Alice Cooper @ The Riverside Theater
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Alice Cooper "traveling musical and theatrical extravaganza" made its way to Milwaukee again last Friday, for the third time in the past three years. The Coop must like Brew Town-his bassist Chuck Garric is a local boy-and the feeling is mutual, judging from the response of the fans.
Ever the consummate showman, Cooper shocked (playfully) rocked (ferociously) and entertained (unstoppably), which is all the more impressive considering that he's 60 years old and after a fall on stage two weeks ago he broke a rib and suffered ligament damage.
Despite having just released a new album, Along Came a Spider, Cooper and his cohorts stuck to classic hits during the 90 minute show, delighting the hardcore Coop fans with much of the material from the excellent 1971 release Killer. "Under My Wheels," "Be My Lover" and "Desperado" rocked the house. Even the rarely performed prog-rockish "Halo of Flies" worked well in its extended version. Cooper's crack quartet, featuring guitarists Jason Hook and Keri Kelli, assisted drummer Eric Singer on percussion on a platform above the stage while bassist Garric kept the droning bass line rhythmically circling from below.
A snapshot of songs from 1975's Welcome to My Nightmare saw toys and props come on stage-and come to life-as Cooper welcomed a supposedly dead mannequin for "Cold Ethyl," then a bedraggled dancer (Cooper's real life daughter, Calico) during "Only Women Bleed." Even the plaintive cries of the maniacal "Steven" set the chill onstage in preparation for the gruesome tale of "Dead Babies," performed replete with a tattered baby carriage and a baby doll adorned in Cooper's black eye makeup.
This being a presidential election year, "Elected" was performed as only the master showman could envision. Actors wearing Hillary and Barack masks and suits first fought, then made up, while dancers paraded with signs touting Alice as the Wild Party candidate, a "Troubled Man for Troubled Times." Considering the times we live in, Alice Cooper is certainly a formidable contender.
0
0
0
0
Also in Concert Reviews:
- Wed
3 - Thu
4 - Fri
5 - Sat
6 - Sun
7 - Mon
8 - Tue
9
Frank Martin just can't spend a quiet evening at home. In Transporter 3, he's ready to relax when a speeding car improbably crashes through the brick wall of his living room, depositing an associate about to die and a mysterious young Ukrainian woman, Val
Although separated by an ocean and multiple time zones, the Australian Outback bears remarkable resemblance to the American West. Both encompass mesas towering over rocky, dusty deserts shimmering like a mirage under unforgiving sunlight. Whip-snapping co
No, we didn't ask for an album featuring another recording of "Breathe," leading into "Time," leading into "Breathe (Reprise)," as happens on tracks two through four on Live in Gdansk. But Pink Floyd completists (we are legion) will want it anyway. Howeve
Jorge "El Guero" Hernandez may be the best-known regional Mexican artist with Milwaukee roots. Most of a decade has passed since he and brother Rogelio moved to San Antonio, but El Guero's Banda Centenario still nurtures a unique take on the often-manic D
The Third Ward has changed a great deal since the Milwaukee Ale House opened its doors 11 years ago. The Ale House was one of the first ventures to renovate a vintage building and take advantage of views of the Milwaukee River. A decade later the “r
Two new storefronts—Little Italy Olive Oil Co. and Capone’s Grotto— recently appeared at 1003 and 1007 N. Old World Third St., in the spot formerly occupied by Jewel of India. The interior received a much-needed makeover that includes be
