ALICE STILL RULES
Veteran shock-rocker Alice Cooper has been electrifying fans since the 1970s, and proved he’s lost none of his ability to entertain during his visit to The Q Centre in Colwood. Reporter Michael D. Reid and photographer Adrian Lam dropped by to meet the fa
Halloween is still a week away, but that didn’t stop Alice Cooper fans from getting into the spooky spirit early at the gleefully macabre metal icon’s concert in Colwood last Tuesday.
“He’s amazing. He is the godfather of shock rock,” said Shaun Evans, sporting a black top hat, mascara and spider-web makeup outside the Q Centre.
Although Evans, 32, and his partner Kristina Wilson, 30, weren’t even born when the raspy-voiced rocker was in his prime, they were as pumped as the large contingent of baby boomers.
“I grew up listening to Alice Cooper, plus there’s the movies. I loved Wayne’s World. Feed My Frankenstein [Cooper’s hit featured in the film] is my favourite Alice Cooper song.” Tony Deramo, 60, is old enough to remember the theatrical rock legend in his heyday, when albums like School’s Out and Billion Dollar Babies topped the charts.
“Some of his songs from our childhood kind of moulded us into who we are,” said Deramo, adding Cooper’s music makes him feel 18 again.
“I look into the mirror now and wonder ‘Who is that old [guy] looking back at me?’ because I don’t feel like that. Party on!”
Deramo looked ready to do just that with his vintage Custom Cycles Detroit T-shirt and black sleeveless jacket.
Even security staffer Ken Himes, wearing black eye makeup and a silver choke collar, got into the act.
“I’ve been following Alice Cooper since I was 12,” said the Alice Cooper historian after the shock rocker pulled up in a black GMC Yukon SUV.
“It was a special time for music in the ’70s,” recalled Himes, 54. “Alice was everything to us who wanted to go out there and kick it up a little. He was so different before Kiss, before everybody else.”
Brothers Jeff and Bruce Romkey were clearly excited about getting to see Cooper conquer Colwood.
“He’s always been one of our favourites. I’ve just never had the opportunity to see him,” said Bruce, 57.
Jeff, 50, had his own theory for why Cooper, whose passion for golf since he quit drinking is wellknown, was performing here for the first time since 1987: “I think he came to check out the golf courses.”
Promoter Matt Laundrie was feeling the love from fans for bringing Cooper back.
“They throw me the rock ’n’ roll hand symbol, which is also the devil’s claws,” smiled Laundrie before Cooper’s appearance onstage amid bursts of smoke, pyrotechnics and familiar stage props.
“But I don’t think these people are as evil or as scary as they look,” he said, adding Cooper is “one of the nicest guys I’ve met. He’s so humble and loves and appreciates everything.”
One particularly enthusiastic fan was Don Kelsall, who showed up wearing his T-shirt from the Desert Trip classic rock festival in Indio, California.
On Monday morning, after attending the festival featuring Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who and Roger Waters, Kelsall, 54, drove 21 hours straight to Port Angeles.
After sailing home on the Coho, he had a power nap before heading to the Q Centre.
“This brings me back to when I was younger,” he said. “I’m ready to go!”
The vaudeville metal pioneer’s reach was evident from the number of younger concert-goers who attended with parents who were either old enough to discover Cooper in the 1970s or during his comeback era.
Ryan Bonar and Monica Garnsey, both 16, drove from Ladysmith to attend the concert with Monica’s mother Brenda, 52.
“He’s been through a lot. It’s awesome that he’s still kicking around,” said Bonar, wearing the satirical Make America Sick Again T-shirt that urges fans to vote for Alice Cooper as U.S. president.
“I’ve been following the American election and saw this on Instagram,” said Monica, whose own T-shirt featured Cooper wearing a stars-and-stripes top hat.