Not this time

I'm not a big fan of The Cult and so I would be disappointed with Alice playing a truncated set

Also, the closest venue to me now is Swansea, which is over 160 miles away by road, meaning in the car it would be a round journey of over 6 hours! However, if I went by train a one-way journey would be over 4 hours!

The Alice Cooper Thread
 

The tickets are pretty expensive too, I would have liked to have gone but it’d be a big trip for me too whether it be the midlands or Scotland for a venue. Tickets, travel and hotel. Too pricey.

Edit, forgot about Manchester but I’d still stay overnight so it all still applies lol.

I've just heard that the Swansea show is sold out!

Anyway...it's just been announced that the Southampton based band CREEPER will be joining Alice and The Cult on the UK leg of the your

Alice has just started the UK leg of his latest tour, with a truncated show at the Swansea Arena on May 23rd - truncated because he was only on stage for 80 mins and a total of 19 songs were played as opposed to the 22 that were played the last time he visited the UK

Alice didn't come on stage until 9:45pm!

The staging seems to be the same as the 'Nightmare Castle' set from 2019. Dropped from the set were 'Raped and Freezin'' / 'Muscle of Love' / 'He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)' / 'My Stars' / 'Devil's Food'

The actual setlist comprised of:

• Feed My Frankenstein
• No More Mr. Nice Guy
• Bed of Nails
• Hey Stoopid
• Fallen in Love
• Shut Up and Rock (played for the first time on the tour)
• Go Man Go
• Under My Wheels
• Roses on White Lace
• I'm Eighteen (which suffered with problems with the microphone)
• Poison
• Billion Dollar Babies
• Black Widow Jam
• Steven
• Dead Babies
• I Love the Dead (band vocals only)
• Escape
• Teenage Frankenstein
• School's Out

It will be interesting to see what changes are made to the set over the remaining five UK dates

Apparently the sound at the venue was dire - it was 'muddy' with a lot of bass and drums and very little guitar

There is an average review of the concert in The Guardian:

"Alice Cooper review – guillotine-wielding rocker is no longer a cut above

3/5 stars

The shock-rock superstar delivers a fine spectacle, but his varied back catalogue gets homogenised on this arena tour

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a5341...ormat&fit=max&

The man on stage has died this way before. The blade catches the spotlight on its way down and a lifeless head tumbles into a basket, ready to be paraded in front of the baying crowd. In Alice Cooper’s world, execution by guillotine counts as playing the hits.

Kicking off this co-headline tour with the Cult – who, thanks to Ian Astbury’s aggro charisma, remain a muscular, exciting rock band in their best moments and a meat-and-potatoes one the rest of the time – Alice doesn’t skimp on crowd-pleasing gimmicks.

At a juncture when most people want to be reminded of how things were, it’s a canny, safe move. He hits the stage, which is decked out as a polystyrene castle, to the punchy riff of Feed My Frankenstein, done up in his trademark top hat and eye makeup, cane twirling. The response is exactly as you might expect – each costume change and macabre set piece is welcomed like fan service in a franchise revival.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/57597...aster/3500.jpg

It’s a shame, though, that the spirit of Alice’s 2021 album Detroit Stories – a tribute to the MC5-launching late-60s garage rock scene in his home town – hasn’t left much of a footprint. Just as the guillotine is on the road again, so is the glam metal aesthetic that has been his bread and butter for the past thirtysomething years.

Poison, Hey Stoopid and Teenage Frankenstein are dispatched with maximum bombast, divebombs flying from the fretboard of guitarist Nita Strauss. But, accentuated by the pyrotechnic chops of the band, who look like action figures from a toy line based on the mid-80s Sunset Strip, the staging of older numbers such as I’m Eighteen and No More Mr Nice Guy grinds their psych and powerpop elements into homogenised sleaze-rock.

With only 25 minutes at their disposal, openers Creeper race through their Jim Steinman-meets-AFI set, urged on by puckish vocalist Will Gould. They are heading in Alice’s direction, with a love of theatricality trumping their roots in Southampton’s hardcore scene, but they still perform with the guts and desperation of a punk band. They are unpredictable, something the headliner might take note of."

In a recent Classic Rock interview Alice said. And i quote.

He may well make a new record every three or four years but his set list doesn't tell you that. It's always the same stuff. Tour in tour out. Only two songs here from his latest album Detroit Stories and one from 2017's Paranormal. The rest of the set is at least thirty years old.

It's one of the reasons i don't feel i need to see him live again.

He should do era shows similar to Maiden, just keeping Schools Out as the show closer. That would be interesting. But above all he should tour his latest record properly.

I agree, I wanted to go to this tour but the ticket price put me off. I don’t feel like I have missed out as it’s basically the same show I saw in 2019.

Twelve of those songs i saw live back in 2002.

It's too long to post but if you want to compare set lists it's here.

https://www.concertarchives.org/conc...e-dogs-d-amour

Swansea review at Metal Planet Music

"There are certain gigs that as a photographer are on your bucket list, Alice was on mine so the opportunity to see him plus one of the bands from my mid teams whose ‘Love” album I about wore out came along it was smiles all round.

The newly opened Swansea Arena lended itself well to such an auspicious occasion, the gig was sold out and the opening night of the UK tour, so the anticipation levels were high as was the number of Alice lookalikes leaning on the barrier.

Opening the proceedings was Creeper, the lights stayed low for the Southampton Goth Rock band as frontman Will Gould began an expressive and energetic set full of swagger to warm the party up. Cyanide from their second studio album ‘Sex, Death & the Infinite Void’ kicked the short but full on set off. Down Below from their second album stuck in my head but it was the closing track Annabelle from 2017’s Eternity, in your Arms’ that got the mood ready for “The Cult”. Definitely a band to check out.

After what seemed like forever, the lights went down and ‘The Cult’ with the distinctive sound of Billy Duffy’s guitar and the unique voice of Ian Astbury smashed their way though your ears with ‘Sun King’ before smoothly flowing into ‘Automatic Blues’. The band transported me back in time with ‘Sweet Soul Sister’ and I have to say, they sounded better than I thought possible.

The sound in Swansea Arena is great from the back and as there was no pit photography allowed for their set, it was nice to just enjoy the set if not a little frustrating as a long time fan.

Ian likes a chat and engaged with the crowd easily talking about his Celtic Roots and as the tambourines flew into the crowd, even the hardened Alice fans warmed to the charismatic Astbury.

It was however, Duffy’s riffs and licks that stole it for me though – phenomenal player and when the familiar opening of ‘Love Removal Machine’, ‘Revolution’,’ Rain’ and ‘She Sells Sanctuary’ hit my ears I felt transported in time back to my own days of oodles of black eyeliner and black lipstick bopping around the local disco Ian Astbury style!

Enough of the time travelling and it was time for the other headliner for tonight, Alice Cooper. The stage was set…castle turrets, chandeliers, skulls and bones, in total contrast to the straight gig sets of the two previous bands.

But of course, we know what to expect, a performance, a theatrical fest of catchy songs spanning Alice Coopers career, a production not a gig, supreme musicians, and the master of shock rock Alice Cooper himself who with a 50 year plus career seems as sprightly and magnificent as ever!

https://metalplanetmusic.com/wp-cont...2-1024x684.jpg

“Feed My Frankenstein’ kicked it all off, the crowd bouncing and singing along, we had the first 4 songs in the photo pit and it honestly felt like 2 minutes such was the power of the performance with the band swapping places, coming together to hit those lovely guitar heavy phrases, playing to the audience all the while Alice overseeing and commanding, wafting his cane, a sword, a knife, steady in his vocal and never breaking character. What a show!

“No More Mr Nice Guy’, ‘Bed of Nails’ and “Hey Stoopid’ never let the pace up for a second, a whirlwind of such classic tracks with costume changes, giant monsters and equally giant choruses. Swansea Arena holds 3000+ and I think everyone was singing along.

I won’t detail the full set list for those of you going to other shows but there was a live debut and loads of theatrics with huge ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ , the guillotine (of course) and tonnes more classics.

A 19-song set list in 1 hour 15ish minutes – fast and frantic but all in a good way. Yes ‘Poison was in there, and of course the one that every generation knows ‘School’s Out’.

https://metalplanetmusic.com/wp-cont...6-1024x675.jpg

Nita Strauss is the guitar queen of rock, a goddess with a guitar who can bend those strings with such dexterity all the time stamping her authority on the stage.

