Detroit 1969 was certainly quite some time for music. While Motown was riding high in the charts and ruling the airwaves something altogether more sinister was bubbling under the surface with Alice Cooper’s debut album Pretties For You lighting the touch paper for a spectacular shock Rocking career and MC5 with their anarcho-subversive Rock ‘n’ Roll assault bringing them to the attention of the F.B.I. Between them they shook the establishment to its very core.
50 years on and it makes absolute sense for both artists to share the same bill on a UK arena tour that also included Punk veterans The Stranglers.
With brother Wayne Kramer from the original MC5 lineup celebrating 50 years of the band as MC50 and a stellar cast of guest musicians including Kim Thayil from Soundgarden, Billy Gould of Faith No More, Fugazi’s Brendan Canty and Zen Guerrilla’s wild cat front man Marcus Durant making for one potent brew.
For an all too brief opening set, Kramer belied his 71 years as he pummelled his way through Ramblin’ Rose and an absolute gut busting Kick Out The Jams, sounding every bit as subversive today as it did back in the day.
Thayil’s cool demeanour contrasted sharply with Kramer’s windmill power chords and Durant’s venom filled vocals while Gould and Canty held it all together as Motor City Is Burning did just that. This is what Rock ‘n’ Roll is all about, anger, rebellion and pure, raw energy all rolled into one. MC50 absolutely smashed it out of the park.
MC50 were a tough act to follow and despite an early technical fault that neutered JJ Burnell’s stomach punching bass, The Stranglers picked up the gauntlet and ran with it in fine style, drawing on their impressive catalogue of hits (Golden Brown, Peaches and Hanging Around) with a few more recent songs including Freedom.
Sunderland born frontman Baz Warne jested with the crowd as Burnell’s ferocious bassline in Hanging Around and Dave Greenfields swirling organ during Heroes brought an appreciative audience to their feet.
MC50 and The Stranglers were certainly a forceful opening combo and many a lesser band would have been intimidated by having the follow that but Alice Cooper is no ordinary artist. He’s been there and done it hundreds of times over. He fears no one.
With a catalogue of songs so rich and varied and a band so full of energy and excitement he simply could not fail and Feed My Frankenstein set the tone right from the start complete with an early visit by one of the many monsters and ghouls over the course of the night.
Cooper, dressed in black top hat and tails and silver topped cane cut an imposing figure as he prowled the stage in menacing fashion. Behind him and to the side a maelstrom of pure Rock ‘n’ Roll energy from guitarists Nita Strauss, Tommy Henriksen and Cooper’s trusty sidekick, the stylish Ryan Roxie. Each bringing a different element to the triple guitar assault that makes Cooper’s music so damned powerful.
For the first time in 17 years Chuck Garric was absent from Cooper’s side with his place taken for a few shows by Chris Wyse from The Cult and Hollywood Vampires and what a fine job he did at such short notice, locking in tightly with drummer Glen Sobel.
Cooper’s strength are the songs. He has them in spades whether the stone-cold classics Schools Out, Eighteen and Billion Dollar Babies or when he digs deep into the catalogue for a cowbell clanking Escape, My Stars or a deliciously sinister strait-jacket wearing, Steven, every one hit the mark. Even better, Cooper dipped into eras that are sometimes overlooked meaning (He’s Back) The Man Behind The Mask, Bed Of Nails and a rifftastic Roses On White Lace make a much welcome appearance in the set, the latter last played on the Raise Your Fist and Yell Tour back over 30 years ago. Absolute vintage stuff.
Of course, we were treated to a visual feast with a stage set around castle ramparts as a twisted Jason dispatched a selfie junkie on its steps or the corpse bride hurling her bouquet to Nita Strauss to gleefully catch.
A huge dancing Alice baby accompanied Dead Babies before Cooper was abducted by one creepy looking android and swiftly dispatched by Madame Guillotine only to return for a confetti fuelled, bubble blowing, balloon bouncing finale of Schools Out, still sounding so pumped up after all these years.
With no signs of slowing down, Alice Cooper continues to grow old disgracefully…..and we wouldn’t have him any other way.
Review and Photos By Mick Burgess
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