Welcome to Dave's On Tour!!

The leaves have changed colors and are starting to fall from the trees. There's an autumn chill in the air. Houses are decorated with pumpkins and cornstalks. Little ghosts, ghouls, and goblins are running around on the streets. Halloween is here and Alice Cooper is playing in my neighborhood. No, not a little trick-or-treater with black mascara around his eyes and mouth. The real deal, the rock and roll legend, the original shock-rocker himself, Alice Cooper, is touring the Northeast with a Halloween tour.

Alice Cooper and his rockin' band played recently at the Strand Theatre in Lakewood, New Jersey, and it's a great venue to attend a concert. From a fan's perspective, it's a very comfortable theatre with fine acoustics and great sightlines. With a convenient location and a congenial staff, I'll look forward to attending more rock concerts at this place!

I'm certain it was Alice Cooper's first time at the Strand, as it was mine, and his fans were out in full force. Many were face-painted, others were in costume, and everybody had a great time with Alice and his crew dishing out plenty of tricks and lots of treats.

Touring to support his latest record "Dirty Diamonds," Alice's set included most of his classic material mixed in with a few new songs like "Woman of Mass Distraction." He thrilled the audience with plenty of theatrical "tricks." I don't remember seeing a boa constrictor around his neck, but that neck wasn't spared from the blade of his guillotine. Alice was in sword fights, placed in a straight-jacket, bound to a wheelchair to be worked over by a sadistic doctor, and of course, beheaded. He later emerged from a coffin, his body re-assembled, with loud bells ringing to signal the start of the song "School's Out."

Other musical "treats" included a great version of "Lost In America" and my all-time favorite, "Billion Dollar Babies," which featured Alice waving a sword filled with paper money over the heads of the audience in the front orchestra. Lead guitarists Damon Johnson and Keri Kelli dueled with solos on a reworked version of "Black Widow." Drummer Eric Singer and bass guitarist Chuck Garric continue to be a standout rhythm section. Calico Cooper, Alice's daughter, dances and acts her way through most of the theatrical numbers, including a hilarious stint as Paris Hilton, whose poor little doggie meets his maker with an untimely death.

I can't fathom why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has ignored Alice Cooper. He continues to put out new records and he tours North America and Europe annually, a tour that I never miss. It's a must-see concert event so get up and go before the Grim Reaper finds you and takes you to one. There are chills and thrills for everybody and there's always room for one more on the guillotine!.