1971 - Love It To Death
Late Feb (21st?)/Early March 1971 'Love It To Death' released. The exact date is hard to work out as the album was withdrawn and reissued at least twice because of cover and label issues. It seems the accepted date is March 9th (quoted by Dennis Dunaway)
Me, Alice: February the band returned to Pontiac Farm. Shep and Joey had opened up an office on West Thirteenth Street, Greenwich Village, NY where they sat on the phones promoting the record. Things start happening and '18' starts getting airplay. The band head back into the studio to record the rest of the album with Bob Ezrin. Charlie Carnel and Mike Allen built first, 'The Cage Of Fire'(which Alice claims WAS used a couple of times, MB says once), and then The Electric Chair.
(Feb 23rd 1971 The band are due to go see The (Small) Faces with Rod Stewert and Ronnie Wood. They do seem to have played both Detroit Cobo Hall and LA shows around now but no exact dates.)
Feb 26th 1971 (Friday) Electric Playground, Columbus, OH
Feb 27th 1971 Billboard reports 'Eighteen' has risen to number 51 on the charts. Alice Cooper is now represented by the 'Diverse Management Agency'
Feb 27th 1971 Brampton Centennial Secondary School, Brampton (Suburb of Toronto), Ontario, Canada (w/ Nucleus)
"Just before the show stared Alice was wandering about the stage with a bird cage on at stand with I think a small stuffed monkey inside. He got on is hands and knees and started pounding out the beat to 'Sun Arise' with a hammer on the metal base of the cage stand, the band joined in and off they went. It was a great show."
(Bob Braiden, October 2009)]
Feb 28th 1971 Polish Veterans Hall, Oshawa, Canada (w/ Fear) (Poster exists)
"After the usual pocket-emtying border crossing, which Glen hates, we find ourselves in Oshawa, Ontario. Walking into the hall, we smell the aroma of cabbage rolls!! Seriously!!!! Something fierce!!!!!! The room holds about 700 and we're told that the Amboy Dukes had played there. We're led downstairs to the green room past a big bar. According to a sign, you can't buy just one drink. You have to purchase a 3 drink ticket deal. Now Glen is happy."
(Dennis Dunaway, Feb 2015)
Early 1971 tour dates included the Melody Art Theater, Inkster, MI (USA), an adult movie theatre about 10 miles due West of Detroit. Alice Cooper apparently played there for several Sunday midnight shows. Alice played there before and after 'Eighteen' charted
March 5th 1971 Gilligan's Club, Buffalo (Cheektowaga), NY - Eye witnesses
March 6th 1971 Virginia (Rock) Theatre, Alexandria, VA - two shows. (concert promotors documentation at Omega Auctions) [Review in Washington Evening Star March 8th]- Eighteen now at number 51 in this weeks Billboard chart and is predicted as a "fast mover".
March 13th 1971 'Eighteen now up to number 45 in Billboard chart - press reviews are starting to appear for 'Love It To Death'
March 17th 1971 Sherwood Forest, Davison, MI (w/ Detroit feat. Mitch Ryder, Lucky Dog)
March 19th 1971 Stepan Center, Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN - A short clip of amateur film exists claimed to be from this show, although listed on YouTube as 1970 which it isn't. Photos also supposedly exist in the Notre Dame archives ("Joseph Raymond Collection : Photographs - 1970-1997").
March 20th 1971 Cyrus Erie West, North Ridgeville, OH (w/ Rain) - 'Eighteen' hits number 38 on the Billboard weekly chart and 'Love It To Death' enters the album chart at number 127.
March 21st 1971 Maumee, OH, Lucas County Recreation Center (Colonel Buster + one more)
March 22nd 1971 Greenmill Gardens, Findley, OH (eye witness) - Alice later heard to say it was "the worst place he ever played".
March 24th 1971 Columbus, OH, Valleydale Ballroom (w/ The Westside, Osiris)
March 26th 1971 St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Thompson Student Center Gym at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (w/ Abstract No.)
March 27th 1971 St. Johns, Newfoundland, Canada, Thompson Student Center Gym at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (w/ Illiad) - 3 mentions/previews in 'Muse' College Newspaper March 26th and review with photos in the April 2nd issue. Two shows.
March 27th 1971 'Eighteen' now at 32 while 'Love It To Death' has jumped up to 58
March 28th 1971 Capitol Theatre, Springfield, MA
"I went to this my 1st Alice Cooper concert, and my 1st concert featuring a national big-name band. There was an opening act, whose name I didn't catch, but they were definitely a small local band. The Capitol was a very small, old converted movie theatre with NO seats and a carpeted floor on the main level and a very small balcony. If I was to guess, I would say that the total capacity of the theatre was somewhere around 1200-1500 people. They only had concerts there from the Summer of 1970 to May of 1971. Sadly the theatre was razed about 30 years ago. A vivid memory of this show was Alice being led off stage by a woman in a nurse's outfit (Cindy Smith) and coming back out in a straight jacket. I now know that the song was The Ballad Of Dwight Fry. "
(Ray Rivers, December 2007)
March 31st 1971 Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA (w/ Spirit, Freeport) [Ticket] - Small advert in the Pittsburgh Press 31st March
April 1971 - Me Alice says '18' brakes nationwide. The band were now making $15,000 a night.
