Alice Cooper at Hard Rock Live December 15, 2011 Hollywood, Fl

It may have been 20 years ago today when Sgt. Pepper taught the band…well, you know the rest, but it took 45 years for the father of Shock Rock Alice Cooper to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011. Actually to be more precise, the original Alice Cooper Band was lavished with the honor. The band members who originally got together in high school were elated with the news: Alice Cooper (vocals) Glen Buxton (guitar; passed away in 1997), Michael Bruce (guitar, keyboards), Dennis Dunaway (bass), Neal Smith (drums) finally got their due and to say it had been a long time coming would be an understatement.

Long before Marilyn Manson, KISS, Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails and dozens others, Alice Cooper added the element of theater to rock's forefront. He had the make-up, props (most notably a guillotine and hangman's noose, which is still some of the coolest stuff I've ever seen live), the element of surprise but most importantly the songs to back it all up. Cooper brought Vaudeville to an audience that had never known or heard the word. He may not have been the original rebel of rock but he was certainly the most unpredictable and dangerous. Alice was the guy that I would wait to see in the 1970's watching the Midnight Special getting off to Elton John, Rod Stewart and Meat Loaf. Sitting on the edge of the couch with my mom, the VCR in slow motion, frame by frame trying to figure out how he cut off his own head or hung himself. Wait, watch for it; see his body move down through the guillotine base as the blade comes down? Gotcha Cooper! His live stage shows are almost as legendary as the man himself. Drinking of blood and other bodily fluids, the killing of babies and chickens, etc; the snake did and still does bother me. I always turn my head when the boa appears. So if I may let me clear up couple of Alice Cooper Urban Legends right off the proverbial vampire bat. Hope I don't ruin his mystic or image for anyone. As far as I know he never drank blood or spit; the only babies killed were baby dolls who got skewered like kabobs or got their heads torn off and the chicken thing, well that was actually an accident. Birds have wings, chickens have wings, and animals with wings can usually fly, right? Well, unfortunately no one let Cooper in on the secret that chickens don't fly so on a technicality it really wasn't his fault. It was the audience in question on that fateful night that took the chicken into their own hands, literally, nuff said.

Many of his songs are legendary rock anthems, "School's Out," "Elected," "I'm Eighteen," and "Welcome To My Nightmare," are all classics. And who could forget the tender yet just slightly twisted with a lime, "Only Women Bleed." His original "Nightmare," release still stands as one of the most creative and imaginative ( twisted sensability not withstanding) in rock music. "Billion Dollar Babies," "Muscle Of Love," and "Alice Cooper Goes To Hell," are also huge fan favorites. His later work which included "Flush the Fashion," and "Special Forces," took the character Alice into a different direction, more along the lines of progressive rock or was what labeled in the 1980's as New Wave. He returned to his hard rock roots with "Trash," in 1989, scoring him the chart hits, "Poison," "House Of Fire," and "Bed Of Nails." I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Cooper for the first time in 1986 for the release of his "Constrictor," CD. What I found was certainly one of the nicest and humble men I had ever met. So much for the "No More Mr. Nice Guy," routine; after all the guy plays golf, how bad could he be? Alice sat for hours at a local record signing. The line of fans stretched around the building and down the block. Not only did he and his band at the time sign the new CD but Cooper signed everything else that was put in front of him. Always the gentleman, he cracked jokes with fans, took pictures, answered questions, and took time to speak with everyone who had waited for hours just to get a glimpse. I tipped my top hat off to him that Sunday afternoon. The man himself is so far removed from the character of 'Alice' he created that it's laughable. I doubt Vincent Furnier (Cooper's real name) ever roamed the streets with an axe in his hand or a Cyclops monster following him around, but you never know. That's rock and roll for ya.

Cooper is returning to the concert stage this year with a vengeance. A new rock show and CD has been released. The tour aptly dubbed "No More Mr. Nice Guy - The Original Evil Returns," is Alice at his nastiest and finest and will hit the stage of Hard Rock Live in Hollywood Florida on December 15, 2011. His new CD, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare," is his best work in years. Collaborating once again with his longtime legendary producer Bob Ezrin (he originally produced Alice's original masterpiece "Welcome To My Nightmare," in 1975) the new CD is a ride back into the Nightmarish world of Alice and his imagination. The new 'Nightmare,' release features surviving members of the original Alice Cooper band: guitarists Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner. Other special guests include Alice's touring band, Rob Zombie, Vince Gill and the biggest shock of all, Ke$ha. For the man who once sung "He's Back (The Man Behind The Mask)" Cooper shows no signs of slowing down. If anything Cooper has gotten older, maybe a little wiser but his "Alice" persona is certain to still raise a few eyebrows and decibel meters along the way. So batten down the hatches and lock up your daughters. Alice Cooper is coming to town and taking no prisoners.

Rock legend Alice Cooper performs classics at Hard Rock Live on December 15th at 8PM.

Tickets are on sale now

12.15.2011 | Alice Cooper

Show Start Time: 8:00 PM

Doors Open Time: 7:00 PM

Ticket Price: $49 / $59 / $69

Log on to http://www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com/index.php or call 1-800-735-4000