Alice Cooper – Verizon Theater – October 22, 2007

Alice Cooper – Psycho Dramatics
 

by Bill Reed 

Leaving a stage littered with faux blood and body parts in his wake, Vincent Furnier a.k.a. Alice Cooper brought his classic form of heavy metal shock rock to an overflowing crowd of adoring fans last October at the Verizon Wireless Theater.  

It’s been over forty years since the black-eye-make-uped Cooper revamped his mid-sixties psychedelic-based rock act into the standard musical faire of past FM hits that effectively put him of the map recording-wise with the much-fanfared release of his Love It To Death album in 1971. Over the years, he and his band have since amassed one of the most enviable chain of recognizable songs in the hard rock market. Though his present show might have seemed somewhat tame by modern standards, it must be remembered that he was one of the pioneering artists in mixing heavy metal sounds with macabre stage choreography.

Complete with several costume changes and scene alters, Cooper’s Psycho Drama Tour concert combined his familiar wide-ranged, graveled vocals with his schizophrenic and sarcastic musical take on an array of topics from necrophilia to cryogenics. Backed by an impressive infusion of younger musicians pounding-out highly-amplified raw layerings of guitar and drums, Cooper led the group through a relentless, non-stop entourage of hits that included every song off his Greatest Hits album save one. Stand-out tunes like No More Mr. Nice Guy, School’s Out and I’m Eighteen were greeted with deafening cheers from the overwhelmingly packed house.  The act took an even darker turn in mid-set, showcasing a virtual return welcome to Cooper’s famous nightmare-based material, featuring Cold Ethyl, Only Women Bleed, Dead Babies, Steven, and others. More obscure songs like Halo Of Flies and Ballad Of Dwight Fry set the stage for a straight-jacket-clad Cooper to be led through a mock hanging in dramatic climax.

As if this weren’t already enough to satiate even the most hardiest of fans, Cooper put the icing on the cake by rolling-out Elected, complete with dancing politician figures and a grand comedic call to vote for Alice Cooper For President. Making much ado to saber rattling and passing out Billion Dollar Baby play money, the American flag-waving singer finally postured for his final encore curtain call, shouting out, “God bless America! Houston, have a Happy Halloween!” It was an absolutely fantastic show.           

Even after a formidable four-decade career of grueling and ghoulish touring, Alice Cooper still has every insane ounce of his energy still intact and always succeeds to never disappoint. 

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