Review by Shawn Perry
Live photos by Paul Hebert
Getting back on the streets after the pandemic lockdown is an integral part of Alice Cooper. This also includes bringing along a solid opening act in the form of Ace Frehley – the original KISS spaceman. The quick shower may have made the seats at Ascend wet and cold, but the moment Frehley and his band – guitarists Ryan Cook and Jeremy Asbock, bassist Philip Shouse, and drummer Matt Starr – rock and roll -After igniting the blowtorch, they stepped on and started running through a mixture of KISS and cover songs.
For KISS fans – and there were quite a few in attendance, including a guy who wore Frehley’s “Spaceman” make-up and costume – it could have been almost as monumental as the farewell tour, which is currently running until 2022. Armed with a Les Paul, Frehley took a no-nonsense approach by starting with “Rocket Ride,” one of five studio tracks Alive II and a favorite of the guitarist’s fan base. “Parasite” and “Strutter” which were included on the first Lively Album, propelled the set forward and featured Frehley working on his signature leads.
You can’t hit a great groove with an equally great riff, and when Starr’s Cowbell set the pace for a cover of Mountain’s “Never In My Life,” the guitars matched each other seamlessly. Following Led Zeppelin’s Good Times Bad Times, Frehley thanked both Mountain and Zeppelin for creating the songs he recorded for its 2020 release. Origins, Vol. 2.
KISS songs dominated the rest of the set – “Shock Me,” “Deuce,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Cold Gin,” and “Black Diamond,” but Frehley also went back to the happy days of the KISS solo albums as the Guitarist recording made the best record of the four. Tonight he worked on “Rip It Up” from the album and then went funky with the unlikely top 20 hit “New York Groove”, the most successful single of all KISS solo albums.
Frehley’s meandering guitar solo had its moments, but he really was at his best when the band was there to support them and move through songs. There are plenty of rumors that the spaceman might show up on a KISS show to close the legacy he helped create. As the opener for Alice Cooper, he’s just getting warmed up.
When full darkness swallowed the sky, the stage was ready for Alice Cooper. A Gothic tower, stone bridge and stairway to the stars (the Nightmare Castle) outlined the backdrop as the band – guitarists Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen and Nita Strauss, and bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel – climbed into their positions . The chorus from “Feed My Frankenstein” prompted Alice Cooper to come out from behind the middle door to take command for the next 100 minutes. The unexpected had to happen at every turn. And it did.
The nice thing about an Alice Cooper show is that its’ 70s and 80s music, which makes up a lot of the set, comfortably goes with everything else. Moves in three songs from his 2021 Detroit stories Album was a breeze, although it can take some time to get used to watching the creepy singer blow “Rock & Roll” on Velvet Undergrounds.
Everyone who goes to an Alice Cooper show is there to see the plays. If the big, gruesome looking baby that appeared on “Billion Dollar Babies” wasn’t up and running, Alice Cooper’s head on the chopping block (with Mrs. Sheryl in the role of “Mademoiselle Guillotine”) most certainly was. Fans don’t come to Alice Cooper shows to dance and clap to the songs: they come to marvel at the spectacle and audacity of an entire production.
Musically, however, the entire ensemble could not be more coordinated. Roxie, Henriksen and Strauss all work together, exchanging leads, sharing the limelight and interacting with the boss in various places. Strauss, known as one of the best rock guitarists in the world, had the opportunity to stretch out alone for a few minutes. Nobody seemed to object to that, or to Sobel’s epic drum solo. For his part, Nashville-born bassist Chuck Garric is pretty much the glue that holds everything together. That was evident when he broke into the chorus of “I Love The Dead”.
Towards the end of the night, excerpts from four songs – “Devil’s Food”, “Black Widow”, “Steven” and “Escape” – from the 1975s Welcome to my nightmare, Alice Cooper’s first “solo” album, were touched. Missing in action was “Only Women Bleed”, the album’s first single, in which Cooper and the band often sit together with acoustics. Due to the general atmosphere, no one was in the mood to go soft and cuddly for a ballad.
When it comes to what needs to be played, we’re talking meat and potatoes from the early days when Alice Cooper was more of a band than a personality. This gave the Ascend crisp readings from “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Under My Wheels”, “I’m Eighteen”, “Billion Dollar Babies” and, as an encore, the epic anthem and Coopers. offered only top 10 single, “School’s Out”.
Confetti covered the front rows as the band bowed and said goodbye to Nashville. Fortunately, the rain didn’t dampen the excitement. It came later when the guy disguised as a “spaceman” was ready to mark his territory and claim victory. Or maybe it was Mademoiselle Guillotine with her head severed. These are the thoughts and ideas that pop up after watching an Alice Cooper show.