She has a confidence that is very well deserved. Ryan Roxie is on parr with Nita, performance perfection and fabulous to watch and listen too. Tommy Henriksen equally matches his colleagues for his turn at solos, seriously nippy in his riffage. The low end delivered impeccably by Chris Wyse. They play off each other but also with each other.

The band are unbelievably good, Glen Sobel smashing out the tempo and under-pinning each track, they all perform not just play but it is the playing that matters and it’s flawless! My only comment would be turn it up a bit Swansea Arena, these songs need to be played loud, hit you squarely in the stomach, 4 guitars on stage and at times I couldn’t feel that fuzz let alone the big tub thumping!!

The Godfather of Shock Rock is still amazing, the ultimate showman and you really shouldn’t miss this tour, buy the tickets, get yourself out for a night of pure music and theatrics. Total enjoyment."

Just out of interest Susan, do you have the set list from The Cult?

I was waiting for a full and confirmed one before I mentioned it here

All I know at the moment is that The Cult's set included Sun King / Automatic Blues / Sweet Soul Sister / Edie (Ciao Baby) / Rain / Wild Flower / She Sells Sanctuary / Love Removal Machine’ / Revolution, but there must be more than that

If you are interested, the setlist for Creeper was Cyanide / Thorns of Love / Down Below / Midnight / Annabelle

Thanks. That's a very good hits filled set from Astbury and co. It's as much a nostalgia set as Alice's with nothing after 89 listed.

Can't say i know Creeper at all. Although going off the song titles they could actually be Cult songs. :lol:

Well, something seems to have gone wrong with the idea of playing some different songs on each night of the UK tour - yesterdays concert at the 02 in London had exactly the same setlist at the show in Swansea!!

The setlist for The Cult at the 02 show was: Sun King / Automatic Blues / Sweet Soul Sister / Soul Asylum / Edie (Ciao Baby) / Aphrodisiac Jacket / Lil' Devil / Wild Flower / Fire Woman / Revolution / Rain / She Sells Sanctuary / Love Removal Machine

London 02 review at The Up Coming


"Spectators at the O2 Arena whipped out their phones to capture legendary rock star Alice Cooper as he hit the elaborately designed stage in his usual devilish ringmaster get up. The 74-year-old rocker and his lively band went straight into Feed My Frankenstein, joined by a giant monster during the epic guitar solo – two of many monsters and bombastic solos to come.

From there, the band launched into a succession of bangers in ascending chronological order: No More Mr Nice Guy, Bed of Nails, Hey Stoopid, Fallen in Love, broken up by a raw duet between Alice on harmonica and his guitarist, Nita Strauss. This led to a somewhat muddled medley that included tunes from the artist’s latest album, losing the musicians at times and lacking the presence of his more established material.

After a confused end to the first act with a rendition of 1971’s Under My Wheels, the audience was treated to a screaming guitar solo by the intensely charismatic Strauss. The American musician stole the show from the start with her ball-grabbing performance.

It seems like Alice Cooper has always been the same age – a fit 50. This show proved not much has changed, although a multitude of props and an attractive female guitarist helped deflect attention from his own more subdued movements. The rock star saved his best for last, allowing the band to create explosive energy throughout the show. No longer buried in harmonious guitar arrangements, Cooper’s ageless voice shone in his vulnerable rendition of Steven, as well as a powerful rock scream in Escape.

After three acts of wild Halloween-style madness (or “casserole of nonsense” in Cooper’s own parting words), the band burst back onstage to play undying hits Poison and School’s Out. They were accompanied by a confetti canon, giant balloons, a défilé of monsters and dancer (and wife) Sheryl Cooper, who also featured in the production.

A triumphant fusion of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall with Cooper’s School’s Out ended the show with a bang. It was testament to the fact that the musicians could easily have held their own without the gaudy theatrical production, which included a huge baby, a ghostly bride, a beheading and numerous outfit changes.

Overall, the ageless rocker and his extravagant show, long postponed due to “the plague”, effortlessly delivered the screaming entertainment Alice Cooper is known for.

4/5 "

The Cult set list is pretty top notch! I’d have enjoyed that one.

