December 14th 1989 – Birmingham NEC
A couple of months before the concert, we had seen The Who at the NEC, so to follow it up at the same venue with another icon of music was tremendous.
This was another worrying gig watching an old star performing to us “young” 24/25 year olds. By the end of this month I would know a bit more about how you should not judge people by their age but by what they can do.
Alice Cooper, like The Who, was still on top of his game. We went to the second night of two Birmingham gigs. I think the support here was Great White? I vaguely remember hearing them for the first time and thought they were great….I may need correcting on that?
Alice was famed for being a better golfer than me (I think his handicap at the time was 1), something that was always funny to know. Based on his on stage persona, you would think he would struggle with membership.
The show would include all the dressing up, make up and theatrical beheading that Alice brought with his shock rock reputation. He was both a classic star rock and roller and theatre performer alongside.
Unlike when Ozzy bit off a bats head, none of it was real (or was it?!?)
When you have been around performing since 1962 (3 years before I was born!), you have gathered a wealth of material and are definitely a star if you are still able to fill arenas after around 18 studio albums.
Alice’s work for me, split into three parts:
The early stuff I went back to after hearing David Bowie loved his work, such as Killer (1971), School’s Out (1972) and Billion Dollar Babies (1973)
Then I sort of lost him from my music through his later 70s and 80s work, I guess it wasn’t appealing to me for some reason.
Finally, he came back on the radar as my friend group started to push his music to me a bit more. I had a further false start with Constrictor in 1986 (which include “He’s back (the man behind the mask) and then his pop rock album caught me again with “Trash” in 1989 and which the album being toured here. It included the phenomenal pop/rock crossing hit of “Poison”.
Alice also roped in a couple of rock stars to play on this album too, in Joan Jett (House of Fire) and Richie Sambora (Hell is Living Without You)
The concert was a run through the hits, of which there are hundreds and most of the “Trash” album split amongst them! This was air guitar heaven with a stage show to match.
Trouble with NEC gigs is I just can’t remember much from them, my mind wanders as its always a difficult view, but this was a great mix of old and new. I don’t think there was mush from the middle period albums, so maybe I don’t need to go back to those albums 😉
I’d have a couple of years away from the NEC after this gig. It got a bit better over the years sound wise, but it’s just a big warehouse and although I’ll end up going to festivals and more big venue gigs, my heart is always at its happiest in a small, sweaty, crammed, bouncy gig 🙂
Set List
- Intro – Hello Hooray (Judy Collins song)
- Trash
- Billion Dollar Babies
- I’m Eighteen
- I’m Your Gun
- Desperado
- House of Fire
- No More Mr. Nice Guy
- This Maniac’s In Love With You
- Steven
- Welcome to My Nightmare
- Ballad of Dwight Fry
- Gutter Cat vs. the Jets
- Street Fight
- Only Women Bleed
- I Love the Dead
- Guitar Solo
- Poison
- Muscle of Love
- Spark in the Dark
- Bed of Nails
- School’s Out
- Encore: Under My Wheels
The Fan Club Years 
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