ALICE COOPER

Turning Stone Casino, Verona, NY, October 28, 2001

All photos are from this concert, taken by Ed Pickett (thanks Ed!) - except for the one of Ryan Roxie, which I stole from Rox's website!

The weather got colder and the days got shorter that late October weekend, but that did not bother us any. No, in the days before Halloween 2001, we were treated to a spectacle hot enough to keep us warm for the rest of the long winter nights to come! Alice Cooper has stood the test of time. He is here to stay. His schtick is foolproof: Alice is frightening. As he grows older, he only becomes more frightening. It's genius! It's madness! It's ALICE!

This year's spectacle, as usual, brought back some of Alice's standard theatrics along with some new ones to keep old fans on their toes. It is tantalizing how he always finds new ways to keep his show fresh. Somehow people never tire of the guillotine. Every year there is a new reason to throw Alice's neck in the old chopper! The fun is seeing what reason it is THIS year! Among the fun this time around: a Frankenstein's Monster-type routine, a lot of audience interaction, a rendition of "God Bless America," and even a Britney Spears routine (yep, you read that right!).

I must say something about Alice's band. This time around the band included: Ryan Roxie (Dads Porno Mag, Glamnation) and Eric Dover (Slash's Snakepit, Glamnation) on guitar, Greg Smith on bass, Eric Singer (KISS, Glamnation, etc.) on drums, and Teddy "ZigZag" Andreadis on keyboards. Eric Singer, of course, is one amazing drummer! He did a pretty cool solo during the show. Eric Dover and Ryan Roxie are both incredibally talented and totally cool guitarists. As I mentioned in my last Alice review, Roxie's got charisma to burn! He puts on another show all by himself, which I think really says something considering he's onstage with Alice Cooper! He's a great talent. I LOVE that kind of passion! Eric Dover isn't quite as charismatic (and that isn't saying anything bad, I have rarely seen someone who is), but he makes up for it in talent and overall appeal. Greg Smith is a fantastic bassist. ZigZag is stuck behind his keyboards, but is cool as well. Did I mention this band is great? They're great! Somebody stop me!