Gigography
Billion Dollar Babies (1973 - 1974)
Billion Dollar Babies Tour 1973
Plans for, or the overriding theme for, the Billion Dollar Babies tour really took shape during the latter part of 1972 when Michael Bennett (West Side Story, The Follies) was hired to choreography a production called "Alice At The Palace". Hot off the heels of an album heavily influenced by Broadway (School's Out), the plan was to do Broadway type production at one venue, New York City's Palace Theate. But when plans fell through due to union contracts, or excessive ticket demand — it really depends on what you are reading - what would have been a first in rock and roll for this type of production died an early death. But not entirely. Undeterred, the band soldiered on and it was decided to do a full scale traveling tour, taking its inspiration from Broadway and lathering the production in theatrical excess.
Joe Gannon designed the large opulent set which featured an Egyptian statue overlooking the set, strategically placed behind Neal Smith's drum set. There was a raised area on the stage, with steps on either side leading up to the second level, then on into a hollow metal framed entrance littered with statues and manikins - like a gateway to heaven, or would that be hell? The chrome looking set was glitzy and excessive, screaming money. But then Alice would grace the stage dressed in a white leotard which looked like it had never been washed - it was torn and stained — stomping around the stage with thigh high leopard skin boots. The Billion Dollar Babies tour was the mother of all tours. The stage was excessive, the violence perpetrated by Alice was excessive, and the show was sexually excessive. It was all about excess, and there hasn't been a tour like it since.
Baby dolls were put to death at the sword wielding hands of Alice. Alice simulated oral sex with manikins, even captured his own spittle which had travelled down between the breasts of a silver manikin body. Cleaned the dancing teeth in particularly erotic fashion after being drilled by a mad dentist (The Amazing Randy). And finally, beheaded on a guillotine only to return to the stage so he and the band could beat the crap out of a Nixon impersonator. What more could you want, seriously?
What is often forgotten and overlooked about the Alice Cooper group is just how popular they were. Billion Dollar Babies saw the group at the height of their success, the tour was on the back of a No. 1 album and a top ten single. The band didn't take this lightly, instead of taking a break from constant touring for the past 5 years they hit the road - hard. In a little over three months the band had played about 60 dates across the US, traveling from city to city in a private jet. The Billion Dollar Babies tour was the highest grossing tour to hit the stage up to this point.
Thankfully, the Billion Dollar Babies tour was professionally documented. It is unfortunate to say that no previous tour had been graced with such a privilege for commercial release. The tour was filmed in two locations, and the result is Good To See You Again, Alice Cooper. Filmed in 16mm, it was blown up to 32mm which gave the film it's dark appearance. The filmed wasn't as successful as was expected, there wasn't really a market for concert films at this point, and the final film was hampered by 'comedy' skits featuring the band that were insertion between the live material. Unfotunately the skits were funnier on paper than they were on film. Still, Good To See You Again is a good documentation of a remarkable, ground breaking tour.
Hello Hooray / Billion Dollar Babies / Elected / I'm Eighteen / Raped and Freezin' / No More Mr. Nice Guy / My Stars / Sick Things / Dead Babies / I Love the Dead / School's Out / Under My Wheels
Approximate set time: 75 minutes
Love It To Death (1971):
I'm Eighteen
Killer (1971):
Dead Babies / Under My Wheels
School's Out (1972):
School's Out / My Stars
Billion Dollar Babies (1973):
Hello Hooray / Billion Dollar Babies / Elected / No More Mr. Nice Guy / I Love The Dead / Raped and Freezin / Unfinished Sweet / Sick Things
Cover:
A Hard Day's Night (The Beatles)
1973 February
- 27: USA - Capitol Theatre, Portchester, New York Dress rehearsal only, no audience other than the press.
