REVIEW: Alice Cooper brings grand theatrics to Port Chester, N.Y.

PORT CHESTER, N.Y. — Does Alice Cooper need an introduction? The rocker has been blasting tunes for decades, and his stage show continues to impress new and old fans alike.

At his recent 90-minute concert at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York, Cooper and his band of three guitarists, a bassist and a drummer tore into his classics with ferocity and harmless fun.

The stagecraft of an Alice Cooper show is as entertaining as it is complex. The singer essentially puts on a prolonged celebration of Halloween, donning costumes, decapitating his head and using a sword, puppet and plenty of props. One couldn’t fault audience members if they thought Oct. 31 had come early this year.

The set list relied mostly on the classic tunes, everything from “I’m Eighteen” to “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and the crowd-pleasing “School’s Out For Summer.” True fans also sang along to “Poison,” “Under My Wheels” and “Billion Dollar Babies.”

As Cooper belted the songs — and fans take note, he can still sing with the best of them — his band supplied more than ample accompaniment, never over-indulging in the solos and always supporting their main man. Kudos to Chuck Garric, Ryan Roxie, Nita Strauss and Tommy Henricksen — all fine players, and the drum solo by Glen Sobel was a nice addition of musical dominance.

Cooper, decked out in eye makeup and plenty of leather, often stands at the center on an elevated stage, toying with the audience in mock mayhem. During “Billion Dollar Babies,” his sword pierced a string of money, and then he shook the sword to the delight of the front-row fans who tried to grab the circulating currency.

During “Feed My Frankensten,” Cooper is mock-electrified and reemerges as a gargantuan monster with swinging arms and a gaping mouth. Less successful were his thespian duets with a zombified nurse, and the characteristic boa constrictor that goes around Cooper’s neck seems unfair to the animal.

Cooper could take a seat and hit the pause button during “Only Women Bleed,” a rare slow song that fit perfectly near the end of the concert. His tributes to Keith Moon (“Pinball Wizard”), Jimi Hendrix (“Fire”) and David Bowie (“Suffragette City”) were anthemic and produced requisite fist pumping from the crowd.

By the time his “Elected” encore rolled around, and a masked Hillary Clinton took on a masked Donald Trump, the packed house seemed ready to elect Cooper the new president.

The band is currently touring the 90-minute concert around the nation, but Cooper takes a break from this act to tour with his off-shoot supergroup, Hollywood Vampires, with Johnny Depp and Joe Perry of Aerosmith. They make the rounds this summer, followed by more “Spend the Night with Alice Cooper” dates in the fall.

Seeing a rocker like Alice Cooper is a seminal rite of passage. Seeing him more than once just makes sense.

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Click here for more information. He has upcoming concerts in New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Florida, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada.