Before
that however, former Hanoi Rocks frontman Michael Monroe (vocals/saxophone/harmonica)
and his band delivered an excellent 40 minutes of pure punk rock for the
gathering crowd. I saw him at High Voltage Festival in 2011, and have been a
big fan of his since, but this is the first time seeing him live since then. As
it was then, his set was made of pure energy, and he never stopped rocking
until he walked off the stage. His recent solo career has been very strong,
with three great studio albums released since 2011, with a largely stable group
of musicians backing him up. His most recent album Blackout States was released earlier this month, and his set
contained four songs from it; along with other solo material and songs from his
bands Hanoi Rocks and Demolition 23.. Steve Conte (guitar/vocals) and Rich
Jones (guitar/vocals) made for a formidable guitar pairing, as the two traded
riffs and solos throughout, and they are great foils for Monroe’s energy. It
was certainly a crowd pleasing set, with plenty of big choruses and memorable
moments. Early highlights were the new number This Ain’t no Love Song and older solo track Trick of the Wrist which both seem to go down very well. More and
more people seemed to be getting into his set as it went along, and the final
three songs were probably the best. Demolition 23.’s Hammersmith Palais, Hanoi Rocks’ Malibu Beach Nightmare, and his own Dead, Jail or Rock ‘n’ Roll made for a rousing closing trio. The
setlist was:
‘78
This Ain’t no Love Song
Old King’s Road
Trick of the Wrist
Ballad of the Lower East Side
Man With no Eyes
R.L.F.
Goin’ Down With the Ship
Hammersmith Palais [Demolition 23. material]
Malibu Beach Nightmare [Hanoi Rocks material]
Dead, Jail or Rock ‘n’ Roll
What
Michael Monroe has in energy, Alice Cooper has in showmanship. From the outset,
Cooper’s performance was spot on as he and his band delivered a great set made
from material from throughout his career. Early on in the set, the songs came
thick and fast. Classics like the AOR-friendly House of Fire, the anthemic No
More Mr. Nice Guy, and the raw Billion
Dollar Babies all went down really well as Cooper strutted his stuff on the
stage. His band were excellent too. No less than three guitarists: Nita
Strauss, Ryan Roxie, and Tommy Henriksen all took turns to solo and
complimented each other well; while Chuck Garric (bass guitar/harmonica/vocals)
and Glen Sobel (drums) laid down some solid rhythms. Sobel seems to be
invigorated from his few fill-in dates with Mötley Crüe, and he played really
well all night, especially during his solo section in the newer song Dirty Diamonds. Other newer material
such as I’ll Bite Your Face Off and Wicked Young Man were also played and
went down as well as the classics. The first half of the show focused more on
music, and the second half was heavy on the theatrics. Go to Hell saw Cooper with his trademark snake before Feed my Frankenstein really got things
going with a mad scientists slab and a huge Frankenstein’s Monster puppet. The
medley of Ballad of Dwight Fry, Killer, and I Love the Dead saw the most theatrics however, with a creepy nurse
character acting with Cooper before he was ‘beheaded’ via guillotine. He has
been doing this trick for years, but it was still a lot of fun to see. The
covers section that followed was a little odd however. While I enjoyed it, I
would have rather he played more of his own stuff – especially as he has plenty
of albums to draw from! Two classics I’m
Eighteen and Poison rounded out
the main set and the band left the stage to huge cheers. There was time for one
more however, and School’s Out was
the perfect way to end the evening with lots of confetti and bangs. The setlist
was:
The Black Widow
House of Fire
No More Mr. Nice Guy
Under my Wheels
I’ll Bite Your Face Off
Billion Dollar Babies
Be my Lover
Lost in America
Hey Stoopid
Dirty Diamonds
Go to Hell
Wicked Young Man
Feed my Frankenstein
Ballad of Dwight Fry/Killer/I
Love the Dead
Five to One [The Doors cover]/Break on Through (to the Other Side)
[The Doors cover]
Cold Turkey [Plastic Ono Band cover]
Manic Depression [The Jimi Hendrix Experience
cover]
My Generation [The Who cover]
I’m Eighteen
Poison
-
School’s Out/Another Brick in the Wall – Part 2 [Pink Floyd cover]
Overall,
this was a fantastic evening of music and showmanship in Plymouth that was
enjoyed by all. It will not be long before I see Alice Cooper again, as I will
be seeing him with Mötley Crüe next Tuesday!
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