In anticipation of the big, spooky show at Beau Rivage Casino and Hotel in Biloxi, revelers were partaking in delicious green Malibu Rum Frankenstein cocktails; it really put your belly in the mood. Then we took our seats in the semi-circular theater where we knew Mr. Alice Cooper would soon take the stage like the ringmaster at a freaky circus, and we were not just the spectators, but the freaks themselves.
What I love about Alice is that he puts on a true show, a spectacle. He doesn’t take time away or break the illusion to say things like “This is one of my favorite towns” or “You’re a beautiful audience.” The second he took the stage, he launched into “Brutal Planet,” crowd favorite “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Lost in America” about the all-American problems of getting the job and the car so you can get the girl, and “Pain” which he played for the first time since 1982. In the seconds between each second, Alice would don a new coat, a taller hat, a whip, or cane.
Of course, he played his huge hits “Welcome to My Nightmare” and “Billion Dollar Babies,” and I couldn’t contain my joy when he performed my personal favorite “Poison,” but I think that I may have a new (or close) favorite in “Woman of Mass Distraction.”
Then the show started getting even more theatrical. He turned into a massive beast during “Feed my Frankenstein.” A beautiful ballerina danced around his for his famous ballad “Only Women Bleed,” then she came back as a diabolical nurse for the always fun “Ballad of Dwight Fry” where he escaped from a strait jacket in order to attack the nurse. Alice also regaled us with “Escape” which he hasn’t played since 2001. The show came to a close with the ultimate high school anthem “School’s Out” mixed with Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall.” The audience sang along to each word that they knew by heart. While the lights dimmed for a moment and people chanted Alice, they knew that he was going to come right back to them. And he did come back on stage to play “I’m Eighteen” and “Elected” alongside our president Donald Trump who seemed way more like Alice’s lackie than the leader of the free world. Alice wore a shirt saying “Don’t Blame Me, I Voted for Alice.”
Nearing the age of 70, Mr. Cooper hasn’t lost one bit of energy or the ability to hypnotize a large room full of people.
