Alice Cooper In Concert At The Palace Theater
Albany, New York
September 16, 2022
It has been ten years since I attended my first Alice Cooper
concert. It never seems that long. Going to one of my favorite venues always
makes the experience more complete. The Palace Theater in Albany, New York, is
a beautiful structure, and I have attended many shows there over the last
twenty years. It reminded me of some of the shows back in the 70s, just
crawling with people, and it certainly looked sold out. I saw a few couples
with very young children, so the cross-section of age groups was enormous.
Alice Cooper has
managed to stay relevant since his career began, and this night he would prove
once again why he still is. At 74 years old, he is simply amazing, considering
all the mountains he has had to climb. Overcoming alcoholism and remaining
married to the same person since the 70s are two miracles worthy of note. His
wife is a part of the show as well. I find him inspirational and can tell
myself what a great example of energy and steadfastness he is and model myself
after that, all the while hoping that I, too, can be that active when I reach
my seventies.
There was no opening
act, and the show started a tad late, after 8 pm. Alice has a fantastic band
behind him, which is no surprise for a living legend on tour. I got some great
pictures with my phone, and as you can see by the first photo, so many others probably
did.
Alice has an average voice but works well with the music. He
supersedes what he lacks in the vocal department with a visual stage presence
and acting performance adapting to each character that is the subject of every
song. There is nothing flashy like flames or loud explosions; you get a giant
Alice-lookalike ghoul, the massive blown-up Billion Dollar Babie, and several
other characters like a hunchback and an executioner for the famous guillotine
scene. Plus, Alice, in a bloodied shirt and straitjacket on Alice
("Steven" from Welcome to my Nightmare) is being taken away by two
orderlies from the insane asylum with large baby heads. There is a lot to take
in, and if you know the music, it all comes together and makes sense.
I thought it was a great show from start to finish and the
best performances, as far as I am concerned, were "Go To Hell" and
"Billion Dollar Babies." There were just a few songs on the set list
I was not familiar with.
The king of shock rock is now mild compared to what you may
see on stage these days. However, it is very entertaining, and now as we get
closer the Halloween, it seems appropriate. I found tremendous enjoyment and
humor in what I witnessed and had a blast taking so many pictures when I
usually take a few. Everyone has a dark side; it takes a great performer like
Alice Cooper to bring that out and get you on your feet, hooting and hollering.
Some people may say I have a sick sense of humor (and I will not deny that),
but what remains most important to me is the entertainment and some excellent
rock 'n' roll, and if that is what you seek; you shall find it at an Alice
Cooper concert.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-MuzikMan.net Founder
September 18, 2022
Setlist:
01. Nightmare Castle
02. Feed My Frankenstein
03. No More Mr. Nice Guy
04. Bed of Nails
05. Hey Stoopid
06. Fallen in Love
07. Be My Lover
08. House of Fire
09. Under My Wheels
10. He's Back (The Man Behind the Mask)
11. Go to Hell
12. I'm Eighteen
13. Poison
14. Billion Dollar Babies
15. Roses on White Lace (Preceded by Kane Roberts guitar solo)
16. My Stars
17. Devil's Food (band only)
18. Black Widow Jam (including drum solo)
19. Steven
20. Dead Babies
21. I Love the Dead (band only)
22. Escape
23. Teenage Frankenstein
24. Encore: School's Out
1
Artist: Alice Cooper