April 1st 1971 Atlanta, GA, Municipal Auditorium (W/ Ted Nugent And The Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station) [Ticket] Preview in 'The Great Speckled Hen' 29th March.
April 2nd 1971 Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida [Ticket] (w/ Edger Winter) - 'Love It To Death' is now at 38 on the Billboard album chart. Billboard [3rd April] reports that the album is recalled for a second time due to issues with the cover. The first time was a few weeks earlier when the wrong record companies label had been used. They also report that 'Eighteen' is still gaining in airplay across the country.
Note: In the 'Great Spekled Bird April 5th there is a mention of Alice Cooper and the Small Faces playing in 'Piedmont Park' sometime this week, but no detail of the date or if it happened.
April 6th 1971 Montgomery, AL, Garrett Coliseum (w/ Brownsville Station) - Confirmed in small review in the Mongomery Advertiser on April 11th and Poster.
April 8th 1971 Ferriday, LA - Listed in Billboard (see above) - Ferriday appears to be a very small town and an unlikely place for a largeish rock show. Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Ferriday, LA.
April 9th 1971 Memphis, TN, Auditorium (w/ Amboy Dukes)- Listed in Billboard (see above) and also listing in Enterprise-Tocin local paper the day before the show.
April 10th 1971 Little Rock, AK - Listed in Billboard (see above) - maybe Barton Coliseum where many other bands played? Alice played there in 1975. - 'Eighteen' now at number 22 in Billboard Chart.
April 11th 1971 Baton Rouge, LA, Independence Hall - Listed in Billboard (see above)
April 16th 1971 Detroit, MI, Olympia Stadium (w/ Steppenwolf, Lighthouse)(flyer exists) - Billboard April 3rd also mentions the bill and date. NOT listed in Detroit Free Press listings for today.
April 17th 1971 Chicago, IL, Opera House (w/ Stooges, Jam Band) - Apparently there was a giant cross onstage (poster and advert exist) - 'Eighteen' remains at 22 on the Billboard chart. 'Love It To Death' is down to 46 from 37.
April 23rd 1971 Met. Center, Minneapolis, MN (w/ Grass Roots, Continental Kids, Flash Cadillac)
Carol reports that the lineup was Flash Cadillac and the Continental Kids, Alice Cooper and then the Grassroots. She says, “Alice Cooper had huge fans onstage, and slashed open feather pillows, blowing the feathers all throughout the venue. They were pretty tame back then." from here.)
April 24th 1971 Cincinnati, OH, Taft Theater (w/ Mike Quattro's Jam Band) [Ticket]- 'Eighteen' moves up one place to 21 on the Billboard chart while 'Love It To Death' goes to 45.
April 27th 1971 Caught In A Dream single released according to 'The Life And Crimes' box set.
April 30th 1971 St. Louis Arena at 'the Annex', St Louis, MO (w/ Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station, Mike Quatro Jam Band) - Alice Headlines. Possible the earliest arena headline show. [Ticket][confirmed by article in St Louis Post-Despatch (below 30th April), small mention in the Alton Western Military Academy Shrapnel newspaper](Listing in Ann Arbor Sun April 30th)
May 1st 1971 Struthers Field House, Youngstown, OH (w/ Velvet Underground, Brownsville Station, Biggy Rat) - 'Eighteen' moves down to 31 on the Billboard chart and continues to drop, while 'Love It To Death' stays at 46. (Listing in Ann Arbor Sun April 30th)
May 3rd 1971 Carnegie Hall, New York City, NY (w/ Jackie Lomax) Show changed to 6th May at the Town Hall [Billboard 8th May]
May 6th 1971 New York, NY Town Hall (w/ Holy Modal Rounders, MC Zacherle) - Me Alice says the Town Hall was May 3rd but that is an easy mistake as it was changed. The original bill apparently featured Jackie Lomax. The feathers from the pillows clogged up air conditioning. [Ticket][Review in Billboard 22nd May][Also a review in the New York Times] - Suggestion that today they were in Minneapolis, MI but seems impossible with all the evidence of a New York show and a review of the following days show saying they were in New York the day before.
Article describing the show from the New York Times:
On stage, the lead singer of a rock band, a young man named Alice Cooper, has taken off his silver jump suit to reveal black leotards and panty hose. Now he has a live boa constrictor and is wrapping it around his arm.
Alice wears female clothes and makeup, and has a great many female affectations. He also has a good many violent affectations, wherein lies much of the appeal of the classic freak show.
This particular performance took place recently in Town Hall. It was Alice Cooper's first major concert in the city. Word was out ahead that Gerard Melanga, the Warhol superstar, was going to perform a whip dance with Alice. This didn't work out, but it was enough to bring out New York Pop Society, that curious amalgam of rock people, writers, various weird off-off Broadway people, and the Warhol camp.
The group came out on stage wearing skin-tight silver jump suits. Later, Alice did a strip dance from the jumpsuit, revealing leotards slit to the navel, and the panty hose. The group began a long, loud and generally undistinguished set. They're good, professional and capable of building excitement musically, but like so many hard rock bands, there is no particular melody and it all seems pretty much a background for the lead singer.
