The closing song on the original release is
'I Am the Spider/Epilogue' which is one of the more compelling songs on the album. It has a cinematic flare to it, sounding like something that would be played over the end credits of a big budget Hollywood blockbuster. The overall tone of the song is dark and menacing. That pulsating guitar at the beginning of the track sets the mood. Alice's growl-singing vocal performance is fun, as he tells us that nobody knows who this serial killer is, and he could be anywhere!
The album closes with a spoken monologue, which brings back the character of Steven, who was last featured on the 'Last Temptation' album in 1994. However, it is stated that "
We've been in this cell for 28 years Steven" which suggests that Steven has been imprisoned since 1980, which (in album terms) is between 'From The Inside' and 'Flush The Fashion'. That means that his appearances in 'Dada', 'Hey Stoopid' and 'The Last Temptation', were being told from inside his cell!
Alice Cooper - Vocals
Danny Saber, Greg Hampton - Guitars, Keyboards, Backing vocals, String Arrangements
Eric Singer - Drums
Bernard Fower - Backing vocals
11/11 - I Am The Spider/Epilogue (Cooper, Cooper, Saber, Hampton)
"I'm your lover
I'm your brother
I'm your killer
I'm your friend
I'm your teacher
I'm your preacher
I'm the reaper in the end
I'm your healer
I'm your dealer
I'm your angel, lets pretend
I'm your jailer
I'm your failure
I'm the reaper in the end
Along came a spider
Crept up beside her
Spun his web deep inside her
My darkness will guide her
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
You're my sinner
You're my dinner
My little puppet, let's pretend
You're the cure to my affliction
My addiction till end
Along came a spider
Crept up beside her
Spun his web deep inside her
My darkness will guide her
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I was born to this
Not something to strive for
Not something to even admire
Unless of course it's done with the greatest of taste
Conviction and expertise
I am the spider
Along came a spider
Crept up beside her
Spun his web deep inside her
My darkness will guide her
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
I am the spider
------------
Epilogue: Spider - "Well, they found my diary today. They were appropriately appalled at the discovery of the eight victims. They're now putting it all together. Women wrapped in silk with one leg missing. Eight legs, one body, silk, spider, brilliant!"
"We've been in this cell for 28 years Steven. We couldn't have done all those horrible things. Yes, I know. I know what you always say. You trap, you kill, you eat. That's what a good spider does. You trap, you kill, you eat. You trap, you kill, you eat.""
When the album was re-released in 2010, it contained three additional songs that were originally iTunes-only bonus tracks, released alongside the original album
These are:
'Shadow Of Yourself',
'I'll Still be There' and a new version of
'Salvation' (Unplugged, with string selection
The tour which had started in 2007 (the Psycho-Drama Tour) continued with the same line-up:
Alice Cooper - Vocals
Keri Kelly - Guitars, Vocals
Jason Hook - Guitars, vocals
Chuck Garric - Bass
Eric Singer - Drums
Calico Cooper - Actress
A few changes were made to the setlist to include a couple of songs from the new album. The basic show was:
- It's Hot Tonight
- No More Mr Nice Guy
- Under My Wheels
- I'm Eighteen
- Is It My Body?
- Woman Of Mass Distraction
- Lost In America
- Feed My Frankenstein
- Be My Lover
- (In Touch With) Your Feminine Side
- Dirty Diamonds
- Vengeance Is Mine
- Desperado
- Halo Of Flies (with Drum Solo)
- Welcome To My Nightmare
- Cold Ethyl
- Only Women Bleed
- Steven
- Dead Babies
- Ballad Of Dwight Fry
- Medley: Devils Food - Killer - I Love The Dead
- School's Out
- Billion Dollar Babies
- Poison
- Elected
'Along Came A Spider' was released in the UK on July 28th, 2008, but the band played two UK dates just before that, at London Docklands on July 24th and Southampton Guildhall on July 25th, where there was in incident in the audience as a man removed his prosthetic leg and assaulted another fan with it!
Rock fan allegedly attacked at Alice Cooper concert in Southampton (From Daily Echo)
The tour continued in North America and Canada between July 31st 2008 - November 1st before moving to Germany between November 18 - December 1st (with Whitesnake) and a single date in the Czech Republic on December 2nd.
A handful of single shows were played during the early part of 2009, before the tour resumed in Russia between June 14th - June 29th (with The Scorpions and Kingdom Come) before ending in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia between June 30th - July 12th