Alice Cooper hit Manchester with his ‘Too Close For Comfort’ UK tour, taking up residency at the AO arena. With a max capacity of 21,000, I did have questions on how the band would be ‘Too Close For Comfort’, but who was I to question a rock and roll veteran? Especially when he promised giant screens mixing live and pre-recorded video. As an Alice Cooper virgin, I waited with bated breath to see if the band would furfil the promise of a truly intimate experience in Manchester’s second largest arena.
The Meffs proved punk’s not dead when they ripped through the pre-show chatter with their guttural electric guitar, demanding the attention of those who’d arrived for the beginning of the show. With just Lily on guitar and Lewis on drums, you couldn’t help but zero in on Lily’s thick Essex accent and their unapologetically Brit-punk lyrics.
They kicked off the show with ‘Stamp It Out’, a political anthem that set the tone of their set and their dedication to speaking up on the state of modern Britain. It wasn’t all words though, Lily had a stage presence that filled up the space and stomped out any idea that they were just a warm-up act. The highlight of their set was their love song to the British government, ‘Clowns’. You don’t need a degree in politics to understand The Meffs, and that’s exactly how punk should be.
Primal Scream took us on a whistle-stop tour through their eclectic rock and roll discography, starting with their latest single ‘Love Insurrection’. It was like taking a trip through the acid house and then a ride into the Deep South with the sheer breadth of influences woven into each song. The gospel elements were brought to life by the three-person choir and saxist that joined the band, sprinkling soul throughout the entire set.
Bobby Gillespie made a touching tribute to Andy Weatherall, the acid-house DJ and producer on their Screamadelica album, before their performance of ‘Loaded’. The choir shone brightest here, adding a real sense of weight and reverence to the man who made such a huge impact on the band. It wouldn’t have been Primal Scream without ‘Rocks’, and what a great song to finish off on before the headliner. By the end of the song the entire arena was singing and thoroughly warmed up for the main event.
I didn’t know too much of what to expect when Alice Cooper came on stage, except it would be a show. That was immediately apparent when the arena was bathed in red light and two witch doctors marched in front of a giant black screen, shaking a medicine rattle – as though trying to cleanse the space. The screen fell away to reveal the band on a fully built-out court set, no sign of Alice Cooper himself, but a giant poster spanning the height of the stage assured us he was banned in England.
It didn’t take long for Alice Cooper to slash through the poster with his sabre and get things going with ‘Welcome To The Show’. From Alice’s iconic top hat and cane to the elaborate set design it was clear this would be more akin to theatre than your standard rock show. What really set it apart though was the four support screens placed at the rear of the stage. They were framed to be in keeping with the design of the set, as well as using filters and visuals over the video to tie them in with the songs being performed, elevating it from just a support screen. The position at the back of the stage was the cherry on top though. So often I find I have to choose between looking at the stage or the support screens at the sides, but with this set up the audience was solely focused on the stage at all times.
Even though this tour follows the release of Alice Cooper’s latest album, Road, this is not an album tour. Instead, we were taken through Alice Cooper’s greatest hits, which I can’t imagine anyone was upset about. Alice Cooper’s legendary stage persona came out full force for ‘No More Mister Nice Guy’, acting out the duality of the song and bouncing off the infectious energy of the other band members. The crutch made a return for ‘I’m 18’, and this man is an Actor, capital A, and this is his show. I’m not going to do a play-by-play of every song in the set, as words alone can’t do justice to this show. It really needs experiencing in person to get the full impact. This is just a teaser.
When a band has a frontman as remarkable as Alice Cooper, it can be easy for the other members to fall by the wayside. This didn’t happen. Every member had their moment to shine. Glen Sobel shone bright green, thanks to the lighting, at the start of ‘Billion Dollar Baby’ for an immense drum solo that exemplified his phenomenal skill. The visuals were cranked up here with billion dollar bills cascading down the screens at the back and a giant cash cannon being fired over the audience, showering the barrier with glitter, streamers, and, of course, dollars.
The pure showmanship and scale of production climbed higher, raising the bar with each song. This became apparent during ‘He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)’ with the blood red lighting, and Jason’s mask floating, disembodied on the screens behind the band. A fan ran from backstage and started trying to engage with the band mid-song, but they didn’t let it put them off, and thankfully Jason appeared and killed her before it became a problem.
It was time for another set change and another opportunity for Glen Sobel to show us what he’s got. There was never any dead time during the show, it ran like a well-oiled machine or a musical on the west end. If the set was changing, the audience got a mini drum set. If Alice Cooper was doing an outfit change, Nita Strauss showed us why she’s ‘The Hurricane’. It made it one of, if not, the most engaging rock shows I’ve seen in my life.
From here on out, we were in another realm. Alice Cooper really meant it when he said “Welcome To My Nightmare”. There were smoke machines, life-size dolls, 9-ft monsters prowling the stage, even a guillotine. Would it be an Alice Cooper show without Sheryl Cooper? She came out and gave an exhilarating whip performance, striking toward Alice who didn’t even flinch.
The show came to an end with ‘Elected’ and Alice Cooper performed at the top of a set of stairs decorated in American banners and regalia. The screens were awash with iconic American imagery including Uncle Sam and flashes of red, white, and blue. It was a visual spectacle and ended the show with a bang (of more confetti cannons). I couldn’t help but be a little sad that we hadn’t heard ‘School’s Out’, my personal favourite, and the first Alice Cooper song I ever heard. What a fool I am to not consider there would be an encore.
The final-final song was one of joy. Everyone was singing, giant balloons were bouncing around the audience, and if any came too close to Alice Cooper he’d gleefully pop it with his sword, raining confetti down on the ground. Would I recommend seeing Alice Cooper? Yes. This is a show that can be enjoyed if you are a die-hard fan or even just someone who is only peripherally aware of the band. This is an experience and a performance that can only be truly appreciated ‘Too Close For Comfort’.
