Alice Cooper Tickets

Alice Cooper has been entertaining fans with his heavy metal music and off-the-wall performances for over four decades, creating the genre of "shock rock," and rightly so.

Vincent Furnier is the man behind the performances. He legally changed his name to Alice Cooper after fronting a band with the moniker that dissolved and became a solo act. Cooper began performing in High School, and even scored a local his with "Why Don?t You Love Me." The classic lineup for the band included Alice Cooper, Glen Buxton, Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith.

The band first scored its big break with Frank Zappa?s Straight Records. While the band?s first album, "Pretties for You," was a critical and commercial flop, they scored publicity for concert stunts, such as a stage routing that included Cooper throwing a chicken into the crowd, which was promptly ripped to shreds by rowdy fans. Somehow, the story became that Cooper ripped off the chicken?s head and drank its blood.

In 1970, they released "Love it to Death", which brought Alice Cooper the hit "I?m Eighteen" in 1971. It was the band?s stage theatrics that drew attention to them and brought their album fame. Early concerts found Cooper posing as a villain, needing to be punished with weapons like an electric chair. The antics brought notoriety, and the follow-up album, "Killer," was even more popular, charting the hits "Under my Wheels" and "To Be My Lover." After this album, the stage show began to involve a boa constrictor, killing babies, and gallows. The band needed a massive hit to solidify the fame that was brought on by the shocking shows, and that was found with massively popular "School?s Out."

Shows continued to become more and more disturbing ? including a dental psychosis scene and a new execution prop ? a guillotine. After "Muscle of Love" in 1974, the band took a hiatus. Cooper did solo work, including "Welcome to My Nightmare," which became the soundtrack for a stage show that spawned the TV special ?The Nightmare" and the concert film "Welcome to My Nighttime." A number of unsuccessful albums followed, save the Top 20 hit singles "I Never Cry" and "You and Me." The performances became quite messy, leading to speculation that he was very much in need of help with an alcohol dependency. He eventually cleaned himself up and devoted time to his family.

Cooper released a number of albums, and opened for Megadeth on its 1986 tour. The rocker even helped the band members that were having substance abuse problems. He was releasing albums during this time, including a number of tracks for horror movies and "Poison," which was a #7 hit in the U.S.

In the ?90s, Cooper was featured in some horror films and released ?The Last Temptation," a concept album dealing with temptation and faith. Late in the decade, he released a four-disc box set, "The Life and Crimes of Alice Cooper." "Brutal Planet" in 2000 took Cooper back to his heavy metal horror days, while "The Eyes of Alice Cooper" in 2003 was softer, and much more accepted by critics. The Bare Bones tour that followed the release was much less theatrical than his tours in the past, more focused on music.

Cooper has become a radio staple, including his show "Nights with Alice Cooper," which features stories from Cooper, as well as classic rock music. He is also regularly featured on Planet Rock for the Breakfast Show.

Clearly, Cooper still tours regularly and has seemed to find a balance between the shock rock of the past that pushed the envelope and his more music-focused performances. Fans of all kinds appreciate his performances. He clearly has a focus on his incredible music, but isn?t scared to keep some of his old tricks (and possibly create some new ones)!