Alice, unlike most boys in girls' clothing, is fairly unimpressive facially. In his more grotesque moments, he looks a bit like Tiny Tim. He is thin and slinks around stage, but does not slink well. He coyly exposed a shoulder and one breast and sang a few songs.
Then a woman in costume came onstage and led him off. She returned a few minutes later with Alice in a straitjacket. "They said they'd let me out of here," he sang. Then he did another strip, removing the straitjacket.
He played with a hammer, a plastic rod, the boa constrictor; then some stagehands carried out an electric chair. Alice sat down and, at the crucial moment of electrocution, a lot of lights ringing the chair flashed on and off.
"We act as a mirror." he said. "People see themselves through us. Many times they react violently because they don't like what they see."
May 7th 1971 Mankato, MN, 4-H Skating Rink (w/ Brownsville Station, One Mind (didn't show up)) [MSC Daily Reporter 5th May has preview and on May 13th they have a review] - Band equipment arrived late from New York. Around 700 people in attendence as an eye witness recalls very little advertising, which is also annoying as nowhere does anything state the actual venue. A facebook post from the local newspaper asked for any eye witness to this show, which led to an article and eye witness.
The Ann Arbor Sun (April 30th-May 6th AND May 7th-13th 1971) lists the band playing in Winnepeg, Canada on this date.
May 8th 1971 Crookston, MN (eye witness exists) - Another very small town for a big rock show, but it's actually very close (30 mins) to Grand Folks, ND. - 'Love It To Death' moves up to 36 on the Billboard album chart.
May 9th 1971 Rapid City, SD
- Mansfield, OH - News-Journal May 8th lists Alice Cooper and Amboy Dukes at Vets Memorial in Columbus OH, however other sources including The Ann Arbor Sun (May 7th-13th 1971) confirm Rapid City today and list the Columbus show correctly as the 16th with the Amboy Dukes.
May 12th 1971 Virginia Beach Civic Center (The Dome), Virginia Beach, VA (w/ Third World) - "The Dome" was officially called 'The Alan B. Shepard Civic Center'. Review.
May 14th 1971 Bush Stadium, Indianapolis, IN [also called Victory Field] (w/ Gregg Taggart, Catfish, SRC) The Ann Arbor Sun (May 7th-13th 1971) confirms. Review in Indianapolis Star 19th May 1971.
Ann Arbor Sun 14th May lists four shows.
AND
May 14th 1971 Jefferson High School Theater, Lafeyette, IN - 'The 1971 Senior Class of Jefferson High School' Prom
Interestingly a listing from The Ann Arbor Sun (May 7th-13th 1971) notes two shows today. Lafeyette, Ind (day) and Springfield, Ill (night).
An article in the Lafayette Journal and Courier could explain part of this. According to the Lafayette Journal and Courier (May 12th 1971) the Lafayette show took place at midnight AFTER the Jefferson High Prom Party at the Jefferson High School Theater. So while technically on the 15th, the show was the night of the 14th, the same day as the Indianapolis show above, which is only an hour from Lafeyette. So they did play both shows.
- 'Love It To Death' moves up one place to 35 on Billboard chart but drops down from now on.
May 15th 1971 Grand Rapids, MI, Kentwood Roller Rink/Memorial Hall/Bowens Roller Skating Rink (w/ Sugarloaf?) - the internet discovers two eye-witnesses. The venue seems to have been know by various names. "Bowens..." and "Kentwood" were certainly the same place at 52nd and Davison.
May 16th 1971 Columbus, OH Veterans Memorial Auditorium (w/ Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station) [Show listing see May 14th above. Also listed in local papers like the Findlay Republican Courier]
May 17th 1971 Lafayette, IN Jefferson High School [or 15th according to show listing above]. Possible the date was changed which would allow the dates we have to all fit.
May 18th 1971 Chippewa Lake Park, Chippewa Lake, OH "Appriciation Day" (w/ Smoke, Sixth Street Burden, The Proof, Larry Sanders, Glass Harp, Ensign Bunch, Witch Hazel, Town Cryer, Zoo, Velvet Crest, Pilgrims) [Akron Beacon Journal May 20th has short review] - According to a report in the Akron Beacon on May 1st this show was originally due to be on May 1st, but was canceled over fears that it was the first anniversary of the Kent State riot deaths. It was rescheduled to the 18th.
May 19th 1971 Painters Mill Music Fair, Owings Mills, MD - This was a standard venue on the circuit at the time and bands who played there included Eric Clapton, The Beach Boys, Black Sabbath and Emerson, Lake and Palmer.
May 21st 1971 Saginaw, MI, Saginaw Auditorium (w/ The Third Power) (Listed in Ann Arbor Sun May 21-27th 1971)
(May 20th-23rd 1971 An advert exists stating Alice is playing these four nights at the Fillmore West, San Francisco but not confirmed it ever happened. This is also mentioned in a local California newspaper)
May 23rd 1971 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum (w/ John Mayall, Mott The Hoople) [Ticket] [Show listing see May 14th above](Listed in Ann Arbor Sun May 21-27th 1971)
Also 1971 109th Armory, Kingston, PA. Homecoming Dance in a gym
May 24th 1971 Alice reportedly flies to London to "set up" (ie promote) the forthcoming European tour. It's a short visit and he returns in time for the Fort Worth show on the 28th. (Cashbox June 5th, Record World June 12). This would likely be Alice's first time outside North America.
