ALICE COOPER In CONCERT!

ALICE COOPER LIVE!
Peabody Auditorium
DAYTONA BEACH
October 5th, 2007

(photos and art by "Java" John)

My very first "arena" concert was Alice Cooper with Suzi Quatro in 1975. The Welcome to My Nightmare Tour, in Hollywood, Florida. I've been hooked ever since! Here's a little bit about our adventures with(?) the Father of "Shock Rock".....

you may purchase a poster much like this on my ETSY page:
http://www.JavaJohn.etsy.com

Monday night was my 4th Alice show, and the first time I've been up front since that first one (which allowed me to get some kool photos!), and the second time I've seen him with my brother Tom. Lemme tell ya, his concerts are just as good, if not better than they were in the '70's.

The "Theater of Death" tour show was only about an hour an 50 minutes, but was filled with about 25 killer Alice tunes. My favorites being: Ballad of Dwight Frye, The Awakening, Be My Lover, and Under My Wheels. Oh, and "The Coop" was executed four times!

I did a reworking of a portrait I drew of the man who is no longer Mr. Nice Guy (above) to commemorate the show, and for the hopes of getting it autographed...well, that's now there's a funny story - not!

Immediately after the band left the stage, I hustled around to the back of the building in hopes of meeting Mr. Cooper (since I had no luck making a contact before the show). After meeting up with a half dozen people, we were told he was not coming out (the standard rap), and oh, by the way, I was on the wrong side of the fence...sorry I said, and headed back from where I came to investigate other options.

Well, there was this door, on the side of the building...I looked a little closer, and it was unlocked! So, of course I went in. I knew it was in the backstage area, but not sure where. Then after about 30 feet I was standing on the back of the stage as they were tearing it down! I ran into the gal that played the nurse in the show (usually played by Alice's daughter), but she was in a hurry and said she could not help me in my autograph quest. So I searched a few more doors!

After trying a few more unlocked doors, I went back to the stage to see if I could find someone to help....and just as I asked a guy who looked like he was in charge, I knew I should not have asked him! He asked me what I was doing back there (not waiting for an answer) then pointed to some stairs at the front of stage right, and said I must leave NOW!

So, as I approached those steps, there were three people standing there, and the woman who looked official like, asked me if this was what I was looking for - and pointed to the dressing room! Well, just as I sighted Alice reclining on a couch, the guy who told me to leave, grabbed my upper arm, and asked me what the f%#k I was doing! He called security guard, and the two dragged me out of the building! Rats!!

I met my brother, and we went around to the side of the building where the buses were. The same lady from earlier said he was gone, but the crowd (now about a dozen) moved closer to the buses instead. There we were yaking with a guy who was on the tour, and he said that the best way to meet Alice was to go to the local mall or Golf Course the day of the show! Or if you stick around long enough (after he eats, showers, and relaxes a bit), he usually comes out and meets the die hard fans and signs autographs! Kool!

We waited by the bus for about 45 minutes or so, trading Cooper and other Rock and Roll stories, when a police cruiser pulls up. The officer got out (hand on his billy club!) and told this very unruly and probably very sober dozen die hard fans that we MUST DISPERSE!! When we tried to tell him that Alice was coming to see us, he did not want to hear it. Damn!

Tom and I went back inside where we met up with one of Alice's staff. He had seen my work earlier, and said he loved it. He told me that if I gave him a copy, he would give the copy I had for Alice to him, and would get mine signed and would mail it back to me!

So I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

SET LIST:
School's Out (part only)
Department of Youth
Eighteen
Wicked Young Man
Ballad of Dwight Fry
Go To Hell
Guilty
Welcome To My Nightmare
Cold Ethyl
Poison
The Awakening
From The Inside
Nurse Rozetta
Is It My Body
Be My Lover
Only Women Bleed
I Never Cry
The Black Widow
Vengeance Is Mine
Devil's Food
Dirty Diamonds
Billion Dollar Babies
Killer
I Love The Dead
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Under My Wheels
Schools Out (full version)

Thanks for the Great Show, Alice!

www.alicecooper.com