Welcome to my Nightmare Before Christmas

School's Out Cincinnati

So I have created a list of things I wanted to do this year and I am so bad about getting around to stuff that I only just completed my first one. And the only reason it got completed was because of my Crazy Friend Erin (tm.)

She became excited and told me, "You need to add Go see Alice Cooper to your list."

Erin is an Alice Cooper fanatic. When she and I reconnected three years ago she pulled a photo album out and there was a picture in thre I had long forgotten. She and her brother Tom went in the 80s to see Alice and they had the face make up on, looking like Alice himself.

"It'll be fun," she told me.

Show a Little Faith, There's Magic in the Nightmare

I rolled late into Cincinnati and stopped in for a burger at Arnold's. It is the oldest standing tavern in Cincinnati as I understand it. I met up with Aaron, Erin and Tom and had a beer as we conversed an ate for an hour before waling over to the Taft Theater.

While I can't go into detail the conversation, I just wish I had a recorder. It was simply funny the entire hour.

But there was a fundamental example of how polar opposite Erin and I are. There was a plump Australian girl walking around the place drunk. The accent was awesome. She was wearing a Mrs. Santa Claus outfit and she was quite lively, chatting up everyone around as she stammered about. She was loud, funny, friendly; and having her come over to our table was the last thing in the world I wanted to happen. The girl made herself the center of attention and all eyes were on on her, wherever she was in the bar. I hate being involved in the center of attention and her coming over would have done that.

Erin says, "Oh my God, we should get our picture taken with her!!!!"

Later we learned she was simply an actress acting drunk for the benefit of a play outside, trying to round up audience members.

At one point Erin excused herself from the table to go to the restroom. She returned with the black makeup on her face, looking like Alice cracking all of us up.

The show was simply amazing. I remembered more songs than I realized from his playbook. And Alice is both a showman and an athlete.

The first half of the set was extremely strong with the opening of "Black Widow" all the way through "Muscle of Love." It ROCKED.

He also had his various props (bringing out the snake, money with his face printed on it, etc.) By the 5th song, I was noticing how sad it was I don't need earplugs as music sounds muffled without them for me. I died little inside.

Anyways the music and the band were very solid on their own, but he added a nice touch with theatrics that he is well known for.

During "No more Mr. Nice Guy," the absolutely normal mother of three was throwing punches towards the stage. I couldn't help but laugh.

During "Halo of Flies," Tom, to my left, was so into it he grabs my left arm using it as a guitar and air guitars along; surreal and funny. It was right after this song that Tom and Erin ran up to the front row and watched the rest of the show there while Aaron and I enjoyed it from a distance.

1. The Black Widow
2. Brutal Planet
3. I'm Eighteen
4. Under My Wheels
5. Billion Dollar Babies (Alice Cooper cash went everywhere as he swung it off what looked like a fencing sword)
6. No More Mr. Nice Guy
7. Hey Stoopid
8. Is It My Body (brought out the snake)
9. Halo of Flies
10. I'll Bite Off Your Face
11. Muscle of Love.

My only complaint at this point was Alice shaking macaranas during "Muscle of Love." That does not really define "badass," Alice. I looked it up and verified it.

Then again, neither does a guy having the name "Alice," but up to this point, he was a badass showman on stage.

There were two songs in the middle that really did not do it for me.

12. Only Women Bleed
13. Cold Ethyl

Maybe it was the prop of the ragdoll manniquin woman, but it was a bit creepy as he tossed it around an then later kissed it.

During the show, the entire stage was decorated like a European Castle with a couple effigies hanging and I thought of Dracula for some misguided reason as the 2nd half of the set hit a peak with "Frankenstein." The ending had a 12 foot tall Frankenstein on stage. It was campy, amazing and awesome.



He brought the guillotine out during "Wicked Young Man" and (Kids - do not try this at home!) simulated his head getting chopped off.



"School's Out" also featured a verse of "Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two)" that blended quite smoothly with his anthem. There were giant balloons and as Alice popped them, confetti flew everywhere.

It ended with him yelling out "School's Out Cincinnati!!!" and an amazing, surreal set came to an end.

The show went through the roof and ended with an amazing version of "Elected" with Alice saying he would run as a representative of "The Wild Party!"

14. Feed My Frankenstein
15. Clones
16. Poison
17. Wicked Young Man
18. Killer
19. I Love the Dead
20. School's Out (w/ Another Brick in the Wall)
21. Elected

The drive home was about 80 minutes.

I even saw a shooting star right before I hit exit 22 on I-71.

Erin told me to add Alice Cooper to my list. She was right.