Alice Cooper “Shock-Rocks” Ball State’s Emens Auditorium
By: Kevin Vickery
Despite all the classic rock shows I’ve attended over the years, for whatever reason I’d never seen Alice Cooper perform live. When I heard he was coming to Emens Auditorium on the campus of my beloved Alma Mater, Ball State University, I knew it was finally time to take in the experience.
I say experience because from what I had heard and seen through video clips, his performances are just that – not just a rock & roll concert but an actual show – one that pulls from multiple layers of visual imagery ranging from vaudeville, horror, glam, and shock-rock, all set to the soundtrack of his catalog of hits performed live.
It was exactly that.
The show was chock full of all the hits I’ve grown up hearing on the radio. Admittedly, before seeing him perform live, I would have considered myself a fair-weather fan at best. I guess I thought of his music as sort of seasonal. I always enjoyed his hit “School’s Out” at the end of every school year throughout high school and college which I’ve passed onto my own kids as a way to celebrate the beginning of Summer break. Many years ago, when I turned eighteen, I must have listened to his song, “Eighteen” a thousand times. My Halloween playlist incudes his popular hits like, “Welcome to My Nightmare” and, “Poison”.
His show included all those tunes in addition to other well-known favorites like, “Under My Wheels”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, and “Cold Ethyl”.
It should be noted that “Alice Cooper” was originally the name of a band formed by Vincent Furnier in 1964. Over the years with many line-up changes to the band, that band name has transformed into a character played by Furnier throughout his career that spans six decades, eventually legally changing his name to Alice Cooper. He helped shape the sound and look of heavy metal, and has been described as the artist who first introduced horror imagery to rock & roll.
His stagecraft and showmanship which have had a permanent impact on the transformation of the genre were in full effect in Muncie. At seventy-seven years old his dark, raspy voice is unchanged from his younger years. Adorned in top hat and tails, yielding canes, swords, stiletto daggers and his signature black eye make up, he had the crowd in the palm of his hand for the entire night.
His “Too Close For Comfort” tour features every stage gag you’d expect. From wearing a live boa constrictor around his neck while singing, “Snakebite”, creating the illusion of being decapitated by guillotine after, “Killer” or wearing a straightjacket and being electronically shocked while singing, “Ballad of Dwight Fry”, the show had all the shock-rock visual elements any Alice Cooper fan would hope to see.
Much of these show elements feature his wife, Sheryl Cooper dressed in various costumes ranging from a whip cracking dominatrix to a powdered wig wearing Victorian era villain with an eye patch dancing about like a ballerina.
All this is set to music with the help of Alice’s powerhouse band that features the rhythm section of bassist, Chuck Garric, and drummer Glen Sobel lead by a three guitar army of Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen, and virtuoso, Nita Strauss. They come together to make one of the most energetic and entertaining bands I’ve ever had the pleasure of seeing.
Besides being a Rock and Roll Hall of famer with over 50 million albums sold, a Grammy winner, celebrity golfer, restauranteur, and actor, Alice Cooper is also a well known on-air radio personality, hosting his nationally syndicated show, “Alice’s Attic”. That show aires locally on 93.5 MAXimum Classic Rock (WMXQ). I was able to speak with my old friend and Max-Rock morning radio DJ, Brian Casey at the show and get his thoughts about the Alice Cooper experience.
Brian has seen Alice Cooper nine times over the years and said, “The theatrics are incredible and he has so much energy for a seventy-seven year old man – It’s unbelievable”. He added, “He changes it up so the show is never the same two nights in a row and his band is top-notch and they all just have so much fun on stage.”
I completely agree and would highly recommend an Alice Cooper show to any classic rock fan. Don’t let all the horror and theatrical stuff fool you. Today’s heavy metal is much harder and less musical. Alice Cooper’s music is just good old blues oriented classic rock with a big, cool, scary stage show and imagery behind it.
To keep up with all things Alice Cooper I cling tour dates and merchandise visit his official website at alicecooper.com
To learn more about upcoming events coming to Emens Auditorium at Ball State University visit their official website at bsu.edu.com
Make Some Noise 