Alice Cooper, Sheffield City Hall - REVIEW AND SLIDESHOW
Man Raze open this evening's entertainment with professionalism you'd expect from a former Sex Pistol, drummer Paul Cook, and Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen.
It's a tough challenge to perform before Alice Cooper, but the band make a crowd-pleasing dedication to their host, performing a cover of Jimi Hendrix's Fire, once covered by Cooper himself.
Alice's career has spanned four decades, a fact reflected by the demographic at a packed City Hall; die-hard fans young and old waiting with baited breath for their idol.
The king of shock rock doesn't keep us waiting long, bursting into life with his suitably menacing looking band to classic School's Out, with cult favourites Department Of Youth and I'm Eighteen quickly following to rapturous applause.
The hits don't stop as this visit on the Theatre Of Death Tour treats us to Cooper's iconic, infamous and macabre stage show, Alice's persona being subjected to execution, torture and mental torment - the kind of behaviour that resulted in city MP David Blunkett campaigning against Cooper's shows in the 1970s, and which inspired many acts including Marilyn Manson.
The crowd lap it up, the rock riffs getting a brief break in the form of tender ballad Only Women Bleed before the show climaxes with Under My Wheels followed by a rousing reprise of School's to finish.
Alice Cooper is genuine rock royalty and star of film and radio, but his calling is showmanship, the ability to perform, create fantasy and inspire a sense of wonderment - and Sheffield is treated to a master-class on this fittingly rainy and bleak night in South Yorkshire.
Wayne and Garth were right in the film Wayne's World… Mr Cooper, we are indeed not worthy.
Were you there? What did you think of the gig? Share your thoughts by adding a comment below.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -3 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
