Alice Cooper
Date: October 4, 2004 I've Made Some Mouths Open Pretty Wide After several missed opportunities over the years, I was finally able to take in the live Alice Cooper experience when he touched down in Ottawa in 2004. Considering the fact that I rank Cooper among my favourite artists of all time, it is no suprise that this concert was an absolute treat. The crowd at the Civic Centre was quite diverse, with high school kids and grandmothers equally excited to see the headliner. Although the opening act, Supagroup, failed to garner much response with their average performance, it wasn't long before the lights dimmed and a recorded intro of "Black Juju" heralded the start of the main event. The proven opener "Hello Hooray" got the show started in earnest; and it typified the night. I have enough appreciation of Cooper's catalogue that I would have been happy to hear obscure material; but of course, it's understood that the setlist at a concert like this will be fan friendly. In fact, the relative predictability of the songs was no detriment, as it was a blast to take in classics such as "No More Mr. Nice Guy," "Billion Dollar Babies," "Muscle of Love," and "Be My Lover." Interspersed with those tunes were the odd surprise, such as "Who Do You Think We Are," and newer numbers, including "Man of the Year," "Between High School & Old School," and "What Do You Want from Me?," all of which come from the 2003 release, The Eyes of Alice Cooper. The young band that Cooper recruited for that album supported him on this tour, to great effect. They kept the pace brisk and the energy level high throughout the night, even keeping the concert transitions interesting, most notably on a frantic drum solo. Predictably, though, Alice was in command, acting as the consummate frontman. Whether utilizing stage props or simply laying down vocals, Alice had the adoring crowd screaming all night. The bulk of the concert's theatricality came in its latter half. From the anthemic "I'm Eighteen" onwards, the show was a series of highlights. "Desperado" was incredibly smooth, while "Halo of Flies" incorporated an homage to Kill Bill, with Cooper's daughter playing the role of The Bride and meeting an untimely end at his hands. The menacing "Sick Things" led into the West Side Story sequence of "Gutter Cats vs. The Jets" and "Backyard Brawl," which led to the wry "Cold Ethyl" and the tender "Only Women Bleed." Cooper continued to reach into his road-worn bag of tricks, with "Ballad of Dwight Fry" seeing him escape from a straitjacket and "School's Out" triggering a storm of balloons. After "Poison" marked the only nod to Coop's late 80s era, the set returned to 1971 for "Under My Wheels." The encore suited the timing of the concert, as a performance of "Elected" saw Alice trump a pair of performers in Bush and Kerry masks. I have no basis to compare this concert to past Alice Cooper spectacles; but I can say that finally seeing the man perform live was a blast that lived up to all of my expectations. <--Prev (Magnolia Electric Co.) | Next (Metallica)-->Return to Concert ListReturn to Main Page |