1973 March
- 01: Canada - Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, Ontario Flyer
- 02: Canada - London Arena, London, Ontario
- 03: Canada - Civic Centre, Ottawa, Ontario Ticket | Poster
- 04: Canada - MacMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario
- 05: USA - War Memorial, Rochester, New York Audio recording is in circulation
- 08: USA - The Spectrum, Philadephia, Pennsylvania Ticket | Ticket 2
- 09: USA - The Spectrum, Philadephia, Pennsylvania
- 10: USA - Civic Center, Roanoke, Virginia
with Earth, Wind and Fire
Ticket | Ticket - 11: USA - William & Mary College Hall, Williamsburg, Virginia Ticket
- 15: USA - Civic Auditorium, Knoxville, Tennessee [CANCELLED]
- 16: USA - Cumberland City Memorial Auditorium, Fayetteville, North Carolina
- 17: USA - Clemson University, Clemons, South Carolina
- 18: USA - Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina Ticket
- 20: USA - Coliseum, Jackson, Mississippi
- 21: USA - Little Rock or Auburn, Alabama [CANCELLED]
- 22: USA - Savannah, Georgia [CANCELLED]
- 23: USA - Omni, Atlanta, Georgia Ticket
- 24: USA - Carolina Coliseum, Columbia, South Carolina
- 26: USA - Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts
Audio recording is in circulation
Poster | Ticket - 27: USA - Sports Arena, Hershey, Pennsylvania
- 28: USA - Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland Audio recording is in circulation
- 30: USA - Convention Center, Indianapolis, Indiana
- 31: USA - Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio
1973 April
- 01: USA - Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio
- 02: USA - Convention Center, Louisville, Kentucky Ticket
- 04: USA - Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
- 05: USA - Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan
- 06: USA - Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Audio recording in circulation
- 08: USA - Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
- 09: USA - Amphitheater, Chicago, Illinois
- 10: USA - Amphitheater, Chicago, Illinois
- 12: USA - Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, Nebraska Ticket
- 13: USA - St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri with Flo & Eddie
- 14: USA - Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, Tennessee Ticket
- 15: USA - Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, Kansas Ticket
- 20: USA - Pirates World, Dania, Florida
with Flo & Eddie
Ticket - 21: USA - Pirates World, Dania, Florida
- 22: USA - Veterans Memorial, Jacksonville, Florida
- 25: USA - Municipal Auditorium, Mobile, Alabama
- 26: USA - Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana Audio recording is in circulation
- 27: USA - Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, Shreveport, Louisiana
- 28: USA - Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, Texas
Offically released audio recording available
Ticket - 29: USA - Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas
Audio recording is in circulation
Ticket
1973 May
- 01: USA - Fairgrounds Arena, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 02: USA - Tulsa Assembly Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
- 03: USA - Will Rodgers Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas
- 04: USA - University Of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- 05: USA - Tucson Community Center Arena, Tucson, Arizona Ticket
- 10: USA - Los Angeles Forum, Los Angeles, California Audio recording is in circulation
- 11: USA - Los Angeles Forum, Los Angeles, California Ticket | Flyer
- 12: USA - Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino, California
Audio recording is in circulation
Flyer - 13: USA - Sports Arena, San Diego, California Ticket
- 15: USA - Civic Center, Amarillo, Texas
- 16: USA - Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, Kansas with Blue Oyster Cult
- 17: USA - Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado
- 18: USA - Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado
- 19: USA - Salt Lake Palace, Salt Lake City, Utah
- 20: USA - Las Vegas, Nevada Pass
- 24: USA - Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon Poster