(May 26th 1971 Show w/ Holy Modal Rounders ?? - Unlikely as Alice is supposedly In London)
(May 27th 1971 "Wis U." listed in Ann Arbor Sun (May 21-27th 1971) which presumably is Wisconsin University. No other info. - Unlikely as Alice is supposedly In London)
May 28th 1971 Oklahoma City, OK (Listed in Ann Arbor Sun May 21-27th 1971 as 30th May but this has other dates that appear wrong.)
May 29th 1971 Fort Worth, TX Will Rogers Coliseum (w/ John Mayall, Brownsville Station) [Mention in Arlington Colt. 12th May]
May 30th 1971 San Antonio, TX, Joe Freeman Coliseum (w/ John Mayall, Brownsville Station)[Mention in San Antonio Light and San Antonio Express on May 30th] - There was a horse show at the venue during the day!
May 31st 1971 Houston, TX, Sam Houston Coliseum (w/ John Mayall, Brownsville Station) [Review appears in the Houston Daily Cougar on June 3rd]
June 4th 1971 Eastown Theater, Detroit, MI (w/ The Flamin' Groovies, Wild Man Fischer, Glass Harp) supported by listing in the Ann Arbor Sun June 4th and Detroit Free Press.
June 5th 1971 Eastown Theater, Detroit, MI (w/ The Flamin' Groovies, Wild Man Fischer, Glass Harp) (eye witness) - Billboard June 5th reports Alice Cooper is in London to set up the first UK tour, but this seems unlikely unless they are talking about representatives of the band. An interview in the Milwaukee Journal reports that the following day Alice flies to New York.
Alice at the Eastown Theater June 1971
"Then came the Alice Cooper band. Much like the previous might's show, with crunchy guitars, between song black outs, hammers pounded on the stage floor, weird props, and a snake wrapped around the Coop's arm.
In front of the Eastown stage was an orchestra pit with a railing around the outer perimemter. The pit was always full of audience members, this night being no exception. Extending from the stage to the railing was a plank. As the show progressed, during "Black Juju," and the "bodies need rest" bit, Alice strutted out onto the plank, snake on one arm, swinging a pocket watch with the other as the band took the sound down low. Half-way out on the plank, it broke in two, and Alice Cooper went down! Ever the professional, Coop recovered quickly, snake still on his wrist, and boosted himself back on to the stage, as if the tumble was part of the show. (Fortunetly, no one was under the plank when it gave way, and apparently no one was injurred when it fell.)
The show continued, feathers flew once more, and a good time was had by all, again!"
June 11th-12th 1971 New York, NY Fillmore East (The Final Concerts poster) (w/ Bloodrock,Glass Harp) [Ticket] [press pass for 12th exists] - 'Caught In A Dream' enters the Billboard singles chart at 96. 'Love It To Death' is down to 54.
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June 13th 1971 Alexandria, VA, Alexandria Roller Rink (w/ Edger Winter and White Trash, Grin) - [Washington Evening Star June 12th lists opening acts]
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June 14th 1971 South Amboy, NJ - D'Scene Night Club (aka The Scene.)
June 15th (or 12th or 19th) 1971 Teen Scene 1971 Rock Fair, Fairground Exhibition Hall, Birmingham, AL (w/ Ted Nugent, Mountain and others) [Ticket] Ticket states 11-20th and the advert [from Praxis underground paper dated October 21st)] below states Tuesday, which would suggest a date of June 15th. However another source apparently states they headlined on Saturday suggesting 12th or 19th.
OTE: There is an issue with the date listed on the cover of the Praxis magazine, October 12th 1971, as the advert is for a show that happpened in June as evidenced by a dated ticket with the same artwork. Could there have been two Teen Scene 1971 Rock Fairs? One in June and one in October?
'Caught In A Dream' has moved from 96 to 95 in the Billboard charts. An article in Billboard also states that Bob Ezrin has be "hospitalized for six weeks" but doesn't say why.
(?? June 1971 Hollywood, CA, The Palladium (w/ The Stooges, The Cockettes). - Probably never happened. Mentioned as upcoming in UCLA Daily Bruin May 20th.)
June 18th 1971 Toledo, OH Toledo Sports Arena (w/ Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station) (eye witness) - Listing in Findlay Republican Courier 18th June and Ann Arbor Sun June 11th.
An short news item in the Burlington Daily Times News June 18th suggests a show at the Fillmore West in San Francisco for this date that 'concludes a countrywide concert tour'.
June 19th 1971 Central Catholic High School's Rockne Hall, Allentown, PA (w/ Wax, Cheryl Dilcher) (multiple adverts in 'The Morning Call' during June 1971)
June 21st 1971 Inwood Skating Rink (Dex Card's Wild Goose), Joliet, IL (w/ White Ligtning) - eye witness describes the club as being in at Oak Lawn Pavilion and took the photos below. 'Dex Card's Wild Goose Club' moved around. It wasn't a fixed venue but anywhere Dex Card, a local DJ, could book for a night.
