Show number 101 for the "Spend the Night with Alice Cooper" tour in support of the Paranormal record.
The UK shows featured a mini-set by the surviving members of the original Alice Cooper Band which culminated in an absolute killer show in London two weeks ago.
Last night the Coop was back in Paris for the first time since 2011 and he played the Salle Pleyel, a former classical concert hall in a posh neighbourhood... which meant pricy beer.
But first let's back up to the previous night where his backing band played a little club called La Boule Noire in the red light district of Paris... which meant cheap beer.
The band came onstage casually around 9:30 and did a quick soundcheck before realising they'd probably never get the sound they're now used to so they might as well start rocking.
And rock they did. They played a mix of covers (Ramones, T-Rex, Motörhead, Stooges, Metallica, Alice Cooper obviously) and solo tracks from band members Ryan Roxie, Tommy Henriksen and Chuck Garric who played some songs from his Beasto Blanco project with Calico Cooper, Alice's daughter who came up and sang.
The band played great and had fun, joked around all night and celebrated guitarists Nita Strauss and Ryan Roxie's birthdays with a cake and a happy birthday song from the audience. A short show (a little over one hour) but a great night.
The Alice Cooper show hasn't really changed much in the last decade. His act has some staples that he cannot drop, whether they be songs or theatrics. He needs to play I'm Eighteen, Poison, and Billion Dollar babies like he needs to throw in fake dollars (printed in his effigy) during Billion Dollar Babies, sing Ballad of Dwight Fry in a straight jacket and get his head chopped off as a punishment for his various cimes, lest he provokes the ire of his fans.
While this doesn't leave a lot of room for change he still manages to put a different twist on things and always resurrects a few deep tracks. On this tour, those are Pain, The World Needs Guts, Department of Youth and Halo of Flies.
His band is excellent as already stated and their personalities really complement themselves both musically and theatrically. Nita Strauss brings a little 80's flair to the whole thing, but is anchored by the more rock and roll styles of Henriksen and Roxie. Chuck Garric is an animal and should be the next actor to play Wolverine.
And then there's Alice, vocally at the top of his game. The character is a little more relaxed than in recent years, and he's accentuated the comedy in his show which is welcome change from the Brutal Planet/Dragontown version of the character.
The theatrics are all there, the classics are played faithfully and what classics. Very few acts can claim to have so many anthems. No More Mr. Nice Guy, I'm Eighteen, Under My Wheels, Only Women Bleed and of course the closer School' Out where everyone in the stuffy venue went wild.
The master returns to Paris on Thursday (in a different venue this time) and of course I'll be there, because the Alice Cooper Show is a party not to be missed. How long can he do this, at this level, with this energy? Five years, ten years tops? Go see him if you can. When you can. Every time you can. He really throws the best parties.