- 25: USA - Seattle Center Coliseum, Seattle, Washington
- 26: Canada - Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, British Columbia Ticket
- 30: USA - Metro Sports Arena, Minneapolis, Minnesota Audio recording is in circulation
- 31: USA - Milwaukee Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1973 June
- 01: USA - Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio [CANCELLED]
- 02: USA - Boston Gardens, Boston, Massachusettes [CANCELLED]
- 03: USA - Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York Advert | Ticket
- 05: USA - Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, New York
Audio recording is in circulation
Ticket - 07: USA - Civic Center, Providence, Rhode Island
Audio recording is in circulation
Ticket
Tour Materials
Billion Dollar Babies backstage pass - 1973
(Pass)
Memorial Auditorium, Kitchener, ON, Canada - March 3, 1973
(Ticket)
Civic Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada - March 3, 1973
(Ticket)
Civic Centre, Ottawa, ON, Canada - March 3, 1973
(Poster)
Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadephia, PA - March 8, 1973
(Ticket)
Philadelphia Spectrum, Philadephia, PA - March 8, 1973
(Ticket)
Civic Center, Roanoke, VA - March 10, 1973
(Ticket)
Civic Center, Roanoke, VA - March 10, 1973
(Ticket)
William & Mary College Hall, Williamsburg, VA - March 11, 1973
(Ticket)
Coliseum, Charlotte, NC - March 18, 1973
(Ticket)
Omni, Atlanta, GA - March 23, 1973
(Ticket)
Boston Gardens, Boston, MA - March 26, 1973
(Ticket)
Convention Center, Louisville, KY - April 2, 1973
(Ticket)
Pershing Auditorium, Lincoln, NE - April 12, 1973
(Ticket)
Mid-South Coliseum, Memphis, TN - April 14, 1973
(Ticket)
Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS - April 15, 1973
(Ticket)
Pirates World, Miami, FL - April 20, 1973
(Ticket)
Municipal Auditorium, Mobile, AL - April 25, 1973
(Poster)
Memorial Auditorium, Dallas, TX - April 28, 1973
(Ticket)
Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, TX - April 29, 1973
(Ticket)
Tucson Community Center Arena, Tucson, AZ - May 5, 1973
(Ticket)
Los Angeles Forum and Swing Auditorium - May 11-12, 1973
(Flyer)
Los Angeles Forum, Los Angeles, CA - May 11, 1973
(Ticket)
Sports Arena, San Diego, CA - May 13, 1973
(Ticket)
Las Vegas, NV - May 20, 1973
(Pass)
Portland Memorial Coliseum, Portland, OR - May 24, 1973
(Poster)
Pacific Coliseum, Vancouver, BC, Canada - May 26, 1973
(Ticket)
Courtesy of Vince Ricci
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - June 3, 1973
(Advert)
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - June 3, 1973
(Ticket)
Nassau Coliseum, Long Island, NY - June 5, 1973
(Ticket)
Civic Center, Providence, RI - June 7, 1973
(Ticket)
Billion Dollar Babies Holiday Tour 1973
It's not as if the band hadn't toured enough this year, or the years previous to this, but with the release of their second album of 1973 a short tour was announced for the end of the year. The Billion Dollar Babies Holiday Tour was basically the tour for Muscle of Love, but with the same structure and design as the previous Billion Dollar Babies tour.
This time around the band performed in sailor suits, as depicted on the inner sleeve of the Muscle of Love album. At the shows conclusion Nixon was replaced with Santa Claus (played by writer Bob Greene who joined the guys on tour and would document his experiences in his Billion Dollar Baby book, released in 1974), who the band proceeded to beat the hell out of.
The Holiday Tour did not go as smoothly as expected. There were internal struggles within the band which were amplified by Glen's poor health and his failing ability to play - he would be supported by ghost players for this and the Billion Dollar Babies tour. There was a gas shortage during the tour as well, so the stage failed to show up for some of the shows. And worst of all, during a performance in Toledo, Ohio the band left the stage a few minutes after the show began when 'fans' started throwing bottle rockets on the stage.
Touring at this point was probably not a good idea, considering the amount of work the band had, and were doing. This tour was never filmed, but there are a few bootleg audio recordings that exist.
