CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL ALICE COOPER GALLERY BY SHANE JONES

By: Erik Norder

Artist: Alice Cooper

Venue: Horncastle Arena, Christchurch, NZ

Date: Saturday 22nd February 2020

On a rather sombre day in Christchurch - it has been nine years since the big earthquake that killed at least 185 people and changed Christchurch forever - luckily we can still have rock concerts! Alice was in town for the very last night of his Ol' Black Eyes Is Back world tour.

MC50, originally MC5 but name change to mark their 50th anniversary, were first on stage.They originally formed in 1964 and influenced many, including Alice Cooper. This is now a supergroup - original member Wayne Kramer on guitar joined by drummer Brendan Canty (Fugazi), Marcus Durant (Zen Guerrilla) providing vocals, Billy Gould (Faith No More) on bass, and guitarist Kim Thayil (Soundgarden). They proved to be a worthy opening act, playing more like a headline act; a true indicator of class.

The music is hard rock, with punk and traces of blues, and their seven-song set, which included the famous tune ‘Kick Out the Jams’ was amazing. The lighting was simple but effective, the audio was excellent. I can see how this band influenced so many.

MC5 had a few words to say about their "fool for a president" and encouraged us to hold our politicians accountable."Peace, Power, Unity".

Airbourne were up next. These Aussie rockers released their fifth album, Boneshaker, last year. People have compared them to ACDC, and fair enough, they come on to the stage at full speed and never took their foot of the gas! This four-piece band are solid hard rock/metal. Lots of hair spinning from the guitarists. The lead singer appeared on stage wearing ripped jeans and a white guitar and never stopped moving, except to taunt the audience with free beers. Energy levels were high, the lighting got a lot more energetic. They started one song with an air raid siren, a little reminiscent of Metallica's ‘One’, but without the gun fire.

A good set from a very accomplished band. At one stage, the lead singer jumps off the stage, climbs over the barrier and proceeds to run through the downstairs audience, giving them an extra bit of excitement.

After their set, a curtain falls showing a brick wall with Alice's trademark eyes while the roadies construct Alice's Nightmare Castle under cover. When the curtain goes up, there is a long, narrow platform that runs along the front of the stage with what appear to be Teleprompters facing the performers with a castle backdrop and stairs leading up to the battlements.

There was a slight technical issue with Alice's microphone during the first song, but the tech guys managed to fix that without interrupting the show.

As you can see in Shane's awesome photos, Alice is dressed as you’d expect - with a top hat, tails and a cane. The cane was effortlessly twirled and thrown during the first couple of songs, before being thrown to the audience.

The music for all the songs, except the guitar solos, consists of three guitars driving the pace, a bass guitar and the drums. I really enjoyed theatrics of ‘Dead Babies’ - it was a nice break from the constant heavy guitars, and this is what I expect from an Alice Cooper show.

It was a set of 19 songs, with many crowd favourites – ‘No More Mister Nice Guy’, ‘Poison’, ‘Bed of Nails’, ‘Teenage Frankenstein’. You could tell they were hits as everyone took out the cell phones and sang along!
There was a straight jacket, a 10-foot tall Frankenstein’s monster, a catapult firing tinsel, confetti and Alice dollars at the crowd, a baby carriage, a 10-foot baby, a guillotine that takes Alice's head off, a couple of tourists walk onto the set, a blood covered bride, psychiatric nurses, and Alice's wife. A nice moment was when Alice picked up the head that was severed by the guillotine a song earlier, and then recognising it as his own.

The encore consisted of ‘Department of Youth’ and ‘School's Out’. Alice is wearing a white tuxedo coat with the New Zealand flag on the back. Maybe because this was the last show of the tour, Alice was joined by member of MC50 and Airbourne for his iconic ‘School's Out’ (with snippets of Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick In The Wall’) They also send giant beach balls into the crowd and hit the party lights. It was awesome seeing all that talent on stage at the same time having fun.

Review Edited By: Jake Ebdale