Alice Cooper @ Civic Hall, Wolverhampton – Thursday 25th October 2012
Despite arriving at the venue well before 8pm, I only managed to catch the final song by Duff McKagan’s Loaded which was a version of It’s So Easy that sounded great as I entered the Civic and caught a brief glimpse of him, through an already busy hall, he appeared to be looking very well indeed. The second band on the bill is the recently reformed Ugly Kid Joe, who reached fame in the early 1990s with their satirical brand of metal and funk. As the band enter the stage, noticeably their outfits don’t appeared to have moved on much from the ’90s and you are reminded how dated their riffs sound. However, vocalist Whitfield Crane intends to connect with every member of the audience, jumping across the stage and encouraging the crowd to play an active part in their performance. Interestingly, his vocal style has incorporated a more hardcore element, possibly from his time in Life of Agony, as he spits out the chorus for V.I.P. The popular Neighbor, sees Crane exit the stage for the photographers pit and then climb up the rig onto the balcony, which is appreciated by all and he doesn’t miss a beat as he takes time to shake hands with fans and prepare to launch himself back on to the stage. Watching the crowd, you can clearly see pockets of Ugly Kid Joe enthusiasts who are singing and jumping around, yet as the set progresses Crane’s hard work pays off and more people are effused by the energy. As the set reaches its obvious ending, Everything About You, the band have won over the majority of the audience and certainly done their job as a support act by getting the crowd suitably warmed up for Alice.
This is Alice Cooper’s third Halloween Night of Fear tour, and it is still incredibly popular with a vast number of people fully partaking in the costume option. As the clock gets close to 9.30, the show begins with an elaborate set being revealed through a hail of sparks, as Cooper and his band launch into Hello Hooray. Unfortunately the vocals are low in the mix to begin with but this is improved as the song proceeds, not that it detracts from Alice’s amazing presence on stage wielding his cane and looking like a circus master from your worst nightmares. House of Fire consolidates how musically tight and loud this performance is going to be irrespective of the antics that maybe taking place on stage. No More Mr Nice Guy demonstrates Cooper’s ability to write great rock songs and that it is this combined with the dramatic element of the show that makes him so popular still, and this skill for song writing is more evident in his most recent track, I’ll Bite Your Face Off.
As the set continues, Cooper unleashes more classics upon the crowd picking up relevant props as he goes along, for example Billion Dollar Babies sees him wielding a fencing foil with fake dollar bills on it, whilst Dirty Diamonds sees him throwing necklaces out to a waiting audience. Dirty Diamonds allows drummer , Glen Sobel to exhibit his talents whilst werewolf looking bass player Chuck Garric holds down the rhythm, the rest of the band return to display their synchronised ZZ Top inspired playing. Welcome To My Nightmare sees Alice return to the stage and be entwined in a strait jacket, whilst releasing his sinister vocal style and feeing himself from his jacket. Possibly the most impressive visual aspect of the show is the oversized Frankenstein, that is created from Cooper’s involvement in a pyrotechnically led experiment during Feed My Frankenstein, and proceeds to wander precariously across the stage.
Alice Cooper presents a collection of cover versions to honour “Hollywood’s Vampires”, The Doors’ Break On Through, The Beatles’ Revolution, Hendrix’s Foxy Lady and My Generation by The Who. All of which are a respectful tribute, however it could have been condensed into a shorter period of time and allowed Cooper to play more of his original work. The set finishes with Under My Wheels, I’m Eighteen and his massive 1989 hit, Poison that sees the audience erupt with appreciation and Cooper and his band leave the stage. The lights stay low and there has been one obvious omission from the show, School’s Out. Alice Cooper doesn’t fail to satisfy the audience as the classic riff resounds round the hall and the band rip through the 70’s anthem, enhanced with streamers exploding and ticker tape being released over the audience. With such a grand finale, you cannot help but salute the King of Shock Rock who has stuck firm to a recipe that many have tried to copy but yet failed to deliver with such vigour and enthusiasm. What a start to Halloween!
Review by Toni Woodward
Photographs by Steve Gerrard