I’ll never forget my first trip to Los Angeles, staying along the Walk of Fame and making the pilgrimage to The Rainbow on Sunset Strip. Not only did I meet Lemmy (that’s a story for another day), but the bartender led me upstairs to a smaller loft room, the original lair of the Hollywood Vampires. The bartender told me that Janis Joplin had once sat where I was sat!! Sitting in that cramped space where rock history was written felt incredibly rock n roll!
The Hollywood Vampires consists of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry, and Tommy Henriksen, and after nearly three years away, they’re bringing that rebellious spirit back to the UK and Europe this summer. The tour kicks off at London’s O2 on August 12th, and this isn’t just another nostalgia cash grab.
The band was named after Cooper’s legendary 1970s drinking club that included Keith Moon, John Lennon, and Harry Nilsson. They honour rock’s fallen heroes with blistering covers of The Who, Led Zeppelin, and Motörhead alongside their own original material.
The UK leg sees them conquering everything from Cardiff Castle to Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, before tearing through Europe. The Jesus and Mary Chain join them for arena shows, fresh off their 40th anniversary and new album Glasgow Eyes. Punk legends The Damned bring their 50th anniversary celebrations to outdoor venues, with their Brian James tribute album Not Like Everybody Else dropping just as tickets go on sale.
For those wanting the full vampire experience, VIP packages promise front row access and behind the scenes tours. There’s even a documentary in the works, ‘Unleashed Spirits’.
After a decade together, Hollywood Vampires remain one of rock’s most intriguing collaborations. They’re celebrating the music that made them who they are, performed by musicians who’ve lived through rock’s golden age and survived to tell the tale. That little room above The Rainbow is a shrine to the past, but this tour proves the spirit lives on.
Tickets hit general sale January 23rd at 10am. Set your alarms.