"I remember the Sherwood (Club) and the Wild Goose shows," Cooper exclaimed. "That was about 1970 and honestly I don't remember much about 1970, but I do remember that."
(Alice Cooper, 2006)
June 22nd 1971 Wheeling High School, Wheeling, IL (w/ Lightning) - Another 'Dex Card's Wild Goose' venue, although although this apparently wasn't billed as a 'Wild Goose' night.
Live concerts at Wheeling High School started about two weeks before the Alice Cooper show and the first night featured REO Speedwagon. Interestingly shows were only allowed there by the local council provision on the good behavior of the audience... so they hired Alice Cooper...
"There will be no more rock concerts at Wheeling High School this summer unless promoter Dex Card applies for a business license this week, Wheeling village board members said Monday. As of yesterday afternoon Card had not returned a license application given to his representative at the village board meeting Monday night, despite a promise to return the form Tuesday. The form would normally take a week to process, and village board members gave Card only until the end of this week to complete the application. Tuesday's rock concert drew a crowd of 2,200 for appearances by 'Alice Cooper' and 'Lightning.'"
(Chicago Daily Herald, June 24th 1971)
"The background to this is that a few weeks before, someone broke into the Arnar-Stone pharmaceutical company in a nearby town and liberated a huge quantity of Sopor, a substance in the quaalude family. It was a buyer's market and one could score several orange pills with "AS" stamped on them for less than a dollar. I saw kids staggering like zombies, falling into a roadside ditch and being left behind by their friends to sleep it off.
The Cooper show was one of my favorite shows, and I've seen my share. There was no "Wild Goose" club at that time. DJ Dex Card booked bands into area high schools under that name. Although High School field houses are not the best venues, the price was right ($3-4) and the talent was excellent, none better than Alice, who was just breaking out with "18." As a soon-to-be 18 year old, I loved the song, just coming up the charts. The place was packed. People generally sat on the floor for most shows, but not this one. The crowd went nuts and rushed the stage. The band was awesome (I was one of the many garage band kids of the era, so I was an expert, y'know?) The song that stood out to me was "Sun Arise," it was a slow builder and I remember him squatting on the stage banging on his microphone stand with something (microphone? hammer?) and we all were just looking at each other going like 'who is this guy?'"
(James Stafford, Spetember 2015)
June 23rd 1971 Schererville, IN, Sherwood Club, "Dex Cards Wild Goose Rock and Roll Club" (WBC).[Flyer exists]
Eyewitness report says he saw them three times this summer at the Sherwood Club in Schererville, IN
"When I saw them in Sheriville (sp?), IN. they were nobodies. If memory serves, they played one night in June as part of "Dex Cards Wild Goose" Rock and Roll Club circuit (He was a Chicago DJ). I guess they did so good that ole' Dex had them back a month later to do 2 nights in a row! "
June 24th 1971 Dex Card's Wild Goose, Elmhurst YMCA, Elmhurst, IL (w/ Lightning)
(June ? 1971 St Catherines, Ontario - Eye Witness claims they have seen a poster for a show in June in St. Catherines. The band DID play in St Catherines on February 12th 1971 but this is another show. )
June 26th 1971 Toronto, Beggar's Banquet Festival, Borough Of York Stadium (w/ Steppenwolf, Bread, BloodRock, Beach Boys, Lighthouse, Chilliwack, Old Rationals) - 'Caught In A Dream' moves up one place to 94 on the Billboard Chart.
June 27th 1971 North Tonawanda, NY, Melody Fair - Advert in Rochester Democrat and Chronicle May 23rd 1971. Preview in North Tonawanda Evening News June 15th.
June 29th 1971 Cyrus Eire West, Ridgefield, OH (w/ Jessup) - Elyria Chronicle Telegram July 20th 1971 review states show was "recently" and an advert has tickets on sale for the 29th. OR there is the suggestion of a show at a College in Boise Idaho. An Article in the Elyria Chronicle Telegam on July 20th also mentions this show.
June 30th 1971 Canton, OH, Memorial Auditorium (w/ Ted Nugent and Amboy Dukes) - Listing in Cleveland Plain Dealer June 25th.
June 1971 - Me Alice: Shep and Alice spend two nights in London to do press duties. They go shopping in Kings Road and visit Malcolm McLarens 'Let It Rock' Shop buying various outfits for stage use. In the evening they visit the Speakeasy Club.
July 1st 1971 Passaic, NJ, Central Theater (w/ The Hampton Grease Band) [Ticket] A advert exists stating July 1st which fits the info on the ticket stating it was a Thursday.
"At another show, we opened up for Alice Cooper in New Jersey. At the end of our set, half the audience was booing for us to get off, and the other half was yelling for more. As their cries grew louder and louder, they started standing up and yelling at each other, instead of at the band. It got so bad that the house lights had to be turned on and the ushers had to break up the crowd."
(Glenn Phillips, Hampton Grease Band)
July 3rd-4th 1971 The Sunshine Inn, Asbury Park, NJ (/w Edgar Winter and White Trash OR James Gang? maybe different opening acts each night.) - This is where the legendary "Stone Pony" black and white footage was actually recorded. There seems to have been some doubt about this show (Ashbury Park Press 2nd July 1971) after the promotor of the venue was banned from holding shows a couple of days before. He is reported as appealing the decision and to be allowed to hold this show. However on July 6th they posted a review, stating there were TWO shows!
July 5th 1971 International Youth Exposition, Kingsbridge Armory, Bronx, New York (w/ !0 Wheel Drive, John Lee Hooker, Alice Cooper, Elephant's Memory)
(Bands over the span of the expo: Ike And Tina Turner, Beach Boys, Wilson Picket, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, J. F. Murphy Scott, Powerhouse, Madrigals, Illusion, Moby Grape, Voices Of East Harlem, 30 Days Out, Ten Wheel Drive, Kate Taylor, Canned Heat, Joe Bataan) - Event runs June 29th - July 6th. Advert exists listing Alice Cooper playing ONE night between these dates but doesn't specify which one. However Billboard July 3rd states it is July 5th as does the Village Voice July 1st There was a suggestion that the band played in Houston, TX with Canned Heat but this seems very unlikely, especially as the same bill played in Houston a month earlier.
(July 5th 1971 The Witchita Eagle July 4th has a listing for Century II Convention Hall (w/ Cactus, Grease Band) for "tomorrow" meaning July 5th])
July 6th 1971 Rooster Tail, Detroit, MI (Aftershow party at The Grande) - Billboard reports the show will be transmitted live on WRIS-FM Detroit a recording of which becomes the 'Paracidal Slumbers' bootleg LP. Also listed in Detroit Free Press.
July 7th 1971 Century II Convention Hall, Henry Levitt Arena, Wichita, KS (w/ Cactus, Grease Band [didn't perform])
July 9th-10th 1971 Paramount Northwest, Seattle, WA (w/ Ze Whiz Kidz, Doily Brothers) - A recording exists of this show. 9th July show broadcast live on KISW at 10pm. [Listing in Seattle Daily Times May 20th plus several other mentions]
July 11th 1971 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Auditorium/Convention Hall (w/ Black Oak Arkansas, Savage Grace) [Ticket][Long Beach Press Telegram 7th July mentions and article July 13th 1971 and there is a review on July 13th.]
A 15 year old Randy Rhoads, (along with original Quiet Riot bassist) Kelly Garni and older brother Kelle were in attendance at this show, and he pinpoints this concert as a pivotal moment in Randy's decision to be a professional musician. Ironically enough, Tommy Aldridge was the drummer for Black Oak Arkansas, who would end up playing with Randy in Ozzy's band a decade later.
Kelle Rhoads: "Another story that I think is important was me taking my brother to his first large scale concert. This has been written about, and it's no secret, but I can't tell you the impact this had on my brother. I told him, we're gonna go see Alice Cooper in Long Beach.” So him and Kelly Garni and me, Kelly Garni's mom had to drive us, we were just kids. And we went down and we saw Alice Cooper touring for the Love It To Death show, and Black Oak Arkansas opened up for them. That band had a young teenage Tommy Aldridge as the drummer. Randy was blown away. Years later when he worked in the same band with him, Randy had told him about seeing him at that show.
Anyway, after Alice Cooper was done, my brother just turned white, and he was just staring at the stage, the concert was long over. And I think what happened that day was a light went off, and he got the idea that he could do this too. That was where I pinpoint him going, “I can actually make this my living. I can really do this. This is what I want to do. This is all I have to do.” And I think that July 11,1971 was when that happened for him."
(from 'Stripped: The Unlikely Rise of the Hollywood Rock Underground' - Thom Hazaert 2009)
July 1971 - Me Alice: The band receive their first royalty checks of $8,000 each.
July 13th 1971 Oklahoma City, OK Fairgrounds Arena (handbill)
"Last night in Oklahoma City we had two security police who were the best actors we've ever seen. I had them come on stage; after I stabbed the dummy, they came on and grabbed me like real police - then they threw me into the electric chair, pulled that thing down on my head, and one of them said "fry!" That was perfect. And afterwards, when we went backstage, they were laughing their asses off. They were great."
(Alice Cooper, Zig Zag Magazine September 1971)
July 14th 1971 Los Angeles, CA Ambassador Hotel Venetian Room (Bastille Day/Coming Out Party)
Me Alice: Warner Bros press party at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The band are said to have performed a short set. Among the guests at 'the party of the year' were Richard Chamberlain, Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Newman, Cynthia Plaster Caster, Rod McKuen, The GTO's, Mo Austin (Warner Bros president) and Ahmet Ertigan. Miss Mercy of the GTO's burst out of a giant cake.
Rhino.com has some interesting background on the party.
July 15th 1971 'The Signal' newspaper in Santa Clarita, CA has a review of a Black Oak Arkensas show today, noting that Alice was at the show.
July 16th 1971 Brothers Club, Aberdeen, WA (a show in Boise, Idaho was cancelled)(poss. w/ Mike Quatro Jam Band, Jim Gustafson and Poobah) - 'Love It To Death' is still hovering around the mid-60s in the Billboard album charts.
