ALICE COOPER - ORLANDO - 2011

ALICE COOPER IN CONCERT!
"No More MR. Nice Guy" Tour
Hard Rock Live Orlando - December 14th, 2011

Artwork by Java John
Photos by Dylan & Java John Goldacker
My fifth time seeing the "Godfather of Shock-Rock" in concert in 36 years, was no less exciting than the very first ("Welcome to my Nightmare") or any of the others, as a matter of fact, it quite possibly could have been the best of them all!
Something that made the night very special was the fact that I had my son, Dylan with me. At 14 he's only slightly younger than I was the first time I saw Alice (at the Hollywood [FL] Sportatorium, April 18th 1975, with Suzi Quatro opening) . For most of the show Dylan was on his feet singing, rocking, and taking pictures...makes a father proud!
One of the many highlights of the evening was the opening act, a rocking London based five piece band called LIVAN. Great songs, a lot of power, and the lead vocalist, the band's namesake, has an exciting stage presence reminiscent of Freddy Mercury, or even Alice himself. I'm looking forward to an interview with LIVAN after the first of the year.
Alice's band is tighter than ever, especially with the addition of the beautiful, and amazing ORIANTHI on lead guitar! Wow what a talent. Ori is best known for her hit single "According To You", and her work with Michael Jackson for the "This Is It" tour that was never to be (see the DVD for "This Is It").
Orianthi was performing right in front of my son and I (we happened to be in the front row!), and we even gave her an Alice 'troll' doll that I made and he kicked around on stage a short time earlier. She spent the first part of the evening with a scowl and fake blood on her face (no doubt trying to live up to the "Nightmare" mystique!). Eventually she loosened up, slyly sharing her gorgeous smile...and plenty of guitar picks!
The show opened up with VINCENT PRICE'S voice...speaking an intro to "The Black Widow". Followed up by "Brutal Planet", "I'm Eighteen", and "Under My Wheels". Next came everybody's favorite "Billion Dollar Babies", during which Alice flings "Cooper Cash" off his sword into the audience...Dylan and I both managed to get our hands on a few!
Halfway through the show Alice played "I'll Bite Your Face Off", the only track he was to play off his new album "Welcome 2 My nightmare". I really like the CD, though it does not remind me enough of the fist "Nightmare" album. But, I did think a better choice would have been for him to play "What Baby Wants" off the new disc. An awesome song with which he shares vocal duties with Ke$ha on...maybe Orianthi could have sang it on stage. Several songs that surprised me in the set list was the ancient "Halo of Flies", his 'new wave' hit "Clones (we're all)", and "Feed My Frankenstein"...which featured a very kool giant 'frankensteined' version of Alice(?)!
After a Full Set that also included "Cold Ethyl", "Muscle of Love", and "Poison", Alice came back with the double-punch encores of "School's Out", (and another fave of mine) "Elected". The former added the chorus from Pink Floyd's "Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2", and the latter with Alice (the all-American boy) clad in red white and blue, waving a huge flag. I'd vote for him. Again!The Setlist:
(Vincent Price Intro) Black Widow
Brutal Planet
I'm Eighteen
Under My Wheels
Billion Dollar Babies
No More Mr Nice Guy
Hey Stoopid
Is It My Body
Halo Of Flies
I'll Bite Your Face Off
Muscle Of Love
Only Women Bleed
Cold Ethyl
Feed My Frankenstein
Clones (We're All)
Poison
Wicked Young Man / Killer - I Love The Dead (excerpt)
School's Out (incorporating 'Another Brick In The Wall pt 2')
Elected

CHECK OUT MY BLOGPOST FROM MY LAST COOPER SHOW IN '09

....."REMEMBER THE COOP"!

visit our friends online-
ALICE COOPER: alicecooper.com/
ORIANTHI: www.orianthi.com/
LIVAN: livan.co.uk/

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