![]() Stage left hit the jackpot as the lucky spot of the evening. Nita Strauss then appeared on the stage left platform to perform a shredding guitar solo. A double-human sized Frankenstein came out pacing back and forth across the stage with the song ending in a Vincent Price narrative. ![]() Flashes of light resembling lightning intro’d ‘Feed My Frankenstein’ as electrical sparks ran across the video screens. Alice finally took a seat center stage as things slowed down a bit for ‘Only Women Bleed’ where a dancer from backstage came out eerily swaying and gyrating about him. ![]() He danced with and dragged around the lifeless figure during ‘Cold Ethyl. It wasn’t only the star himself in the spotlight, drummer Glen Sobel treated us to a pounding solo, a must have in any rock show! Alice took to the platform via the stairs stage left to sing ‘Welcome To My Nightmare’ acting the part of a band conductor and ending the song by tossing a life-sized mannequin onto the stage floor. 1994’s ‘Lost In America’ filled the video screens with images of Vegas, money, patriotic stars, and one where the Statue of Liberty had Cooper’s eyes, make up and all. Coop entered the stage with a live Boa Constrictor wrapped around his neck for ‘Snakebite’. 2017’s ‘Fallen In Love’ began with Alice leading a harmonica vs guitar dueling trade-off. On ‘Billion Dollar Babies’ Cooper currency rained down as confetti into the audience. Rolling through 1973’s ’No More Mr Nice Guy’ and 1970’s I’m Eighteen’ Coop swapped out sword for baton then baton for crutch waving and extending the prop toward audience members. Dressed all in black complete with trademark baton, top hat, tails, boots, gloves, black belt with a dragon buckle, and his eyes blackened out with his iconic heavy makeup he made a grand appearance. The voice said, ‘Alice Cooper how do you plead?’ ‘Guilty!’, and Coop took the stage for a 1.35 hour / 23 song set beginning with a partial rendition of 1987’s ‘Raise Your Fist’ leading into ’No More Mr. His silhouette shone through the banner which doubled as a curtain he sliced down the middle with a sword. A large banner unraveled that read‘ BANNED IN SOUTH CAROLINA’ while images on the video screens shown newspaper articles some of which read: ‘Ban Alice The Horror Rocker’, ‘The Most Dangerous Pop Star’, ‘Sick, Sick Music’, ‘Cooper Vomits Violence’…. the lights dimmed to a demanding vocal command ‘Order In The Court’ and with the sound of a pounding gavel as the curtain dropped to a drumroll. All the musicians save the drummer were in the forefront with Alice. Four video screens resembling windows were the backdrop and three tiers of light bars and four tiers of multicolored lighting rigs kept things illuminated in vivid colors (think Halloween purple, poison green and blood red). The stage concealed until showtime was set as such: There were two sets of stairs leading up to platforms stage left and right, a railed walkway on either sides of the drum kit with Alice’s name on dual drum heads. My seats were 2nd row, first balcony, not exactly too close for comfort but close enough and high enough to take in everything going on. Vincent Damon Furnier 75 who legally changed his name to match that of the band’s when he solo’d off had plenty of material to draw from -a total of 28 albums spanning 1969-2021 with 23 charted singles. Despite the fact that the Godfather of Shock Rock has had 39 career tours it would turn out to be my first time ever seeing Alice Cooper LIVE! Billed the ’Too Close For Comfort Tour’ (an April/May mini-tour) brought him to the Upstate for a gig mashed directly in between Saturday/Monday dates in Knoxville and Charleston respectively. I'm looking forward to the other 2 shows I have on my schedule! Columbus, OH Ohio StadiumĪlice Cooper: 5/14/23 “I made my way up I85 and into Spartanburg Sunday evening for what was bound to be a Mother’s Day to remember. And I got attention from Chuck Garric when he came to that side, which is always fun. Where my seat was meant we could watch the band come and go from the stage, which was fun. I like to watch everyone and he was completely hidden. ![]() While the band was great about making sure to come to both edges - and pay attention to those of us up on the sides, which I appreciated - I was not happy that I couldn't see Glen Sobel on drums. The center of the stage was recessed so much that those of us in the sides couldn't see it at all. I was very annoyed with the stage design. (For anyone thinking of the lyrics to that, yes, back in the day there was a "splatter zone" where the first few rows would get pelted with stage blood I speak from experience!) I finally got my wish! They opened with it and I was beyond delighted. It's such a perfect stage song, since it's about the show. ![]() First of all, since 1986 I've been griping that the band never did "Lock Me Up" live. ![]()
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