(July 18th 1971 Filmore West, San Francisco, CA [Mentioned in Burlington Daily Times News June 18th 1971 AND Rockford Morning Star June 22nd] - Not possible. Venue closed on July 4th)
July 1971 Findlay, OH, Green Mill Gardens (Michael Bruce absent as he was in hospital in Detroit with bad ulcers)
July 19th 1971 Ottawa, Ontario, Ottawa Civic Center (w/ Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Yes ) (Eyewitness/Ticket)
July 21st 1971 Philadelphia, PA, Spectrum (w/ Black Sabbath, Humble Pie)[Ticket] - An advert in Village voice listing Black Oak Arkansas tour dates lists this day for them. It is possible the mention of Humble Pie is a mistake. The advert also mentions the Gaelic Park NY show on the 28th which Alice Cooper is also performed at.
July 23rd 1971 Peoria, IL The Barn (w/ Brownsville Station) [Ticket] - Recording exists
Alice Cooper interview transmitted on Walter Masky's Sunday night program on WELW-FM between 9 and 10 PM.
July 28th 1971 Gaelic Park. The Bronx, New York, NY (Manhatten College) (w/ Black Sabbath, Black Oak Arkansas) - A poster has been turning up on auction sites but is a fake, however there is one eyewitness who claims they still have a feather caught at the show and adverts before the show.
July 1971 Sherriville, IN Starwood Club (Two Nights - see above 23rd June)
Me Alice: The Killer show was written during a three hour layover at O'Hare airport [Chicago] in August 1971. The Makeup changes to the 'demented clown' makeup.
There are reports that around this time the band made their first promotional trip to London. A report in the Kingston Gleaner on the 10th August states "They arrived in London the other day on their first promotional tour". If true it must have been a very quick visit.
Aug 8th 1971 Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, OH (w/ Black Sabbath, Humble Pie who appear to have been replaced by Edgar Winter in later adverts)(eye witness/Billboard show mention on 31st July)
Aug 1971? Killer recorded.
Me Alice: Around this time the first Snake, Kachina, appeared. She was actually owned by Neal and Skip Ladd used to have to go to the pet shop to get live mice for her to eat. Dennis recalls the snake, a boa constrictor, appeared much earlier in January 1971 after it was thrown on stage on Florida and Neal decided to keep it. He called it 'Kachina'.
Aug 20th 1971 Indiana Beach Ballroom, Lake Shafer, Monticello, IN (w/ Brownsville Station) - [Valparaiso Vidette Messenger advert July 30th 1971 and Indianapolis Star July 31st Advert. Muncie Evening News (Aug 20th) mentions Brownsville Station.]
Aug 21st 1971 The Park, N. Baltimore, OH (w/ SRC, Reginal True, Rabbitt, Ormandy, Abu-Tala) - Reported that Michael Bruce missed this show.
"The Park, Near North Baltimore, is the scene for a single performance by the Alice Cooper rock group and SRC Saturday at 2pm. The Park is on State rt 18, 2 miles west of North Baltimore" [Toledo Blade Aug 20th 1971]
August 21st 1971 Boston, MA, Boston Common, as part of the "Sunset Series on the Common". Eye witness and photo exists. Band played during daylight. The photo is undoubtably the Boston Common Sunset Series as seen on the banner behind the band. The date is the only issue unless they somehow did one show during the day and the other in the evening.
The trouble with this show is that there a MANY mentions (articles.reviews/adverts) of the "sunset series" in the Boston Globe but NONE mention Alice Cooper. However Al Kooper was scheduled to play.
Summerfest/Sunset Season bills (according to Boston Globe mentions):
July 22nd: Opening night with Irish Rovers and Clancy Brothers.
July 28th: Delany And Bonnie
Aug 1st: Flying Burrito Brothers/John Hammond.
Aug 4th: Doobie Brothers/Jackie Lomax/Mother Earth - Canceled - Article mentiones the next concert will be "Friday" so that would be..
Aug 6th: Rod Stewart And The Faces/Southern Compfort (Review - Both acts mentioned)
Aug 9th: Edgar Winter/John Lee Hooker/James Cotton Blues Band or Edgar Winter/Earth Wind And Fire (advert)
Aug 17th: Allman Brothers/Wet Willie (Review - Both acts mentioned)
Aug 18th: Joan Baez (did two sets with a half hour break)(Review - No other act mentioned)
Aug 23rd: Sha Na Na/Tommy James and the Big Band(Review - Both acts mentioned)
Aug 24th: Leon Russell/Fanny - Mentions this is the 9th concert. If correct it would mean we have all the bills listed up to now.
Aug 29th: Taj Mahal/Muddy Waters/Butterfield Blues Band
Aug 31st: Poco/Shawn Phillips
Sept 1st: Procol Harum
Sept 5th: Brewer And Shipley/Buzzy Linhard/Airto and Friends
Sept 7th: BB King/Bo Diddly/Chuck Berry
Sept 8th: Joy Of Cooking/Joyous Noise/Leo Kottke
Sept 11th: Bee Gees/Tin Tin [Review of both bands]
Sept 15th Aretha Franklin/The Main Ingredient [Review mentions both acts]
Sept 17th: Richie Havens - Postponed to 21st Weather caused some shows to be posponed or canceled. This seems to have been the first.
