Alice Cooper
There is no better way to celebrate Halloween than by watching Alice Cooper. The crowd at last Friday’s sold out show at Penn’s Peak near Jim Thorpe certainly thought so. Two generations were represented – those who had seen the shock rocker in his heyday, and spookily costumed teens who were intrigued by his reputation.
Cooper concentrated on material from his early seventies career peak while slotting in a few numbers from his new release “The Eyes of Alice Cooper” (Eagle Records 2003). He had the same two guitars, bass, and drums format of the original Alice Cooper Group, using younger musicians. Although it was hard to distinguish the guitarists and bassist from each other amidst the grungy wall of sound, Cooper’s vocals were clear and strong.
The show was a bit stripped down (for example, Cooper was not beheaded via guillotine), but nearly everything you love about Alice was in force. Amid costume changes, he screamed while locked in a straightjacket during the “Ballad of Dwight Fry”, danced with a manikin to his paean to necrophilia “Cold Ethyl”, and came onstage once with a live boa constrictor around his shoulders.
Cooper has been doing this act for over thirty years now. He deserves to: he’s a better showman than his many imitators. There’s only one thing objectionable connected with Alice Cooper. It is about time that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
-Dave Howell
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)
Cooper concentrated on material from his early seventies career peak while slotting in a few numbers from his new release “The Eyes of Alice Cooper” (Eagle Records 2003). He had the same two guitars, bass, and drums format of the original Alice Cooper Group, using younger musicians. Although it was hard to distinguish the guitarists and bassist from each other amidst the grungy wall of sound, Cooper’s vocals were clear and strong.
The show was a bit stripped down (for example, Cooper was not beheaded via guillotine), but nearly everything you love about Alice was in force. Amid costume changes, he screamed while locked in a straightjacket during the “Ballad of Dwight Fry”, danced with a manikin to his paean to necrophilia “Cold Ethyl”, and came onstage once with a live boa constrictor around his shoulders.
Cooper has been doing this act for over thirty years now. He deserves to: he’s a better showman than his many imitators. There’s only one thing objectionable connected with Alice Cooper. It is about time that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
-Dave Howell
(This article first appeared in The Morning Call newspaper.)