REVIEW AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY: NADINE SWIGER

The Original Evil Returns as Alice Cooper is on the road with his final leg of the 2011 “No More Mr Nice Guy” World Tour. It was a night of classic shock n’ rock as the Turning Stone Casino once again welcomed Alice Cooper back to it’s Showroom Theater in Vernon NY. For years, Alice has done the tour without a support act; to my surprise, the London based LIVAN opened the show!

It was about 2 years ago; I received LIVAN’s press kit for their second album, “Happy Returns.” I remember the album’s art work caught my attention and I couldn’t wait to see what this band was all about. LIVAN brings that great UK Gothic vibe to the stage, with electronica overtones mixed with catchy rock guitar riffs wrapped in a post-punk rock style. Their music was tight, edgy and melodic with theatrics that were perfect for pumping up the crowd for Alice Cooper. Their set included the popular singles “King of the World,” “Undead” and “Black Cherry.” and they even threw in a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “Venus in Furs.” I enjoyed watching vocalist Cosmas Livanos (aka Livan) when he was singing on the raised platform. While on tour with Alice Cooper until mid December, you may also catch LIVAN playing several headlining shows on the off dates. (See Tour Dates Below) Meanwhile, you can check out their latest album, “Off The Grid.”

Alice Cooper kicked off his set with “The Black Widow,” appearing high above the stage and dressed in the spider costume. From there, he went on to “Brutal Planet” and “I’m Eighteen” before moving on to “Under My Wheels” “Billion Dollar Babies” “No More Mr Nice Guy” and “Hey Stupid”. The hits continued as he even played a new song “I’ll Bite Your Face Off” from his latest album, “Welcome 2 My Nightmare.” From Alice swordsmanship to the guillotine, the night was still packed with great shock antics. He even brought back the giant boa constrictor snake to the stage that had some of us frozen in our seats.

Alice Cooper’s band is always packed full of great musicians and this tour is no different. The young and talented Orianthi was fun to watch on guitar. She’s only 24 years old and has opened for Steve Vai, played with Carrie Underwood, traded solos with the legendary Carlos Santana and not to forget how she shared the stage with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. With a resume like that, it’s no wonder that Alice Cooper snatched her up to play with his band.

The tour will head down the East coast, where it will end on Dec 14th in Orlando, FL. On December 17th, Alice will hold the 11th annual Christmas Pudding Show in Comerica Theatre in Phoenix AZ. It’s a benefit show for children and teens in need at the Solid Rock and Alice’s new teen center which will be opening in 2012. Alice performs with an super-group/all-star lineup. This year includes Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Brian Head Welsh (ex-Korn), Bruce Kulick (Kiss) John Corabi (ex-Motley Crue) Kip Winger (Winger) and Orianthi. It seems like there is no rest for this “Wicked Young Man;” so stay tuned to alicecooper.com to see what this original shock rocker has in store for 2012….

TOUR DATES:

Dec 6 Hard Rock Café Pittsburgh, PA
Dec 7 Musica Akron, OH *
Dec 8 The Basement Columbus, OH *
Dec 9 Star Plaza Theater Merill-ville, IN
Dec 10 Warner Theater Erie, PA
Dec 11 Taft Theater Cincinnati, OH
Dec 13 Cobb Energy Center Atlanta, GA
Dec 14 Hard Rock Orlando, FL
Dec 15 Jack Rabbits Jacksonville, FL *

*Livan headlining shows

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PHOTO GALLERIES:

ALICE COOPER :: PHOTO GALLERY
LIVAN :: PHOTO GALLERY

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FOR MORE INFORMATION:

ALICE COOPER : www.alicecooper.com

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LIVAN : livan.co.uk

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