Concert #3 in Manchester had exactly the same setlist as the previous two shows on the tour!

Yeah, me too. Just out of interest this was their set list the only time i've seen them. Supporting Guns N' Roses at Milton Keynes Bowl in 93.

She Sells Sanctuary
Lil' Devil
Gone
Peace Dog
Starchild
The Witch
Wild Flower
Earth Mofo
Fire Woman
Love Removal Machine

The Witch is my fave Cult song so i'm thankful they played that when i saw them but the latest set list blows away the time i saw them. Oddly they played a song - Gone - which was a year away from release and another - Starchild - which was never released.

Alice has just finished the UK leg of his latest tour, with a show at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on June 1st. Tonight (June 2nd) he is headlining a festival in Spain before touring Europe between June - July and then it is the latest US tour starting in September

Despite what he had previously said, every UK show featured exactly the same setlist - something which a lot of fans are not happy with!!

Unless you are in the very small minority who would go to more than one show, does it really matter?

You'd think people would have more to think about than a 74 year old's set list on his UK tour. They should be grateful he's playing at all and shut the **** up!

But a lot of his fans *do* follow him all over the country when he is on tour. Alice is considered in the same way that Lemmy and Ozzy are - to some people he is a true rock God, and every tour might be the last time that they actually get to see him live - as you say, he is 74 years old and has been in the music industry for 58 of them

Still no reason to whine. I mean, he's barely changed the bulk of his set list for thirty years, what were they expecting? ;)

Alice has just started the European leg of the tour with a show at the Rock In The City festival in Kuopio, Finland on June 10th

The set is basically the same as the full 'Old Black Eyes Is Back' tour from the days pre-Covid, with a few changes:

• Intro: Years Ago
• Intro: Nightmare Castle
• Feed My Frankenstein
• No More Mr. Nice Guy
• Bed of Nails
• Hey Stoopid
• Fallen in Love
• Be My Lover [replacing Go Man Go]
• Under My Wheels
• He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)
• Go To Hell [replacing Rock & Roll]
• I'm Eighteen
• Poison
• Billion Dollar Babies
• Roses on White Lace
• My Stars / Devil's Food / Black Widow
• Steven
• Dead Babies
• I Love the Dead
• Escape
• Teenage Frankenstein
• School's Out / Another Brick In The Wall

On other news, it's being rumoured that 2022 will see a 50th anniversary special edition release of the 'Schools Out' album being released by Warner/Rhino

On the back cover of Classic Rock there's an advert for a cd/Blu-ray set called Live from the Astroturf which is released Sept 30th via Ear Music.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Live-Astrot...%2C1142&sr=8-1

The Hollywood Vampires have announced some German and Luxembourg dates in 2023


Presumably other European and US dates will be announced soon

It looks like this is only available as a CD with the Blu-Ray


If you want to get this concert on DVD, you have to get it on LP - of which there are a number of different choices including Glow In The Dark Vinyl (US + GER Exclusive)...


...Gold Vinyl (Good Records (US) Exclusive)...


...Curaçao Vinyl (Europe Exclusive)...


...and Apricot Vinyl (Available Worldwide)


https://www.ear-music.net/alice-coop...the-astroturf/

New Alice Funko coming in October

Alice at the Graspop Festival on June 19, 2022

The full Alice Cooper Hellfest show. (Professionally filmed)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlEdDjFrJHU

Feed My Frankenstein
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Bed of Nails
Hey Stoopid
Fallen in Love
Go Man Go
Roses On White Lace
I'm Eighteen
Poison
Billion Dollar Babies
Black Widow Jam
Steven
Dead Babies
I Love The Dead
Escape
School's Out

Nita Strauss leaves Alice Cooper's band after eight years / Planet Rock


"Nita Strauss has announced she is leaving Alice Cooper’s band after eight years.

The esteemed guitarist posted a statement on Instagram saying that Alice Cooper’s show at Törebodafestivalen in Sweden on Saturday night (9th July) was her last with the shock rock legend.

Alongside exiting Alice Cooper’s band, Strauss has cancelled all her upcoming solo shows for the remainder of 2022 while she embarks on her “next adventure.”

https://cdn.planetradio.co.uk/one/me...97&resize=crop

Nita Strauss’ full statement reads:

“After this absolutely incredible run in Europe, it is bittersweet for me to let you guys know that I will not be joining the Alice Cooper band for the upcoming fall tour.

