Concert Review: Alice Cooper, May 16, Winnipeg, Canada
Published May 22, 2006
I saw Alice Cooper twice in the '80s at the old Winnipeg Arena but had not seen his recent shows since then. When I discovered that he would be playing at the plush Centennial Concert Hall, I jumped at the chance to go. This is the home to the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Winnipeg Ballet and The Manitoba Opera Society, in other words, not your typical venue for a rock concert.
I ended up in the sixth row, which is about as far away as the 10th row in most theatres, due to the fact that the rows are spaced quite far apart, with no centre aisles, to ensure easy access to the seats. A few seats away from me sat a 70-something grandmother with her grandkids. Probably the most surprising aspect of the show was the broad age range of the attendees. There were loads of people in their 50s and 60s who look like the normal type of folks you see shopping at the store. None of these people looked out of the ordinary.
Born-again Christian, 4-handicap golfer Vince Furnier, aka Alice Cooper, is 58-years-old and can still draw a crowd. The 1400 people in attendance was fewer than I expected, but may not have been surprising since ticket prices started at $69 coupled with the fact that he hasn't had a bona fide hit since 1989's "Poison."
Crash Kelly are a relatively unknown rock band from Ontario and they opened the show with a bit too much posing from their lead singer/ guitarist, who should have toned things down a bit for the audience. Despite many of these awkward moments, he tried to raise the energy level in the room with their sound that ranged from classic pop/rock (think The Sweet) to bland, mainstream rock.
The response from the audience was polite but not especially elevated, even when he announced that their bass player was from Winnipeg and when this guy later appeared on stage wearing a Winnipeg Jets jersey. The two most memorable tracks they played were "She Put The Shock (In My Rock n Roll)" from their new Gilby Clarke produced album and "Roxy Roller," the classic Sweeny Todd single that won the band the Best New Band Juno in 1977.
Opening with music from The Phantom of the Opera, Alice Cooper's bandmates all appeared in Phantom-like masks for their first number, which made them look suitably creepy. Alice the man strutted around the stage to a roaring welcome with a cane, which he later tossed into the audience. This tossing of props to the fans was revisited a few more times during the show, leaving people with baited anticipation as he tantalized them with bead necklaces, a riding crop and other goodies. It was hilarious to see a group a guys in front of me bowing whenever Cooper approached their side of the stage with the "we're not worthy" moves from Wayne's World.
Almost weekly, Triniman catches new movies, and adds one or two CDs to his collection. Due to time constraints, he blogs about only 5% of the CDs, books and DVDs that he purchases. Holed up in the geographic centre of North America, the cultural mecca of Canada, and the sunniest city north of the 49th, Winnipeg, Triniman blogs a bit when he's not swatting mosquitoes, shovelling snow or golfing.
- Concert Review: Alice Cooper, May 16, Winnipeg, Canada
- Published: May 22, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Classic Rock and Oldies, Music: Hard Rock, Music: Live Concerts, Music: Metal
- Writer: Triniman
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He's still going strong, but I suppose his popularity if waning. The band Seether played a show a few days after Cooper and outsold him. Maybe his ticket prices were higher, but I get the feeling that he may not pack 'em in like he used to, despite his multi-generational appeal.
Thanks for the great review, complete with the bios of the bandmates! You've never heard the studio version of Department Of Youth?!?!?
The ending is fucking classic Cooper!
Alice: "Who's got the power?"
Kid's Chorus: "We Do!"
Alice: "And who gave it to you?"
Kid's Chorus: "Donny Osmond!"
Alice: "What?!?!"
Bennett, no I can't say I recall that song, but I will go give it a listen!
Have you seen the Coop?
I was 13-14 when his big albums came out, but somehow didn't catch him live. By the time I owned everything he put out he seemed to be off tour for a few years.
A shame, I know, as Love It To Death, Killer, Billion Dollar Babies etc. contain some of the most inspired rock of the 70's.
Bennett;
If you're up to it - and have the time - why not blog about what you consider to be the most inspired rock albums of the 70s? You no doubt know that there's a renewed interest in classic rock, especially among young people, and some of us older folks would love to read passionate articles about the music, as well. I didn't get big into music until the early 80s and feel I missed out on the great music from the 70s. I never bought into that crazy belief that there wasn't great music in that decade.
Ah Triniman, I'd love to stir the pot in that direction, but with an 8 week old at home, and a crunch time with the job, it's all I can do to just visit BC every few days.
If I were to write up something, The Who's Quadrophenia would be high on my list. The Tubes, UFO, AC/DC, Queen, Elton John, The Ramones, and Alice Cooper would all be noted as having an impact on my tender psyche.
There was a lot of great bands during my high school years!
Alice has a new album out July 29th, 2008. Here are the details.
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: July 25
Rest of Europe: July 28
North America: July 29
The CD was co-produced by Greg Hampton and Danny Saber in Los Angeles.
Alice recently told Billboard.biz that his forthcoming LP is "a real 'Alice' album. Conceptually, it's going to be pretty interesting."
Cooper wouldn't reveal too many details, but said the album is based on a fictional serial killer named Spider, who wraps his victims in a silk web. "Every song is sort of a letter to the police," he explains. "They think they're investigating it from the outside, but he's actually woven them into the whole thing."
"Along Came A Spider" track listing (in alphabetical order):
01. Catch Me
02. Hungry
03. I Am The Spider
04. I Know Where You Live
05. (In Touch With) Your Feminine Side
06. Killed By Love
07. Salvation
08. The One That Got Away
09. Vengeance Is Mine
10. Wake The Dead
11. Wrapped In Silk
The album will be out July 29th in North America. Ozzy Osbourne will be making an appearance on Harmonica for the track (In Touch With Your Feminine Side) and Slash will be making an appearance as well.
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Wow, Alice is still going strong at 58. I thought he was fantastic on the Brutally Live concert DVD, but that was six years ago. I recently picked up the Billion Dollar Babies tour DVD, but I haven't had a chance to watch it yet. It will be interesting to watch him in his prime, since I was never lucky enough to see him in person.