News Item : Review: Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper at Covelli Centre

October 11, 2010 | 10:34 AM

The master was joined by one of his many disciples Saturday at the Covelli Centre.

But I had to agree with the guy I overheard as I was walking out of the general admission crowd in front of the stage – “I can’t believe Alice Cooper is opening for Rob Zombie.”

It did seem like order should have been reversed.

It’s not that Rob Zombie didn’t deliver all the flash of a headliner. He had a full arsenal of torches, lights, costumed monsters and video screens that bombarded the audience with a non-stop barrage of eye candy. All the video makes sense since these days Zombie spends more time directing movies than making music.

And let’s not forget his greatest special effect – that long knotty mane that he whipped around with relentless force on every song. It looked he was being attacked by an octopus.

But Cooper clearly is a seminal influence on Zombie (and many others). On the plus side, Cooper may not have been the headliner, but he and his band essentially played their full headlining set, about 20 songs over 75 minutes. “School’s Out,” “Eighteen,” “Under My Wheels,” “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” “Feed My Frankenstein,” “Go to Hell’’ – they were all there.

Cooper and Tiffany Lowe engage in a Spy vs. Spy-like battle over the course of show: she injects him with a giant syringe filled with poison; she strangles her.

Depending on the song, Cooper gets decapitated, hung, impaled and attacked, just as he has for at least 35 years. That guillotine sequence on “The Ballad of Dwight Fry” still impresses; most of the other effects are impressively cheesy.

But that’s part of Cooper’s charm. There always was a nod and a wink to his brand of shock rock. And that kitschy theatricality makes him the master, regardless of his placement on the bill.

by Andy Gray
Warren Tribune Chronicle

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    Submitted by J-Town Dan (not verified) on October 13, 2010.

    I agree with this review (and that dont happen often) I saw Alice open for Zombie in Johnstown Pa and the opinion was the same. Why"'s Alice opening?! I thought maybe they were taking turns. Guys like Rob wouldnt even have a career without Alice opening the door for them.

    Either way, Alice put on one hell of a show. I had never seen him before and have been a fan for 35 yrs. Just never got the chance. I would've never forgiven myself if I hadn't seen him in my hometown.

     GREAT JOB COOP!

    Submitted by Elbert Householder (not verified) on October 12, 2010.

    Yes Saturday's performance was fantastic. I was however slightly  disappointed that he only played one song off his new CD ( Vengeance ). Rob Zombie's performance though also awesome relied far too much on the screens. I felt blinded half the time as they distracted attention away from Zombie himself. I won't even get into the personal hassles I faced here other than say that you give some people a bit of authority and Christianity goes right down the toilet.

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 12, 2010.

    I have 2 family members that came to the Covelli Center to watch the show Saturday night. What a disaster!!! They never got to see the show! During the second song of the night, the security there started ruffing up patrons in the crowd for no good reason!!! My son's girl got ripped over the front barrior, got thrown to the ground on her head, got her hair pulled, shoved outside while she kept asking what she did wrong, handcuffed, and made to sit on a curb for an hour along with others that had the same done to them. Security was fighting with people out in the parking lot. The man who collected the box office money saw how the hired security people was acting, and ran out with the money to protect it. These kids were not only excited that they were going to get to see this show, but used what little money they had to get these tickets when it could have been used at home for their two young children! I sure hope this is a lesson learned to them!  I'm ashamed that the two bands let this happen to the fans that were there to support them! She said that some of your men were some of the ones out in the parking lot that the security was harassing and fighting.  So you had to of known it was going on.  I've been to one of your shows myself, but will never be at another one after seeing the injuries sustained on this young lady for no reason. She is a good girl, and a great mom of two. She didn't deserve this treatment in Akron!

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 12, 2010.

    I have 2 family members that came to the Covelli Center to watch the show Saturday night. What a disaster!!! They never got to see the show! During the second song of the night, the security there started ruffing up patrons in the crowd for no good reason!!! My son's girl got ripped over the front barrior, got thrown to the ground on her head, got her hair pulled, shoved outside while she kept asking what she did wrong, handcuffed, and made to sit on a curb for an hour along with others that had the same done to them. Security was fighting with people out in the parking lot. The man who collected the box office money saw how the hired security people was acting, and ran out with the money to protect it. These kids were not only excited that they were going to get to see this show, but used what little money they had to get these tickets when it could have been used at home for their two young children! I sure hope this is a lesson learned to them!  I'm ashamed that the two bands let this happen to the fans that were there to support them! She said that some of your men were some of the ones out in the parking lot that the security was harassing and fighting.  So you had to of known it was going on.  I've been to one of your shows myself, but will never be at another one after seeing the injuries sustained on this young lady for no reason. She is a good girl, and a great mom of two. She didn't deserve this treatment in Akron!

    Submitted by Bcohen13 (not verified) on October 11, 2010.

    This show was the sixth time I've seen Alice (and first since 2004), and with the possible exception of the first time (the London show filmed for "Brutally Live"), it was by FAR the best!  That's not to say the other 4-5 times weren't amazing, but between the big venue, incredible sound, Alice's vocals sounding stronger than ever, and non-stop theatrical stage show (plus my killer seats), the show absolutely slayed.  Loved every second, and hope it's only sixth in a long line of future opportunities to see Alice live.

    Submitted by rmoltchan@polaristechnologies.com (not verified) on October 11, 2010.

    .

    Submitted by rmoltchan@polaristechnologies.com (not verified) on October 11, 2010.

    from warren paper

    Submitted by rmoltchan@polaristechnologies.com (not verified) on October 11, 2010.

    review from Warren paper

    Submitted by B.K. (not verified) on October 11, 2010.

    A huge suggestion to anyone waging war upfront for Rob Zombie. Buy a zombie bandanna or bring a bandanna from home. Wear it shortly after the bubbles to avoid eating massive quantities of that horrible fuzzy stuff they unleash. Its so thick  you WILL breathe it, eat it, and pretty much drown in it. Try to protect your eyes as well! Also I hope you didn't just clean out your car! Its terrible stuff to get out of interior. Its a horrible idea and I doubt anyone enjoyed it at all.

    On the topic of order I just figured that zombie would play last so that Joey Jordision wouldn't have to go straight from playing guitar for murderdolls to drumming for Rob. The dude works hard he'd need a break.

    oh yeah. As a performer one should really have intact pants if they are going to go commando. Some fan may end up with a photo of far more of Ro Zombie than they really wanted. 0.o

    Alice was amazing as always. Murderdolls made the parents in the audience complain so he did very well also! Its a fun time overall.

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 11, 2010.

    A fantastic show by both Alice And Rob Zombie! It was great to be able to see them together. Love to see them again! How bout adding a show in Cleveland?!

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