“I will also regretfully have to cancel the festival dates my solo band had planned for the rest of the year.

“I AM NOT PREGNANT!!! There is no drama whatsoever and my touring year is still VERY full- in fact, I’m on a flight straight into the next adventure as I post this, and I’ll be on stage again much sooner than you think! But that’s news for another day.

“The past eight years together has been the experience of a lifetime, and I could not be more grateful to Alice and Sheryl Cooper, Shep Gordon, the amazing band, crew and fans for welcoming me to all of your nightmare.

“I don’t know what the future will hold after this, but I am forever thankful."

Nita Strauss joined Alice Cooper’s band in June 2014 following the departure of Orianthi.

Back in 2018, Nita Strauss became the first ever female Ibanez signature guitarist, and she introduced her own guitar, the Ibanez JIVA.

Before joining Alice Cooper’s band, Nita was a member of the Los Angeles based all-female Iron Maiden tribute act The Iron Maidens.

Nita was also recruited as a member of hard rock outfit Femme Fatale in 2013 when vocalist Lorraine Lewis reformed the band after a 23-year break.

One of Nita’s ancestors on her father’s side of the family is Austrian composer Johann Strauss II.

Nita told Rolling Stone in 2015: "What's funny about that is people always think I'm using a classical-sounding stage name, like Sebastian Bach. But no, it's real."

The 35-year-old rocker performed six UK arena shows with Alice Cooper back in May and June on his co-headline tour with The Cult."

Sounds like she's joined another band to me.

If she's not playing solo gigs but still playing live then she's obviously got another gig with another band.

I suppose she could have formed a new band.

Rumour has it... she has joined Demi Lovato's touring band

Just a mercenary for hire then. She's hardly going to gain any extra rock credibility doing that. After hearing Lovato's music Strauss will have ninety minutes off most nights unless she plans on becoming a backing vocalist.

Edit - Just listened to her latest song - Skin of my Teeth - which is a change of direction from dance pop to pop punk. At least Strauss will be able to play some riffs on one song. :lol:

Rumour has it... Kane Roberts is (or will be) back in the touring band

How strange. When i came to read this i was listening to Winger's second album through headphones, Kip Winger of course being Alice's bass player when Roberts was lead guitarist.

Winger - Baptized by Fire

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-bEVZWmhz0

In The Heart Of The Young (1990)

Looks like it's confirmed

""I'm looking forward to welcoming back Kane Roberts for our shows in September and October. We've been friends all this time, and he's always been one of my favorite guitarists. He's bringing more muscle to the Detroit Muscle Tour. We've always had a swinging door policy where players can come and go, so it's very exciting to get back on stage with Kane. The fans are in for a real treat at these shows. It's gonna be a blast. Kane Roberts, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen on guitars? Hell yeah!""

Nita was/is amazing and such an entertainer on the stage but there is a lot to be said about Ryan and Tommy too, it was a very solid band. Be interesting to see Kane though, I wonder if his biceps are a bit smaller now he's MUCH older, his guitar looks tiny on his massive frame.

Expect the return of the M80 guitar!

There is a new Alice graphic novel coming from Dynamic Comics

There is no word on what the comic book will be about, although the title - 'Alice Cooper vs. The Prince of Darkness' - probably tells us all we need to know at the moment

Written by Rodney Barnes and with art by Edu Menna, it doesn't seem to have a release date as yet, but presumably it will be near the end of the year


With a background as a screenwriter and producer in Hollywood, Barnes has contributed to 'The Boondocks', 'My Wife and Kids', 'Everbody Hates Chris', Marvel's 'Runaways', 'American Gods', and is currently an executive producer / writer on HBO's 'Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty'. Within comics, he is the creator of the Eisner Award-nominated 'Killadelphia'

"Somewhat bizarrely Alice has been announced as "special guest" to punk/metal band The Misfits for a show at the Dos Equis Pavillion in Dallas TX on October 29th. The Distillers will open the show, Tickets go on sale next Friday August 12th at 10AM local time."

Alice is featured in a new American television advert for the SiriusXM radio station