I
saw Alice Cooper at Stage AE in Pittsburgh last night. Anyone who
knows me knows that Alice has been one of my favorite performers
since I was very young. I blogged about my lifelong fandom last
summer, the last time I saw Alice. You can read that post HERE.
I've
seen Alice more than any other big name musician, and he never
disappoints. His live show is an amazing piece of theater, and at
forty-plus years into his career Alice is still a vibrant performer
with an amazing stage presence. This time was different, though. This
time I got to meet him.
I
was actually considering skipping the show this year. As much as I
know I will have a good time, I had just seen Alice a year ago at the
same venue. Things have been pretty busy in my life, so I was putting
off buying tickets (knowing full well that I would probably cave on
the day of the show and go anyway). But providence stepped in in the
form of my friend Abby Krizner. I've known Abby for going on ten
years now. She was guitarist and one of three vocalists for local
band The Motorpsychos for several years and now fronts Fist Fight inthe Parking Lot. Since I've known her she has also become DJ at The X
(WXDX), Pittsburgh's hard rock station. Abby came out to hang out
with me on my recent birthday weekend and tucked into a beautiful
card with a touching note were two tickets for Alice (the tickets
were awesome, obviously, but the note from Abby was beautiful and in
the big picture of my life, more important).
So
I planned on going. Yesterday around noon I received a phone call
from Abby telling me she had managed to get my name on the guest list
for the post-concert Meet & Greet! Okay, maybe this is more
important than the heartfelt note of friendship. Whatever, I owe Abby
big time.
So
I went to the show. Alice was awesome, as always. Any specific review
of the show I could give would just be repeating myself.
I
do want to make a brief detour to mention the opening band. Blue
Coupe is comprised of Dennis Dunaway, the original bass player for
the Alice Cooper Group back in the 60's, along with Joe and Albert
Bouchard, founding members of Blue Oyster Cult. They rocked the place
down. They played a lot of new material as well as some BOC classics
like Godzilla and Don't Fear the Reaper. They have a new album out.
Go to their website and give it a listen.(http://www.bluecoupeband.com/BlueCoupeBand/Welcome.html).
When
the show was over we made our way over to the line for the Meet &
Greet. It was, of course, mass confusion to begin with. There were
several levels of guests to sort out. Some were on the guest list as
friends and family of the band. There were winners of radio contests.
There were the holders of special, really expensive VIP tickets who
got a lot of swag as well as getting to meet Alice. I confirmed I was
on the list, got my pass and eventually got in the line I was
supposed to be in.
Then
we waited. There were a lot of people there, and Alice is gracious
enough to do something like this for his fans late at night after
putting on a high energy show, so I was fine with the wait.
Apparently not everyone feels the same way. A few people showed up
really intoxicated. It's an adult show. They sell alcohol there, so
of course people are going to drink. But really? You get the chance
to meet Alice and you show up too drunk to stand straight? It's no
big secret that Alice is a recovering alcoholic, so just out of a
little bit of respect for him, this seems like a bad idea. Luckily,
the Stage AE staff were all over this. I watched as the Events
Coordinator simply peeled their VIP stickers right off their shirts
and had them escorted out. No muss, no fuss, taken care of before
anything got out of hand. I heard some slurred mutters of “This is
total bullshit!” but there was not a scene. Bravo to Stage AE.
Our
line finally started moving (and when I say “finally” it had only
been a half an hour or less). We moved up a staircase next to the
stage and were ushered into a hallway, where we waited again for a
short period. Right around then the couple in front of us, who up
until this point had been fine, really started bitching.
“I
tell you what,” she said, “I'm giving them about two more minutes
to get this line moving or there's going to be trouble!”
Really?
I'm thinking the only trouble is you being escorted out and blowing
the whole reason you're here. This event isn't about you. You're not
the only person here. And really, even if you won a contest or
something, Alice doesn't really owe you anything. He's doing this
because he does appreciate his fans. There were a lot of people looking forward to meeting him, and from my perspective, Stage
AE did a remarkable job of herding cats and keeping things moving and
organized. Sorry this opportunity is taking time out of your precious
life. You have an opportunity to meet a music legend, someone you are
apparently a fan of, and this half hour inconvenience is enough to
make you pissy and snarky?
Well,
luckily for everyone I suppose, the line started moving in a couple
of minutes and we were spared your scene.
We
entered what looked like a small kitchen area that led into another
room. From there I caught my first glimpse of Alice. He was shaking
hands with everyone and had a photographer there taking pictures,
free of charge, to send to our email addresses. They also allowed
everyone to take their own pictures.
I
wasn't really nervous. I thought I would be. Alice has been on the
top of my list of favorite artists for a long, long time. But, I'm
not twelve any more, and I've met and/or interviewed a lot of other
musicians and big name comics creators over the years. So I didn't
feel the nervous butterflies I expected to. I was happy and excited,
but not enough to be stupid.
My
turn came. Alice shook my hand and immediately commented on my shirt.
The image comes from the comic book adaptation of his Last Temptation
album, written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Michael Zulli. It's
a one of a kind t-shirt, made for me by my friend Marc Greisinger. We
had a very brief conversation about this, because even with Alice
Cooper my conversations revolve around comics. He seemed pleased when
I told him my 89-year-old mother had told me earlier in the day to
“Make sure to tell Alice I said Hi.” He put an arm around my
shoulder, we took a couple of pictures, and then it was over.
I
didn't expect more, and I am thrilled to have had this opportunity.
Alice was genuinely nice, and for all of the production line nature
of the event it didn't seem like he was just going through the
motions. I think Alice appreciates his fans and feels a real
connection to them. This is his way of giving back to the people who
have supported his career. I think he loves his life and loves his
fans.
For
all of his dark imagery over the years it wasn't Alice who was the
monster last night.
