Alice Cooper, king of all shock-rockers made the inspiration for his teen angst anthem, 1972’s “School’s Out,” very clear. Upon the song’s release more than 50 years ago, Cooper stated “The two most joyous times of the year are Christmas morning and the end of school.”
And while he was right on target with that observation, there is one more event that should be added to that short list: attendance at one of Cooper’s concerts.
Touring since his 1969 debut album, the 77-year-old has more than perfected the art of creating and delivering a top-notch night of entertainment, thrills, and a few bloodcurdling moments. More than a rock concert, an Alice Cooper show is more like a peek into a gory, often comical and tongue-in-cheek slice of performance art. Rock and roll theatrics started with this man, and no one does it better than he does, to this day.
Packing in an impressively large crowd at Clearwater’s BayCare Sound last Saturday night, Cooper treated the audience to a 90-minute trip through plenty of his hits, deep album cuts, and some of his more recent material too.
As a massive banner designed to look like a newspaper front page with the words “Alice Cooper Banned in Florida” hung at the center of the stage, Cooper made his dramatic entrance to the stage by busting through the banner and having it pulled down. Clad in his signature black top hat, black, rhinestone encrusted garb, and a massive belt buckle, Cooper looked his typical, menacing self. Kicking his set off with the chugging metal of “Welcome to the Show,” a track from his latest release, 2023’s Road album, Cooper sounded strong and in control, despite his vocals being a bit buried in the sound mix.
Better defined in that mix was the ringing, scorching guitar licks both Ryan Roxie and former Guns N’ Roses member Gilby Clarke cranked out from the get-go. Both guitarists added plenty of welcomed firepower and grit to Cooper’s catalog and gave the material plenty of sharp edges. Clarke, filling in for Cooper’s regular lead guitarist Nita Strauss (who had other commitments to fulfill for this part of the tour) got plenty of chances to show off his chops throughout the night, and even got to share the stage with Roxie later in the night for a two-man solo that found the two axemen toying with the most recognizable song from Clarke’s former band, “Welcome to the Jungle.”
Four large tombstone-shaped screens at the rear of the stage, along with two more at either side of the stage, gave attendees plenty of chances to view Cooper’s antics with perfect clarity. The massive boa constrictor Cooper wore around his neck and waved around, while clad in a snakeskin blazer, during “Snakebite” was visible to all at the venue, as was the negligee-clad life-sized rag doll he tossed around during “Cold Ethyl,” a standout from the classic 1975 album Welcome to My Nightmare.
The schtick continued throughout the night, with highlights including a faux throat-slitting of a fan, or a hired hand with the production, who appeared to bum rush the stage and get up close and personal with the musicians. Without missing a choreographed beat, Cooper seemingly slashed the young woman’s throat with a fake knife he wielded during his take on “He’s Back (The Man Behind the Mask),” a song that served as the theme song for one of the “Friday the 13th” films in the 1980s. Similarly, a planted photographer who snapped pictures of the band members lanced with Cooper’s mic stand during “Hey Stoopid,” one of Cooper’s ‘90s-era hits.
The show’s highlight, however, came during the standout performance of the night, a menacing, pulsating version of “Go To Hell,” the opening cut from Cooper’s grossly underrated 1976 concept album, Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. Adding more theatricality to the program, this time, Cooper was joined onstage by a whip-wielding dominatrix (portrayed by his real-life, longtime wife Cheryl), who wound up getting choked with her whip at the close of the number.
Plenty more hits rounded out the show and more and more audience participation, including fist pumps and singing along to choruses for tracks like the ‘80s comeback tune “Poison” and the previously-referenced blockbuster “School’s Out.”
As massive balloons were launched into the audience quicker than Cooper could lance them with the sword he whipped around, the place erupted with glee. Smartly incorporating a couple of verses from Pink Floyd’s hit “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2” made for even more impassioned audience chanting during the set-closing number.
One encore came in the way of “Feed My Frankenstein,” another one of Cooper’s 1990s hits. This time, Cooper and company were accompanied by a seven-foot accompanist dressed in a ragtag Frankenstein costume who paraded around the stage while the band played.
At 77 years of age, Cooper is still the undisputed showman of rock and roll and his place in the theatrical side of rock and roll performance remains unchallenged. Sure, his act has its hokey moments but he’s still the best at injecting plenty of humor and levity to his performances and offers a great distraction from the grim reality of the world with his amusing and entertaining shows.
