(Live Review) ALICE COOPER - Rockford, Ill. (8/7/24)

By

The Beard & Little Johnny

Greetings friends, fans, and followers and welcome to The Beard and Little Johnny's 44th show of 2024. Tonight, we were at the BMO Arena in Rockford, Illinois for band #157 of the year, the godfather of shock rock Alice Cooper.

The Beard has seen Alice Cooper many times and seldom has anyone performed as consistently. Cooper always treats his shows and his audiences as if each one is the most important. The number of props and special effects he can utilize varies depending on whether he is opening or headlining, but the man has always brought it as far as being an entertainer.

With twenty-nine studio albums to his fifty-five-year career, Alice Cooper fits any term you want to apply to him: icon, legend, or just a rock and roll institution. The Beard has lost count of just how many times he has been to see Alice Cooper, but it is in double figures. This evening marked Little Johnny's third time, and we had a special guest enjoying her very first Alice Cooper experience. With fourth row seats, we were guaranteed a beautiful view of the action and at 8:15pm it was time for the mayhem.    

ALICE COOPER

Emerging from a giant newspaper headline by virtue of cutting his way through it with a sword, Cooper made his grand entrance with “Lock Me Up” from Raise your Fist and Yell. “Welcome to the Show” from Road was next before a slew of ancient audience favorites.

In succession we were treated to “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “I’m Eighteen” & “Under My Wheels.” Alice, in addition to singing, is both an actor and entertainer. Vincent Furnier’s “alter ego” has great timing and is underrated with just how eternally aware he is of exactly where everyone is on the stage. In a swift no look move he tossed his top hat and swung his right arm back forward easily catching his stage prop crutch as it was tossed to him. I realize after probably 10,000 shows, (in his fifty-five-year career), he has it down pat, but for a 76-year-old man Cooper remains remarkably agile.

Not to be overlooked, the dual guitar tandem of Ryan Roxie and the great Nita Strauss (rock pose) stalk the stage throughout. They appear to be having fun up there and thoroughly enjoying what must get incredibly repetitive night after night. (Side note, Strauss is recently back in the Cooper fold after deciding that playing guitar for Demi Lavato paid well, but was not nearly as enjoyable.)

“Bed of Nails” and “Billion Dollar Babies” would come next before out came the Boa Constrictor for “Snakebite.” Once again, Cooper makes it look easy singing with a live snake around his neck that, if ignored, “could” constrict on him easily. As he sings, he slightly adjusts the snake regularly to maintain its weight balance and keep it from getting too huggy with him. At one point Nita kissed the snake’s head, (insert your own joke here ya pervs.)

“Be My Lover,” a very apt “Lost in America,” and a crowd sing-along of “Hey Stupid” would come next before a drum solo from Glen Sobel bought enough time for a scenery and costume change.

Next appearing at the top of a set of stairs, Cooper performed his classic “Welcome to My Nightmare” while all around the bottom of the stairs his bandmates played whilst also slow walking like zombies in Romero’s Dawn of the Dead. This particular effect worked. Not all of them did. One big failure was the fake photographer who came out on stage and kept “getting in the way” only to be “impaled” by Alice with the microphone stand. This guy overacted to the nth degree.

Now I get (and applaud) that an Alice Cooper show is about 70% Son of Svengoolie type stuff, but this guy was in the Ed Wood Plan Nine phase. Ease it back about ten points brother. (Johnny just read that and asked if I was suddenly channeling Hulk Hogan.) Go away little dude, don’t you have something to do?

The special effects would continue as Cooper next emerged with a life sized “doll” for the necrophilia classic “Cold Ethyl.” In a slight departure from the usual set list, Cooper then threw in “Go to Hell” from Alice Cooper Goes to Hell. That was one not usually on there, so I enjoyed getting something different. Then it was on to “Poison” and “Feed My Frankenstein,” (both worked as the fans love singing “Poison” and the giant Frankenstein was a cool looking animatronic.)

