corner of the venue and left debris everywhere, including all over lucky fans up front who were left covered from head to toe in glitter, beads and whatever else spewed from the stages canons.

Alice proved last night that he is still getting better as years go by and that his throne is far from being taken over by younger bands who try to replicate the king but  always fall short, and in many cases way short. After last nights show fans will also clearly never look at live concerts the same way and the Orpheum will surely never host anything that matches the amazing level of energy, theatre and sound that was the triumphant return of Alice Cooper.

As a diehard fan of the Alice Cooper’s work, last night was one concert I’ll never forget, and for all the right reasons. Big thanks to Alice for never letting his fans down after years and years of excellence.


-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter

 

 

 

 

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