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Edinburgh Playhouse '88

Alice Cooper
Edinburgh Playhouse
1 April 1988

As for Alice? The gig was in the bag before he left his dressing room (or should that read 'crypt'?!). He's not exactly breaking new ground these days, but when the crowd's forked out nine-and-a-half lager tokens per head, it's only fair to give them exactly what they want. And they got it all. Alice gets chased around by guys in bedsheets, Alice chops up his sindy doll, Alice gets his snake out (nudge, nudge), Alice chops the head off a passing monster. You want blood? You got it! Squirting Sam Peckinpah-style over the first few rows of happy-to-be-squirted-on fans. You just know these kids aren't going to wash tonight!

The songs? Do they matter? Well, we got some classic oldies, with 'I'm Eighteen' getting a particularly warm welcome, plus some not-so-classic newies, which were livened up by more guys in bedsheets, trick or treating like it was Halloween not Good Friday. Drummer Ken Mary managed to get through the whole gig, without joining another band or recording a Chastain LP, and guitarist Kane Roberts rippled his muscles a lot, Ramboed about with a rocket launcher style guitar, and even played the damn thing once or twice. As I said, they got it all.

And there's more! Miss Whiplash gave Alice a good whipping, sufficient to satisfy all S&M freaks, and to much booing and hissing a bundle of 'Rocky Horror' rejects plus some more guys in (yes, you guessed it) bedsheets brought on a gallows to hang ole Alice high. You've gotta admire anyone who'll die for his audience!

Inevitably, 'School's Out' brought the house down. The 'Great' Cat should have been here to see the true meaning of the phrase 'Worship Me Or Die'! Encores? How does new single 'Freedom' plus total knee-trembler 'Under My Wheels' suit ya?!

Sure it was just a pantomime, but no pantomime was ever this good. And if Alice wants to be 'Elected', then I ain't siding with the opposition!