Hello Hooray / Billion Dollar Babies / Elected / I'm Eighteen / Big Apple Dreamin' (Hippo) / Muscle of Love / Hard Hearted Alice / My Stars / Sick Things / Dead Babies / I Love the Dead / School's Out / Working Up A Sweat
Approximate set time: 75 minutes
Love It To Death (1971):
I'm Eighteen
Killer (1971):
Dead Babies
School's Out (1972):
School's Out / My Stars
Billion Dollar Babies (1973):
Hello Hurray / Billion Dollar Babies / Elected / Sick Things / Unfinished Sweet / I Love The Dead
Muscle Of Love (1973):
Big Apple Dreamin / Muscle Of Love / Hard Hearted Alice / Working Up A Sweat
1973 December
- 08: USA - Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee with Stories
- 09: USA - Greensboro Coliseum, Greenboro, North Carolina with ZZ Top
- 11: USA - Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, Wisconsin
with ZZ Top
Ticket - 12: USA - Crisler Arena, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
with ZZ Top
Ticket - 13: USA - Toledo Sports Arena, Toledo, Ohio
with ZZ Top
Alice Cooper group only played a short set due to firecrackers being thrown on stage - 14: Canada - Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
with ZZ Top
Audio recording is in circulation
Ticket | Ticket - 15: USA - Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, New York
with ZZ Top
Ticket - 16: USA - The Scope, Norfolk, New York
with ZZ Top
- 19: USA - Capital Center, Landover, Maryland
with ZZ Top
Ticket - 22: USA - Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida [CANCELLED] Cancelled due to cold weather
- 26: USA - New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
with ZZ Top
Audio recording is in circulation - 27: Canada - Montréal Forum, Montréal, Québec
with ZZ Top
- 29: USA - Utica Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York
with ZZ Top
Audio recording is in circulation - 31: USA - Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York
with ZZ Top
Poster
Tour Materials
Dane County Memorial Coliseum, Madison, WI - December 11, 1973
(Ticket)
Crisler Arena, University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI - December 12, 1973
(Ticket)
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON, Canada - December 14, 1973
(Ticket)
Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, ON, Canada - December 14, 1973
(Ticket)
Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, NY - December 15, 1973
(Ticket)
Capital Center, Largo, MD - December 19, 1973
(Ticket)
Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY - December 31, 1973
(Poster)
South American Billion Dollar Babies Tour 1974
This would end up being the final time the band would ever perform live again in the same compacity. It would be surprising if any band could survive such a self-inflicted pace of constant touring, recording, excessive drinking and health problems.
This short tour of South America was almost like Beatlemania had hit, it was the first time a rock band had played the area. The band arrived and they were mauled by the massive crowds waiting for them, having to be escorted by armed police - armed with machine guns. The shows varied in size - from huge indoor arenas to smaller couple thousand seat venues. One concert actually set the record for the largest indoor attendance - 150,000!
Not much is known about the tour, but the show would have been the same as the previous Billion Dollar Babies Holiday Tour, with the removal of Santa Claus. Audio does exist from one show on the tour, possibly more.
Hello Hooray / Billion Dollar Babies / Elected / I'm Eighteen / No More Mr Nice Guy / Muscle of Love / Hard Hearted Alice / My Stars / Sick Things / Dead Babies / I Love the Dead / School's Out / Working Up A Sweat
Approximate set time: 75 minutes
Love It To Death (1971):
I'm Eighteen
Killer (1971):
Dead Babies
School's Out (1972):
School's Out / My Stars
Billion Dollar Babies (1973):
Hello Hurray / Billion Dollar Babies / Elected / No More Mr Nice Guy / Sick Things / Unfinished Sweet / I Love The Dead
Muscle Of Love (1973):
Muscle Of Love / Hard Hearted Alice / Working Up A Sweat
1974 March
- 30: Brazil - Anhembi, Sao Paulo
with Som Nosso de Cada Dia (translated as: Our Daily Sound).
150,000 in attendence (Circus Magazine, July 1974)
1974 April
- 02: Brazil - Teatro, Sao Paulo
- 05: Brazil - Canecao, Rio de Janeiro
- 07: Brazil - Maracanacinho, Rio de Janeiro
- 08: Brazil - Maracanacinho, Rio de Janeiro