Review of Alice Cooper “Theatre of Death” WIN Entertainment Centre 18 August 2009

Not having been to any previous Alice Cooper shows or owning any of his CD’s, it was with some anticipation that we attended the first concert of the Australian leg of his new “Theatre of Death” tour.

Whilst attendance was disappointingly small, the diehard fans flocked to the front waiting for the show to commence. It was mainly an older crowd with a smattering of youngsters, some dressed in character and looking very much like their idol.

The night started with a giant “Theatre of Death” sheet hung across the stage that was ripped down by Alice as he burst into “School’s Out” and followed with “Department of Youth” and “I’m 18”. His showmanship got the crowd going and set the tone for the remainder of the night.

There are some 26 songs in the show as well as an encore of “School’s Out”. The spectacle lasts for 90 minutes and Alice and his band are high energy the entire evening.

Whether he is singing or dragging props around the stage, it is the storyline that talks rather than Alice trying to make idle banter with the crowd.

The songs cover the whole spectrum of the Alice Cooper back catalogue, from his earliest hits to his latest material and the Master of Shock Rock does not disappoint as he engages the crowd with his antics. During “Dirty Diamonds”, he threw fake strings of pearls out to the crowd before cutting the head off a prop. With “Dirty Money”, his sword was loaded with fake dollar notes and during the “Schools Out” encore, giant balloons were thrown into the crowd and Alice pierced them with a sword as they bounced back to the stage, spilling confetti over excited fans.

There were regular costume changes to coincide with the storylines. We thought he looked very Broadway-like in his shiny, spangly suit & top hat ensemble and his spider suit was rather interesting and somewhat comical.

Slower songs like “Only Women Bleed” and “I Never Cry” were perfectly incorporated into the storyline and the lighting, props and platformed stage layout enhanced the theatrics of the performance.

The extra’s, like Nurse Rozetta, played an integral part of the storyline. As well as having a song named after her, she came and went throughout the show doing all sorts of nasty things to Alice.

The band,who were all young enough to be the showman’s kids, gave it their all during the instrumental which, fortunately, didn’t drag on like it does in some shows. In fact these musicians played all night as though they themselves were the headliners and deserved the applause they received.

To finish up, it was an amazing night and we don’t think you need to be a fan to enjoy the theatrics of such a brilliant and polished performance. Rather than just going through the paces, Alice and the band all performed with passion in their hearts and music in their souls.

Despite the years, this man can still rock the crowd and we don’t think it’s time just yet for Alice Cooper to give it all away to go play golf! We would have no hesitation in seeing this show again.

Visit our gallery for shots of the show.