Theatre of Death

Alice Cooper's newest tour is called the 'Theatre of Death.'  Despite the name, it is quite tame compared to what we get to see on TV all of the time.  As far as the music and a stage show goes, it WAS a great deal of fun.  It is amazing to think that 'Alice Cooper' is 62 years old--he certainly doesn't look like it onstage.

Here are some pictures that I took during the show.  I took many, many pics, but for one reason or another, most of them didn't come out.  Part of the no-good pics was the fact that I had many tall people standing in front of me and the other reason was the flashing stage lights.  But, I got enough for memories.

We were sitting in row 17--and it didn't seem quite as far from the stage as the picture shows.

And then, the lights went down, a bell rang, the curtain raised, and Alice came out singing 'School's Out.'  The crowd went wild!

Here we have the obligatory picture of Alice in the guillotine.

This is probably the best picture I got of Alice.

Alice singing with is head in a noose.

And after being 'hung.'

The band playing during one of the costume changes.

And one of the last songs before the encore.

For 90+ minutes, the band played/Alice sang, the crowd was on its feet and cheering, and I slowly lost all ability to hear clearly.  (It took me about a half hour afterwards before I could hear close to normal.  I know, I lost some of my hearing, but I don't do this very often--and it WAS worth it.  ;))  While I loved the Eagles concert we last went to, THIS one was much, much more fun.

And, for a little more...some info I learned while getting ready for the concert:

--'Alice Cooper' was the name of the original band...

...but, when Vincent Furnier--the lead singer--went onto a solo career, he took the name for himself.  As compensation for using the name, he pays the original band members a yearly royalty fee.  While no number has been disclosed, each member gets enough money to live quite comfortably.

--Alice Cooper's wife filed for divorce in 1983...

...but after reconciling, they have remained together.  They married in 1976 and have three children.

--Alice Cooper practically drank himself to death and was hospitalized twice for his alcoholism...

...but quit drinking for good in 1983.  He has since helped and counseled many musicians with drug and alcohol problems.  He has been recognized and awarded for the help he has given to others with addictions.

--To compensate for his not drinking, Alice took up the game of golf...

...and plays the game six days a week.  Some have said he is good enough to be a pro.

--This last tour was 'banned in Finland'...

...well, in one venue in one city, that is.  The owner of the building didn't like some of the images, violence, or words to some of the songs, so he wouldn't allow the concert to go on.  Cooper had no problem with the decision--he felt it was the owner's right to decide who should perform in his building.  While I'm not sure if the show was rescheduled elsewhere in Finland last year, he WILL be appearing in the country during this leg of the tour.

--His music is of the 'shock-rock,' 'hard-rock,' 'heavy-metal' genres...

...and has nothing to do with Satanism or any Satanic symbolism.  The themes to his shows/music are along the horror, murder, insanity, and moralistic lines.

--Alice stays far away from politics...

...and has spoken against musicians who give opinions on politics and publicly support politicians.  His philosophy is that politics should not mix with rock music.

--And, finally, Alice Cooper is a born-again Christian...

...REALLY!  While he has shied away from discussing his religious beliefs, in recent years he has become a bit more vocal about them.  He stays clear of what he calls 'celebrity Christianity' and says,   "It's really easy to focus on Alice Cooper and not on Christ. I'm a rock singer. I'm nothing more than that. I'm not a philosopher. I consider myself low on the totem pole of knowledgeable Christians".  "So, don't look for answers from me".  When asked how a shock-rocker could be a Christian, he said, "Drinking beer is easy. Trashing your hotel room is easy. But being a Christian, that's a tough call. That's real rebellion!"  He has a charity that is in the process of raising money for a Christian-based teen center to be built in Arizona, where he lives.


If nothing else, 'Alice Cooper' is quite a complex and interesting person.