Manchester ArenaAlmost 50 years on from School’s Out, the shock-rocker’s exuberant show brims with raw power and macabre theatrics
It’s hard to believe that when Alice Cooper emerged in the early 70s, his horror makeup, songs about sex and death and theatrical hangings were seen as a threat to the moral fibre of society. Today, while the shock-rock pioneer’s vast influence stretches from punk to “antichrist superstar” Marilyn Manson, he’s more pantomime villain than shocking. Where Cooper once channelled the feeling of unease in the post-summer-of-love era, these days his show is considerably more “He’s behind you!”
It’s still a great night out. The former hell-raiser may now spend much of his time as Vincent Furnier – a mild-mannered, sober, married man who prefers the celebrity gold circuit to horror – but he can slip on the old persona as easily as a
golf shoe.