Alice Cooper, Motorhead, Joan Jett @ Glasgow SECC, ..Centre, middle. eye line with Lemmy..

[metal4life]

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I must admit that when I first heard that Alice Cooper was going out on tour with Motorhead it left me a tad perplexed. It just didn't seem like a natural fit. After all, their fan bases don't really crossover that much, but after a night of top quality rock and roll entertainment I was delighted to be proven wrong.

Hall 4 in the vegetable warehouse was curtained off to about a 3,000 capacity show and although there were spaces, it was a good turnout especially considering the regular visits Alice Cooper and Motorhead have paid to Glasgow of late. But the opening act was an extremely rare appearance from Joan Jett and her Blackhearts. And judging from the large turnout for a 7pm show, there were plenty people who were curious to see what she had to offer. Now, I'm assuming that the Gary Glitter scandal hasn't reached America, otherwise she might have reconsidered giving one of his classics an airing but apart from that, she rattled though an entertaining half hour set.

To be fair, it's easy to see why her biggest hits have been covers, as the new material was standard sleaze rock fare, but some aggressive versions of The Sweet classic 'AC/DC'. Tommy Shondells 'Crimson & Clover' and The Arrows 'I Love Rock'n'Roll', made for a crowd pleasing set. Ending up with her finest song, the Desmond Child penned 'I Hate Myself For Loving You', the still foxy at 49 Ms Jett got things off to a flyer.

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But then it's time for Motorhead, fool.

Now anyone who has met me for more than a nanosecond, will know that I bow to no man, with the exception of the Guardians Greatest Living Englishman, Sir Lemmy of Kilminster. But I was surprised that he agreed to a support slot on this tour, but mebbe it's the lure of a short set and an early night that got him in. However, 70 minutes of Motorhead is still 70 minutes of the finest heavy metal rock and roll you will ever hear.

To be fair, it wasn't the best Motorhead show, but I speak as a veteran of hunnerds of 'head shows. It took a few songs to get the sound sorted so 'Dr Rock' and 'Stay Clean' weren't as powerful as they could have been. But, at least, the shorter running time meant that they were forced to rejig the set slightly, as recent tours have been a wee bit repetitive. So, with no 'Sacrifice', it was left to 'In the Name of Tragedy' to accomodate Mickey Dees drum solo, and there was still room for their cover of the Bob Seger classic 'Rosalie', something that arrived on last winters tour.

I still can't abide 'Going To Brazil', but highlights were a-plenty including a blazing version of 'Over The Top' and the always special 'Killed By Death'. It was also nice to see a few confused Motorhead virgins as the band returned for the acoustic encore 'Whorehouse Blues' with a harmonica blowing Lemmy. But with a closing double whammy of 'Ace of Spades' and 'Overkill' up their sleeves, it was another fine night for Lemmy, Phil and Mickey.

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Auntie Alice Cooper certainly sets himself a challenge these days by taking iconoclastic bands out on tour with him, but when you can bang out 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', 'Under My Wheels', 'I'm Eighteen' and 'Is It My Body' in the first twenty minutes of a show, then really, you've got nothing to be worried about.

The first half of the Cooper show is all about the rock, with a no frills assault on the senses, ably assisted by the extremely proficient guitarists Keri Kelli and Damon Johnson on guitars, bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Eric Singer. It probably comes as a surprise to people brought in by his chat show visits to find themselves confronted by a barrage of heaviness, which peaks with 'Muscle Of Love', 'Feed My Frankenstein' and 'Halo Of Flies', my particular high on the current Cooper show.

With the new "Along Came A Spider" album delayed, much of the show is still based on the "Dirty Diamonds" tour, but post drum solo he has rejigged the Vegas Alice element of the show, with the guillotine now replaced by a public hanging. He's also retained the services of his ghoulish crew, led by his extremely scary daughter, Calico Cooper.

Although even I find the staking of a dead baby during, um, 'Dead Babies', a wee bit on the sick side. So, in amongst the Cooperdollars, confetti and balloons, there still lurks the heart of a shock horror showman.

:twisted :twisted :twisted :twisted / 4 out of 5

[BillionDollarBaby]

Great review!