Footage of the Vincent Price scene from The Black Widow played on the giant screens allowing Cooper to change clothes, get some oxygen perhaps and for his set people to prepare new choreography, while Strauss, Roxie, Henrickson, (Guitars) & Chuck Garrick (Bass) jammed away with solos. Nita Strauss, of course, appeals to the Beard, but Ryan Roxie & Tommy Henrickson are both skillful players in their own right. This was a terrific way to get all the behind-the-scenes stuff accomplished without losing the momentum of the set. All the guitar players tossed picks from the stage and the Beard was able to snag one. Although Little Johnny disagreed, the Beard is claiming my pick was from Nita Strauss and she threw it to me on purpose. (Ed: Sure it wasn't a marriage proposal, Beard, you delusional 'ol man?)

When next we see Cooper he was lit up in blues and greens while outfitted in his straitjacket and performing “The Ballad of Dwight Fry.” This was a better choice than “Steven”, as it really allowed Alice to play the insane character to the hilt. His facials and body gesticulations are always great on this one.

Of course, next was the almost half century old guillotine portion of the program. In an update, where for many years Alice’s own wife of almost forty-eight years Sheryl Cooper had been the executioneress, apparently that job has now been passed down to forty-three-year-old Calico Cooper (Alice's daughter) who now gets to behead her father on a nightly basis. I am not certain whether that saves money on therapy or leads to more of it? I guess when Alice Cooper is your dad, beheading him may just be a normal day.

While the band played “I Love the Dead” and Calico Cooper wandered around displaying Alice’s disconnected head, the magicians in the back were once again preparing the next set piece, and out it rolled as Cooper stood atop a giant raised podium flanked by American Flags for “Elected.” Alice Cooper has ceremonially been running for office every four years since 1972 and believe me there are many terms where he would have been the best man for the job. A crazy man for a crazy time. 

Of course, the encore was to be “Schools Out” as Alice (in white suit jacket and matching top hat) released confetti filled giant balls into the audience and then stabbed them once they came back near the front of the stage releasing the explosions of confetti to the audience’s delight. “Schools Out” also (as usual) contained the snippet of “Another Brick in the Wall part II” where the audience got to sing along.

After the song ended, Alice Cooper “finally” spoke directly to the audience introducing each band member, then his daughter, and finally basked in a self-introduction, “And playing the role of Alice Cooper………ME!!!” to great applause. Band bows and exit stage right, another fun show for us and just another Tuesday for them.

Alice Cooper has long been up against the Beard's “Icon Status” which means once I know how great you can be, you need to stay at that level to keep earning your grade. After at least ten shows, Cooper needs to be great to be graded that way. Tonight was not the best of the best, but as is virtually always the case, it was good. Alice Cooper draws you in and at least makes you believe he wants every show to be the best show. His band is always energetic, always smiling and laughing throughout and it always seems like you are getting the “really good” show. The Beard is granting a 90/100 and, of course, cracking a cold one for one more impressive outing from a man who, let us not forget, is also 76-years old.

When asked for “his” review, Little Johnny said, “Beard, I know that dude is old as #$%@ but it never seems that way when he’s performing. I have fun at this show every time, and that guitar player (Ryan Roxie) dresses cool.” “What about Nita Strauss little dude?” “I know better than to get between you and a chick musician you’re into.” “Thanks John but, she actually got married in May, so I am afraid I must just enjoy her playing.” Johnny snorted and said, “Yeah, like otherwise you had a shot.”

That does it for show #44 and band #157 of our 2024 reviews tour. Be sure to read us each week on your visits to the metal monastery The Mighty Decibel @ themightydecibel.com, then check out all the videos at the Beards TikTok page thebeard0728 or #thebeardandlittlejohnny, and finally follow the Beard on Facebook for his non-metal reviews show. Already thirty-five episodes this year alone, just friend or follow Mark McQueen.

Until next time, this is The Beard & Little Johnny saying ... Live Life, Stay Heavy & Horns Up.