Venue: The Coliseum, Hard Rock Hotel, Singapore
Date: 5th October 2011
Promoter: Chugg Entertainment
Review by: Melissa L.
Special Thanks: Sammy and the Chugg Entertainment Asia team
Photos by Melissa C.
I’ve Got Poison Running Through My Veins
I have to be honest. I was a little unnerved going to an Alice Cooper concert. They were sending a girl who listens to Joshua Radin, Joe Purdy and the likes of very acoustic music to a hard rocking concert. Were they out of their minds? It’s been a long time since I’ve been in touch with my dark (rocker) side and I was nervous that I’d stick out like a sore thumb at the event. I did my research the night before and read up on the “Alice Cooper experience” so I’d at least know what to expect. But honestly, nothing I did would prepare me for the greatest performance I was about to see.
Listening to Alice Cooper at home was definitely different from watching them play live. From the first words of The Black Widow to the last drum beat of Elected, Alice Cooper captivated the audience with their shocking stage antics. From the jacket with the spider legs extensions that Vincent Furnier (aka Mr Alice Cooper) wore while performing The Black Widow, to the special Alice Cooper dollar bills (with Alice’s face on the bills, no less) that he threw to the audience during Billion Dollar Babies, as well as the yellow reptile he had around his neck, the band certainly pulled all the stops to wow (and maybe even stun) the crowd. At one point in time, there was even a giant Frankenstein that made a guest appearance during Feed My Frankenstein. Oh, and there was also an execution scene. Talk about being theatrical!
One might think that the music may have been compromised due to all the drama on stage but it certainly wasn’t. Mr Alice Cooper brought the house down with his vocals and crazy energy despite being 63 years old. He even showed off his softer side during the slower Only Women Bleed while dancing along with a life-sized rag doll. The band was also extremely tight, making everything look so effortless. The members really knew how to play with and hype the audience, with Alice consistently posing for the cameras, Chuck Garric (the bassist) getting the audience to clap and cheer along during songs like Hey Stoopid and Tommy Henriksen (the guitarist) running to the sides of the stage just to make sure the people there got some action too. Orianthi was also amazing, with her lightning fast fingers and mad guitar skills, proving why she deserves to be the first female member of the band but I just wish she’d been as playful as the rest of the band.
The audience was also a pretty darn good crowd to be rocking out with. They were enthusiastic and passionate, singing along to their favourite Alice Copper Anthems and cheering loudly after every song. One (older) gentleman was so inspired to rock out that he actually used his walking stick to air guitar during the show! The audience also went crazy when the band played crowd favourites like Poison and the highest point was probably when they included a snippet of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall during School’s Out, prompting the crowd to have a massive sing along session.
When the band played their final song, Elected, for the encore, a burst of confetti came showering down and it was as if Alice was trying to get us to vote for him to be the President of Rock Republic. All in all, the band definitely won this one, they took our country by storm and I would without a doubt, elect Alice Cooper to be my president any time!