With Halloween right around the corner what better time to release an Alice Cooper CD/DVD set? If it wasn’t for Alice there would have never been a Kiss Army or any other rock band that decided to put make up on then consider shock effects as a feature of their act.I don’t think there are too many people out there that would argue that point.
Playing at the Hammersmith is a rite of passage to music infamy. For AC it is just another night at work. He is now a living legend that is keeping his worldwide following at a fever pitch with a red hot band and theatrics that are still fresh and entertaining to this day.
Theater of Death-Live At Hammersmith 2009 is a documentation of a long and successful career and coverage of 25 of the Coop’s rock classics. He starts and ends every show with his anthem “School’s Out”, one of his biggest hits.
The CD and DVD have the same tracks, however the DVD is what brings to life the Godfather of Shock Rock. Granted it’s not easy to cover a career that dates back to the sixties in one evening but AC and his band do a fine job of presenting each song as close to the original form as possible. What you get is a run through of most of the hits and popular tracks that shaped his career from the beginning to present day. Even if you’re not a big fan you will recognize a few songs (notably “School’s Out” or “No More Mr. Nice Guy”).
Visually Alice still has all the antics down to get every story within the music over to the crowd in attendance. He is looking a bit older and that’s because he is and his voice is showing signs of wear and tear, which can happen to any sixty-something vocalist and usually does.
All of the negatives are drowned out by great rock music and a show that is unforgettably Alice. Based on my research, which was necessitated for my inability to read the credits in the accompanying booklet even with a magnifying glass (too small and funky fonts), his current band is Jimmy De Grasso (drums), Chuck Garric (bass), Keri Kelli (guitar) and Damon Johnson (guitar). They can rock down the house and succeed in doing so throughout the entire performance. Immortalizing this to DVD was a brilliant idea.
The DVD allows you to hear the show in crisp clear 5.1 Surround Sound and the all around quality of the video is what you would expect from Alice Cooper, top shelf. This is a must have for any rock fan and a good close up of what a concert today would be like if you attended.
4 Stars
Key Tracks: School’s Out, No More Mr. Nice Guy, I'm Eighteen
by Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-MuzikReviews.com Founder
MuzicReviews.com
