Lines may have formed on his face and hands, but the Godfather of Shock Rock, Alice Cooper, showed no signs of slowing down as he brought his glorious, gory “Too Close for Comfort” tour to the stage at the historic Stanley Theatre in Utica on Thursday, May 22.
The rock and roll Halloween party that defines an Alice Cooper show did not disappoint his old and new Utica fans alike. From the opening procession of bell tolling plague doctors and guitarist Nita Strauss’ intro to “Lock Me Up/Welcome to the Show” through the final bows and Coopers wish that “May all your dreams turn into nightmares,” the crowd never left its feet.
Vincent Price, who lent his distinctive voice and macabre personality to Cooper’s 1975 Welcome to My Nightmare album, fittingly spoke from beyond the grave for this show. His introduction to “Black Widow” served as a prelude to a guitar solo stunningly performed by rock virtuoso Nita Strauss.
Strauss’ guitar solo worked the audience into a frenzy as a segue to “The Ballad of Dwight Fry/Killer/I Love the Dead.” This is a fan favorite as Cooper starts his vocals kneeling in a straitjacket only to break free and seek vengeance on his captors. The punishment for his vengeance is beheading in a guillotine at the hands of the delicious Sheryl Cooper.
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