I blame Alice Cooper for all this. Conversely, I also thank Alice Cooper for all this.
I've always loved music. I grew up watching Top Of The Pops, following (and recording) the charts and buying seven inch records. What was in the charts influenced what I listened to and my favourites would change from month to month, as the charts themselves changed. By the late '80s, more and more rock music was getting into the charts and this was slowly having an effect on me. I bought Pat Benatar's 'Wide Awake In Dreamland' album on holiday and really liked it. I had also borrowed Def Leppard's 'Hysteria' and Guns 'N' Roses 'Appetite For Destruction' albums from schoolfriends and loved both but I wasn't really a rocker or a metaller. I was still a fan of chart music. I heard Alice Cooper's 'Poison' when it stormed the charts and I loved it so much that I bought the 'Trash' album. Lots of albums at the time (or so it seemed to me) had killer lead singles but the albums themselves were disappointing with a number of filler tracks which were nowhere near as good. 'Trash' wasn't like that. Desmond Child's hand in the writing meant that every song was catchy. 'Bed Of Nails' was harder and equally as catchy as 'Poison'. The defiant 'Why Trust You' fuelled many adolescent angsty singalongs whilst the best of the lot was the Bon Jovi co-written (well, Jon and Richie at least) 'Hell Is Living Without You', a killer ballad with amazing harmonies and clever enjambment in the chorus.
These ten songs weren't enough. I needed more Alice so I bought another album. For probably the first time, I didn't buy an album based on songs I'd heard but more because I liked the artist. Looking in HMV, I didn't really know which one to buy but the cover of 'Raise Your Fist And Yell' spoke to me, with the painting of the fist with Alice's face and make-up on it. It was definitely the right choice. This album was even better than 'Trash'. It was harder and heavier and whilst Trash saw Alice playing the part of trashy, scumbag lover, 'Raise Your Fist' sees Alice playing the part of rebel outsider on the first side of the album and psychopathic serial killer on the second side. This album cemented my love of Alice Cooper and made me realise that I was a metaller. It made me hungry to seek out more and this soon led me to W.A.S.P., Mötley Crüe, Skid Row and beyond. This led to a music obsession where I was always looking for the next amazing thing. This in turn, eventually led me to where I am now, going to 50+ gigs each year and spending all my spare money on music.
Still, my love of Alice never dissipated, meaning that I still tend to go and see him whenever he comes to town.
I miss the first support band, The Meffs, but I am in time to catch all of Primal Scream. They open with the funky, soulful rock of 'Love Insurrection'. It's pretty good, and Bobby Gillespie looks sharp in his white suit but it also seems a little sedate for a more hard rock orientated audience. 'Jailbird' ups the energy but they still seem more suited to a Memphis rock and soul revue. The backing singers are really good, adding a 60s girl group feel to the proceedings, and they help to elevate the likes of 'Ready To Go Home'. 'Deep Dark Waters' has a Stonesy 'Gimme Shelter' feel. This track also shows the limitations of Bobby's voice as he sounds a little flat although, to be fair, he was never noted as an amazing singer. 'I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have' is a cool blues rock ballad and Andrew Innes pulls out a great Hendrix style guitar solo. The atmosphere seems pretty flat and it's sad to see classics such as 'Loaded' played to such apathy. It's played terrifically well though. 'Movin' On Up' is rawer than on record and is played with a Rolling Stones or Black Crowes style swagger, and it warms the crowd up a little. The band seem to be in their groove now and 'Country Girl' is wired with rock and roll energy. The call and response with the audience falls flat though and Bobby notes that it's the quietest crowd of the tour so far. 'Rocks' is excellent and the backing singers sound particularly powerful on this one. Overall, it's good performance but it's just sad to see Bobby struggle so badly to connect with the crowd.
Plague doctors roam the stage, heralding Alice Cooper's entrance. He blasts onto the stage with a punchy, truncated 'Lock Me Up' (from the aforementioned 'Raise Your Fist And Yell album, which I've never seem him perform live before). The stage is set up like a courtroom and it looks like he's embraced technology more on this tour, with some big screens behind him. 'Welcome To The Show', from the latest album, is a return to Detroit style rock and roll and is great. 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' sounds more vital than it has in years. Alice sounds in great voice and the band are superb, meaning that classics like 'I'm Eighteen' and 'Under My Wheels' sound amazing. 'Bed Of Nails' sounds very powerful. His snake makes an appearance during 'Snakebite'. 'Be My Lover' is full of attitude, making for an absolutely stacked first half of the set. 'He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)' has more muscle than the studio version which I find far too wimpy. Jason Voorhees also makes an appearance here to kill a fan which is hokey as hell, but we've all come for a bit of schlocky fun. A fairly rubbish drum solo allows for the stage to be set up for the next part of the show, and for the obligatory costume changes. A classy 'Welcome To My Nightmare' opens the next part of the show and sees Alice conducting the guitarists from atop a staircase. 'Cold Ethyl' is a surprise inclusion and sees him dragging the most lifeless doll you've ever seen around the stage. An amazing 'Go To Hell' is heavy and full of groove. 'Poison' is played much earlier than expected. This is followed by a great 'Feed My Frankenstein'. The band get to really show off during the dynamic 'Black Widow'. Alice gives a committed performance in a straitjacket during an atmospheric 'Ballad Of Dwight Fry'. Alice's execution is still as cheesy as ever and this leads into 'I Love The Dead'. Alice canvasses for votes on the prime garage rock of 'Elected'. He is still restrained in his straitjacket yet he still seems saner than at least one presidential candidate (this show took place a couple of weeks before the US presidential election). 'School's Out' segues really well into Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick In The Wall' and closes the show in a fine fashion. Again, thank you Alice.
Alice Cooper ****
Primal Scream ****
No comments:
Post a Comment