Muscle of Love
Few would argue that Alice Cooper is one of the most well known and iconic figures in rock history, which makes it surprising that he can only half fill Manchester's Evening News Arena, especially when touring alongside fellow legends Motorhead & Joan Jett. Having been here the previous night for a near sold out Sex Pistols gig I'm quite shocked at how small the crowd is and in a venue this big it does have an effect on the atmosphere. Still, Cooper doesn't strike me as the kind of fellow that would let such a thing affect his performance and so it proves.
Alice Cooper makes an impressive entrance but as a man known for his theatrical stage shows it should come as no surprise. A huge screen hangs in front of the stage onto which the shadow of Cooper brandishing a sword is projected, which he then proceeds to plunge into some poor unsuspecting soul before the screen drops and it's straight into the action. They might not be here in great strength but the majority of those making the effort appear to be die hard Cooper fans and sing along with every word from start to finish.
I freely admit to not being a huge Alice Cooper fan but he's one of those artists where you find yourself surprised at how many of his songs you know despite drawing from all stages of his lengthy career; 'No More Mr Nice Guy', 'Eighteen' and 'Feed My Frankenstein' all follow in quick succession. It might be Cooper's name on the posters but the whole of the band are part of the show and if anything a little too much! Both guitarists seem determined to outdo each other and are completely over the top in their clichéd rock posturing. It's quite funny and they are undoubtedly fine musicians but it wears a little thin after a while and as a spectacle the whole show works far better when accompanied by Cooper's choreographed sequences.
This leads nicely into the highlight of the set, a highly theatrical rendition of 'I Love the Dead' from 1973's 'Billion Dollar Babies' album. After killing his long suffering dancer with a knife Cooper wheels a pram to the front of the stage, pulls out a baby to show the crowd & then proceeds to knock a stake through the middle of it! Don't worry kids he gets his comeuppance when hooded figures bring on a set of gallows and promptly hang him at the end of the song. This is more what I expected from Alice Cooper and it's great entertainment, almost as if you're watching a play and you're waiting to see what happens next. This is followed by the classic 'Schools Out' and he barely has to sing a word as the crowd are happy to do the job for him. Throw in a drum solo, a few more well known songs such as 'Elected' & 'Billion Dollar Babies' & everyone seems happy.
Alongside 'Schools Out' everyone knows the song 'Poison' and it's inconceivable that he won't play it so it's little surprise when he duly obliges and as you'd expect it receives probably the biggest reaction of the night. Alice Cooper is a showman and a very good one at that, he never stops working the crowd throughout the set and even if you didn't like the music you'd find it hard to take your eyes off him. After nearly 40 years in the business Cooper has shown just why he has remained part of rock's elite for so long, he's a classic font man & delivers a classy performance.