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Metal Edge
January 1992

Author: Gerri Miller

Operation Rock & Roll

Alice Cooper - Judas Priest - Dangerous Toys

"Tonight was a breeze. I could have done three more songs easily. I felt really good up there," enthused Alice Cooper on his tour bus post-show. "I noticed a few rough edges, but I didn't think the audience noticed at all. The energy was there." So were the songs and visually exciting effects Alice is known for. On a stage centerpieced by a giant skull and huge skeleton arms encircling the risers, with monitors painted to resemble bloody razor blades, Alice performed a mix of classics and new tunes from Hey Stoopid, making use of props like a levitating table, Magic Screen, and giant balloons. "For pace, this is a harder show than Trash," compared Alice. "We don't have very many ballads, only 'Only Women Bleed.' Everything else is full out." The set has changed three times since rehearsals began. "We took out 'Generation landslide' and put in 'No More Mr. Nice Guy.' We made certain things longer or shorter. When we start a tour I don't like to have it so planned for the first five or six songs. I'd rather have it very loose. Every night you think of something new to do. 'Feed My Frankenstein,' 'Cold Ethyl,' 'Only Women Bleed,' those are pretty set. But I don't want it so theatrical that it loses its rock 'n' roll thing."

Alice planned to tour Canada after Op Rock ended, then hit South America and Europe. "We're already booked for two nights at Wembley in London." Japanese and Australian tours are pending, with another U.S. jaunt scheduled for early '92. "I wouldn't mind doing another co-headlining thing. I think it's the wave of the future," said Alice, who'd consider teaming up with a band like Jane's Addiction, or play multiple nights in theaters on his own. "It depends on who is out there," he said, hoping the economy would improve. "But we're going to keep going."

Live footage shot at Irvine was earmarked for the "Love's A Loaded Gun" video. The previous Cooper clip, "Hey Stoopid," took six days to shoot and four to edit, and according to Alice, cost in the "high six figures." He expects "Feed My Frankenstein" to be video #3.