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Reading '87

Alice Cooper was the reason why a whole lot of people braved three days camping in a field, not washing or eating (probably) and being sick (certainly). Alice Cooper has always had a hold on people and in '87, with no new album or stage show to offer, he's still got it in him to headline Reading.

I guess that being brutally frank there was no way I wouldn't have been disapointed. After all, I'd seen exactly the same show not that many months back and as such knew all the thrills and spills in advance. That Alice was as entertaining as he proved to be in spite of that is a big feather in his cap to my mind.

You've read all about the gimmicks, the trickery, the beheading of Alice, many times in Kerrang! and the whole caboodle was executed (excuse the pun) with A1 proficiency while the crowd went ga-ga at the musical backdrop to this prime time theatre.

Under the black Reading skyline, the gruesome schlock of Alice was masterfully tacky, and with bubble gum anthems such as 'Welcome To My Nightmare', 'Go To Hell' and 'School's Out' being blasted out by He-Man clone Kane Roberts, entertainment was the name of the game.

With encores of 'Elected' and 'Under My Wheels' people were able to whoop it up to the very death of the festival. I did too of course, but had I not seen the tour, video, poster, programme, then I just might have let myself go just a little bit more.