Review by By Jordan West
Photos by Ron Lyon
Alice Cooper and his fine band made a stop in Southern California at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa as part of their Too Close For Comfort summer tour and showed the sold-out crowd what a well-rehearsed and very entertaining band is capable of. Summer tours of ageing rock bands are the norm, and I have seen plenty of boring bands over the years that slog through their sets of 30–40-year-old songs, and routinely move on to the next show, like a factory worker looking forward to a coffee break. Not on this night.
The scene began when two black clad demons parted the curtains, and the spotlight silhouetted rocker Alice Cooper behind a large newspaper, with the headline “Banned in California.” From then on, was a non-stop exciting rock show, that was well paced, and there was never a dull moment. His large catalog of material was well paced, and his band was on point throughout. The crowd was attentive all night, and, as has become the standard at concerts these days, amateur “phone camera directors” were getting plenty of social media shares, courtesy of their precious hand-held devices.
The band played a bit of “Lock Me Up” a track from Alice’s 1987 Raise Your Fist And Yell release, and Cooper emerged from behind the newspaper prop, adorned in a black top hat and clutching a sabre. As the adoring audience rose to their feet, the band shifted into overdrive with “Welcome To The Show,” a track from 2023’s Road LP that was the perfect way to get things going, its lyrics describing what was happening at this very moment. Guitarist Tommy Henriksen then cranked out the unmistakable opening chords to “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and the audience responded by screaming out the chorus in unison, as Cooper stalked the stage using a cane as a prop.
The stage setup itself was flanked by two wooden railed stair-stepped platforms, each with Cooper’s signature eye makeup design emblazoned on the front. Another wooden rail framed the next level on which drummer Glen Sobel was perched. There was also a platform up front in which Cooper used to elevate himself above the band, which he utilized throughout the show. It was a classic example of simple, yet effective technical theater using minimal staging as opposed to the elaborate designs that he has been known for in past tours.
Cooper celebrated past success with his big hit “I’m Eighteen” in which he used a crutch to hoist and lean on at times, as well “Under My Wheels,” which spotlighted guitarists Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie duck walking across the stage. Lesser known but still great songs like “Bed Of Nails” and “Snakebite” (which featured Cooper’s boa constrictor making an appearance) were countered with crowd favorites such as “Billion Dollar Babies” and “Be My Lover.” The magnificent band, which also includes long-time bassist Chuck Garric, kept the pace of the show going like clockwork. Without a doubt, this is his tightest and most musically adept ensemble of his entire career.
Subtle but effective things like costume changes supplied depth to songs like the timely “Lost In America” where Cooper, donning a jacket with an American flag and singing lyrics – “I can’t get a girl / ‘Cause I ain’t got a car / I ain’t got a car /cause I ain’t got a job” – is identifiable to what many kids have said for years. “Hey Stoopid” featured an onstage bumbling photographer, representing the in-your-face paparazzi that is and has been a pain in the ass for performers for longer than most can remember. It’s this bit of theater in nearly every song that separates Alice Cooper from many others who, at this point in their careers, seem to be going through the motions onstage.
Sobel is one of the more technically efficient and exciting drummers in rock. His solo kept people in their seats, with mouths agape, witnessing his liberal use of “backspinning” his drumsticks and applying unbelievably smooth chops. Very entertaining! Cooper then appeared through a cloud of fog at the top of the staircase, stage left, as the band performed a segment from 1975’s Welcome To My Nightmare. The rocker “Cold Ethyl,” another cut from that recording, had Cooper dancing and abusing a stuffed and floppy doll, symbolizing a tale of necrophilia and yes, another nightmare. Hastily, he tossed “Ethyl” aside at song’s end. It’s long been a part of Coopers stage show, and I always look forward to it.
More classics, complete with onstage enhancements followed. “Go To Hell,” with its shouted chorus, featured a video on the four screens behind the stage of a top-hatted skeleton crawling through flames, an onstage zombie dancer (played by Cooper’s daughter Calico) waved a whip and sneered. “Poison” had Cooper waving a riding crop at the audience members in the front row. “Feed My Frankenstein” featured a giant 12-foot “Alice Zombie,” which attempted to abuse Roxie and Strauss, before exiting as Cooper walked with hands outstretched, mimicking Boris Karloff’s classic movie monster walk.
After a short video featuring the late horror actor Vincent Price was shown on the video screens, it was time for guitars. Strauss started things off by shredding some blazing licks from atop the stairs on stage left. She was joined in rapid succession by Henriksen, and finally Roxie, as they showed off their six-string prowess and spotlighted their skills, much to the delight of the crowd.
Cooper soon reappeared, clad in a white straitjacket for “Ballad Of Dwight Fry.” An eerie green light bathed him as he writhed around the stage before being accosted by the “Zombie Woman” and led to a large guillotine and beheaded. The audience roared its approval. The head was then held aloft as the band gathered center stage, and sang the refrain of “I love the dead.” This rock n’ roll horror theater never gets old.
Just like that, the stair platform was rolled to the center, now adorned with American flags and red, white, and blue bunting, as the power chords of “Elected” were heard. Alice Cooper, still wearing his straightjacket, stood on the newly erected podium and led the audience in a loud, rousing version of this classic from 1973. It was especially nice to see the audience gathered together shouting out the chorus. Hmm. Maybe Alice is on to something…
Back to centerstage, the band gathered, this time with hands held high as the crowd erupted in applause. “One more?” Cooper asked. A loud school bell rang out, and it was time for the final number, 1972’s “Schools Out.” Cooper, now decked out in white top hat, tails, and cane, amidst machine-made bubbles, which floated out into the audience. He sang the song like he had been singing it for the first time ever. Clearly enjoying himself as much as his fans, I marveled at the 70-something Cooper’s professionalism amid all the chaos of his live show. He is always in charge and sounds great.
“It’s party time” he exclaimed. And it sure was. Giant balloons filled with confetti were let loose on the audience, bathing the crowd when they burst. He even screamed a bit of Pink Floyd’s famous lyric “We don’t need no education” from “Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two” before introducing the band members one by one. The band then kicked into the song’s coda, ending with the classic flanged school bell, sounding the end of the show. All gathered onstage as Cooper wished the audience well and exclaimed: “May all of your nightmares be- HORRIFIC!”
Impressive, exciting, and technically on point, this show was absolutely gratifying from start to finish. Alice Cooper and his band continue to push the limits in a live concert setting as well as on record. The Alice Cooper Too Close For Comfort tour continues into the Fall and beyond.
