Tonight I went to The Greek Theater to see Alice Cooper. Man, it was a total blast. Nobody puts on a show like The Coop, who throws everything but the kitchen sink at you, and come to think of it he's probably got one of those in his giant onstage Toybox, too.
It was a non-stop slam-bang production, and because Alice never breaks character, there was no talking whatsoever between songs; no "how ya doin' tonight, Los Angeles"?! or any of the usual stage banter. Instead, it was just one hit song after another, about half from the classic Original Alice Cooper Band era and the other half from Alice's most well known solo albums. His crack live band - one of the best "hired gun" bands you will ever see - plays every song to perfection with the added performance energy of guitarist Nita Strauss as a bonus. It's a rock n' roll nightmare circus where every song is acted out by Alice himself, often aided by other characters such as a 12 foot Frankenstein or the psychotic nurses (played by his wife and daughter!) who torment him in the asylum during "The Ballad Of Dwight Frye". Finally they lead him to the guillotine, as they do near the end of every Alice Cooper show (a setup that began with the original band in 1972) and Alice loses his head, only to return triumphant after a rousing rendition of "I Love The Dead", sung by the other band members and the audience as well.
I never got to see the original Alice Cooper Group. I started going to concerts in April 1974, a year after the "Billion Dollar Babies" tour ended, when AC was the biggest band on Earth for a while. By September of '74, they had broken up. Alice was headed for a solo career that has lasted 44 years now. He's been in the business for an incredible 54 years, since 1964 when the original guys formed The Earwigs while in high school. My first Alice concert was at The Forum during his first solo tour for "Welcome To My Nightmare in June 1975. So that makes 43 years between my first Cooper Concert and tonight.
Grimsley did get to see the original band, twice I think, and he goes back to 1972 and the "School's Out" tour. He was at the concert tonight and we sat together for Ace Frehley and his band, who opened and played some KISS songs mixed in with his own stuff. He was a lot of fun, with a total New York attitude and sense of humor, and he played for 45 minutes.
I haven't been to The Greek that many times, but I do know that they use what is called "stacked" parking in their lots, which means that there are no two-way parking aisles like you would be used to in any normal parking lot. Instead, they sardine can the cars three or four deep, without any markings or lanes for departure, so you have to wait until all of the people whose cars are surrounding your own make their way leisurely and slowly back to the lot to take their sweet time driving away. Then, about an hour after the concert has ended, you can finally leave the parking lot yourself, a privilege that you paid 15 to 20 dollars for when you entered.
Me, I didn't do any of that stuff.
I parked for free on a side street off Los Feliz. Then I walked to Vermont and up the hill to The Greek.
The walk seemed a about a mile or so. Not too shabby, and way better than paying 20 bucks and dealing with stacked parking. I'll park on the same street when I go to see Yes at The Greek on August 29.
For now, three words : Alice Freakin' Cooper. Go see him as soon as you can. ///
Elizabeth, I saw your photos on FB from what looked like an awesome hike. The was again no text, but I am guessing it was in Wisconsin. On your website your location is once again listed as Madison.
Wherever you are, I am sure you are in the best place that's meant for you to be, at least for the time being.
I say so because I remember your recent poem about Chicago that accompanied a photo on FB Stories. I commented in a blog that I wasn't sure of your intent with that poem.....but anyhow.
I know how much you love your home, and to have a good feeling for a place is a great thing, a spiritual thing.
The best place for anyone to be is where their Spirit feels at home.
I don't know if I've got any of this correct, or all of it wrong, but I liked your photos and I am glad you had a nice hike in such a beautiful place.
We had good singing in church this morning. See you tomorrow. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment