Alice? Who the F#*& is Alice?

My love for photography often enjoys the fringe benefits of being attached to the unbalanced mind that is at the helm of the meat ship known as Rainy Pete. As the picture above shows me playing traffic can attest. I'm often asked how I managed to get my camera into places when in all reality I often just walk in like I belong and just start shooting away. My latest batch of pics that I got out of this knack was shot on Sunday night when I got to go bask in the glory that is the original Prince of Darkness himself, Alice Cooper! Let's face it, the guy makes me look pretty, but damn he can still put on a show.

I was apparently listening to his stuff before I even slithered out of my Mother's womb and have never been able to shake the addiction to his music. Across my years I bought his albums and reveled at the vinyl my parents had accumulated over the years. They even had a School's Out LP that folded up into a standing, flip top desk. With this in mind I was stoked to find out that he was coming to town again and had my tickets for awhile now. I got to see him about a year and a half ago for the first time when he came to Hamilton.

Being a dyed in the wool observer of the circus of humanity I was in absolute bliss at the cross section of people at the show. There were people there that were clearly original fans who had been along right from the start. Some of these poor souls didn't seem to realize that it's been 30 years or so, but what can you do right? Some of these die hards brought their kids with them. Now, my Mom brought me with her so I wasn't shocked that there were generations of fans in the building but one guy blew the wad on the night. He brought his two kids who couldn't have been older than 9 and loaded them up with tour shirts and top hats and all. There were lookalikes in the crowd who actually made your head spin in delight. One chap in the balcony actually looked so much like him that your brain couldn't discount the possibility that Alice himself had come out to scope out the crowd for the night. Every element of society seemed to have landed in one place as there were button downs next to burn outs and kids next to 50 year mop tops who were only sporting mullets because the top of the metal hair had gone bald. I even saw a little old lady that actually looked like a little old lady. The sort that you'd expect to see giving disapproving looks to teenagers in the mall. Just plain awesome.

With the preshow out of the way it was on to the main event. If you think that Alice Cooper still touring was a shock then your brain will spin when I tell you that Helix opened for them. A band that seems to have made a conscious effort include one of every rock and roll stereotype in their act. Right down to the twirling microphones and the tabourine chick. With their set mercifully at an end it was time for the place to explode. From the moment he took the stage to the moment he left the entire place filled with an electric energy that made your teeth hum. The stage presence is absolutely awesome. It's been almost two full days and my ears are still ringing. If you're into his stuff and he gets anywhere nearby for a show you've got to check it out. I can only imagine what an experience his shows would have been back before the likes of Marilyn Manson and David Bowie tried to shock us all in a time when it was becoming normal for rockers to do so. Three cheers for a man who called himself Alice and took the world by storm. Lets face it folks, he's got more chops at age 58 than many of the 18 year old singers that "grace" the airwaves with their presence.

I can only hope to still retain that much individuality, personality and energy when I'm staring down the barrel of 60. He's even the consummate family man. His daughter even tours with him. To be a professional freak yet remain well grounded enough to raise a family that hasn't disintegrated is more impressive an accomplishment than all the albums he's cranked out over the years. I'll leave it at that as I could go on for hours on the man and his fascinating past and rise to stardom. Instead I'll say if you aren't familiar with his then scope out the bio on his site here and even the rest of the site for more goodies. In an effort to bring this mad ramble back around the beginning again, I offer you a chance to enjoy some of the pictures I shouldn't have been allowed to take at the show by clicking here.