Alice Cooper brings the house down in Clearwater

Alice Cooper

By Chyrisse Tabone, Rock At Night Tampa Correspondent

Venue: Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, Florida–August 13, 2016

Well, what can I say? Alice Cooper is a legend going at it just as strongly as the heyday of the 70s. The man is touring non-stop, is “running for President”, tours with the Hollywood Vampires, and has a radio show Nights With Alice Cooper which can be heard on radio stations around the world. The man is a regular Everyready Bunny but with perhaps make-up and a snake.

The first time I heard of Alice Cooper was when I was a kid growing up in suburban Detroit. His “Schools Out” album had just come out and my parents bought it. The album cover actually folding to resemble a school desk with graffiti. I thought he was the coolest thing that every lived at the time—and the chanting of the lyrics of “Schools Out” became a regular anthem with the neighborhood kids. We would be riding on our bicycles with banana seats and sickle bars, chanting, “Schools out…for…the summer!” The whole theatrics plus the hard rock music really appealed to us.

Later when Billion Dollar Babies came out “Elected” and “Eighteen” became the new favorites—and so on and so on. The whole schtick with the guillotine, make-up, and blood appealed to our inner Halloween. It was like watching a rock ‘n’ roll Sir Graves Ghastly or The Ghoul (you have to be from Detroit-Metro or northern Ohio to understand this).

So now, for me, whenever I see Alice Cooper perform, it brings back that nice sense of childhood memories and nostalgia for me. The man is an icon.

What is funny is during this election year Alice is running as “A Troubled Man for Troubled Times“.  He has also re-released a 2016 version of the song “Elected“.

Tonight, Alice Cooper played at Ruth Eckerd Hall, Clearwater, to full-packed venue.  I noticed walking into the venue the patrons, who were mostly in their 40s and 50s, were dressed with black eye make-up, wearing top hats, and rock ‘n’ roll garb.  It appears age doesn’t matter!

Near the stage only the curtain was revealed and a dark spooky Vincent Price intro began. Then, the curtain fell and various members of the band wearing steampunk goggles and costumes carried the curtain away. The stage was filled with smoke and then Alice Cooper emerged wearing a black cape wrapped tightly around him. He began singing “The Black Widow” and later dropped the cape to reveal a black and white striped suit and carrying a cane that he whipped high in to the air.  He growled and pranced on the stage as the beautiful blond guitarist Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie played back-to-back.   The performance was very entertaining and theatrical with lots of props (baby doll heads, Halloween masks), colored lights, smoke–you name it.  The crowd was loving it as he started to sing “No More Mr. Nice Guy.”

During the evening, Alice Cooper played lots of his greatest hits but also paid homage to those we lost in the last year like David Bowie and Lemmy. He even threw in a Jimi Hendrix tune for good measure.

I would say the crowd got exactly what they were looking for–and expected–from an Alice Cooper Concert.  It is always a Halloween party and a trip back to one’s youth.

Chuck Garric (bass); Ryan Roxie (guitar); Nita Strauss (guitar); Tommy Henricksen (guitar); and Glen Sobel (drums)

SET LIST

  1. Vincent Price intro
  2. The Black Widow
  3. No More Mr. Nice Guy
  4. Under My Wheels
  5. Public Animal #9
  6. Billion Dollar Babies
  7. Long Way to Go
  8. Is It My Body
  9. Woman of Mass Distraction
  10. Guitar Solo
  11. Poison
  12. Halo of Flies
  13. Feed My Frankenstein
  14. Cold Ethyl
  15. Only Women Bleed
  16. Guilty
  17. Ballad of Dwight Fry
  18. Killer / I Love The Dead
  19. Pinball Wizard (The Who cover)
  20. Fire(Jimi Hendrix cover)
  21. Suffragette City (David Bowie cover)
  22. Ace of Spades (Motörhead cover)
  23. I’m Eighteen
  24. School’s Out / Another Brick in the Wall Part 2

Encore:

Elected

Photo Gallery

 

Tour

08/13/16

Clearwater, FL, US

Ruth Eckerd Hall

08/14/16

Orlando, FL

Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

08/16/16

Tallahassee, FL

The Pavilion at The Centre of Tallahassee

08/17/16

New Orleans, LA

Saeger Theater

08/19/16

Oklahoma City, OK

The Criterion

08/20/16

Abilene, TX

Taylor County Coliseum

08/21/16

Austin, TX, US

ACL Live at The Moody Theater

08/23/16

Houston, TX

Revention Music Center

08/24/16

Grand Prairie, TX, USA

Verizon Theater

08/26/16

Tucson, AZ, USA

AVA Amphitheater

08/28/16

Las Vegas, NV

Hard Rock

09/22/16

Waukegan, IL

Genesee Theatre

09/23/16

SPEND THE NIGHT WITH ALICE COOPER

Akron, OH

Akron Civic Theater

09/24/16

Indiana, PA

Kovalchick Complex

09/26/16

Elmira, NY, US

First Arena

09/28/16

Albany, NY

Palace Theatre

09/29/16

Reading, PA

Reading Eagle Theatre

09/30/16

Lakewood, NJ, USA

First Energy Park

10/02/16

Windsor, ON, Canada

The Colosseum at Caesar’s

10/04/16

Toledo, OH

Stranahan Theater

10/05/16

Indianapolis, IN

Murat Theatre

10/06/16

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Theatre

10/08/16

Omaha, NE

Ralston Arena

10/09/16

Bemidji, MN, US

Sanford Center

10/11/16

Winnipeg, MB, canada

Burton Cummings Theatre

10/12/16

Regina, SK, Canada

Conexus Arts Centre

10/13/16

Lethbridge, AB, Canada

ENMAX Centre

10/15/16

Calgary, AB

Winsport Arena

10/16/16

Penticton, BC

South Okanagan Eventer Center

10/18/16

Victoria, BC, Canada

The Q Centre

10/19/16

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

10/20/16

Tacoma, WA

Emerald Queen Casino

10/22/16

DAZE OF THE DEAD

Portland, OR

Keller Auditorium

10/25/16

Reno, NV

Grand Sierra Resort

10/26/16

San Francisco, CA

The Warfield Theatre

10/28/16

San Diego, CA

Harrah’s Resort SoCal

10/29/16

Indio, CA

Fantasy Springs Casino

10/30/16

Los Angeles, CA

Pantages Theatre

The images may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted or manipulated without written permission to Rock At Night and the photographer. Use of any image is a violation of the United States and international Copyright laws.

Chyrisse Tabone, Ph.D.
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