Sept 18th: A country night which was canceled due to lack of sales and the weather.
Sept 19th: Guy Lombardo and the Royal Canadians - Canceled due to only 50 tickets being sold for the 12,500 venue.
Sept 20th: Al Kooper/Young Bloods/Chris Smithers - Postponed to Sept 22nd
Sept 21st: Richie Havens/Bonnie Raitt - This one was postponded to Thursday 23rd.
Sept 22th: Al Kooper/Youngbloods/Chris Smithers - Postponded again until Oct 12th but without Al Kooper.
Sept 24th (or 23rd): Richie Havens/Bonnie Raitt - rescheduled date
Oct 4th: Another attempt at getting the Youngbloods to play, with Al Kooper, obviously postponed again as Youngblood singer gets the mumps!
Oct 12th: Youngbloods/Chris Smithers - Last show of the season. Youngbloods played for nearly three hours. No mention of Al Kooper.
"Concerts will be held on weekdays and selected sundays beginning at 6pm and ending at 8.30." (Boston Globe announcement). This would rule out saturday dates. An early news item suggests two concerts a week.
Boston Globe reports 18 shows eventually happened. We have listing for all 18 shows.
Promoted by Boston Foundation Inc. AKA "Summerthing". The name "Sunset Series began in 1971 so people refer to it as both. Organised by George Davis [various background from Billboard]
The mention of "Summerthing" in the Boston Globe news item Aug 20th above would suggest that any show would be close to that event.
UPDATE: Just to throw a spanner in the works the Boston Herald on September 26th lists attendences for various shows and has 3000 attending the "Alice Cooper WBCN Softball Game"... so I guess that explains it. They played a softball game... except there is a photo of them playing live as well.. Could they have played a show after the ball game?
"If you enjoyed Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors," then you'll die laughing at the performance on the Boston Common softball diamond tomorrow afternoon at 2 o'clock. It seems Summerthing will do anything to raise a buck to keep its neighborhood programs running, so they arranged a softball game between Al Perry's gang at WBCN and Cheap Thrills plus assorted ringers. Guest star Alice Cooper will do a stint at second base "
(Boston Globe, 20th August 1971)
UPDATE 2: Thanks to Richard Vale for supplying the following information:
"I just thought that I would send you a bit of information or confirmation about the WBCN Radio Jocks vs. Cheap Trills Employees Baseball game/Alice Cooper Concert.
It cost one US Dollar contribution, and it benefited the 'Summer Thing' Programs, a charity that ran free events in neighborhoods around Boston, MA. USA.
The baseball game was umpired by Professor Erwin Cory, a comedian/actor, who was "The World's Foremost Authority". Google him for a laugh.
After the Baseball game, Alice Cooper performed on the "Sunset Series stage", but it was not part of the Sunset Series. I remember, "I'm 18", "Is It My Body", and "Sun Arise" in which he pounded the stage with a hammer for the beat. I also recall the bit with the sword and money, the nurse, and I think an electric chair. "
Aug 22nd 1971 The One Beautiful Picnic (locally called the 'Lake Milton Dam Jam'), Lake Milton State Park, Milton, OH (Eye Witness) (w/ Brownsville Station, Bob Seger, Teegarden & Van Winkle, Chuck Berry, LAW, Catfish Hodge, Ted Nugent/Amboy Dukes)
Lake Milton is a small town near Youngstown and Akron. The "ticket" calls the event "The Beautiful Picnic" in aid of St Jude Children Research Center (in Columbus, OH). The location, as best can be read, says "between Youngstown and Akron, Ohio ... to route 534 at Lake Milton" which makes sense looking at maps.
The Niles, OH Daily Times on August 12st has a story which states the festival only got final approval from the local council on August 20th! On August 23rd they report the festival went ahead with "few problems" and that between 6-7,000 people attended although a large number of those got in without tickets.
Aug 23rd 1971 Norton, Ohio, Barberton Speedway Rock Concert (w/ Catfish, Marblecake, Glass Harp, Eli Raddish, Purple Image, 15-60-75, Witch Hazel, Mantissa, Mint )
Barberton Speedway is actually technically in Norton, the next town over.
Aug 27th 1971 Wilmington, DE, Hotel DuPont Playhouse, - Two shows in one night - I found two references to shows at this venue. The first was from someone claiming to be the promotor of a Alice Cooper show here, and the second is a news report in the Wilmington News Journal August 29th 1991 in a "looking back" section recalling past events. That states "Shock Rocker Alice Cooper gave a pair of concerts at The Playhouse in Wilmington's Hotel De Pont. Ticket prices ranged from $4 to $6." This would suggest the shows were in August. Following this clue I find a small report in the same paper on August 25th 1971 which confirms the shows were on Friday August 20th and then a full page review on September 3rd confirms it all happened.)
Aug 28th 1971 Wildwood Convention Centre, Wildwood, NJ (w/ Jump) [Ticket]
Sept 7th 1971 Recording at RCA Studios, Chicago. According to contract, songs worked on were Desperado, Halo Of Flies and Under My Wheels
Sept 11th 1971 Atlanta Municipal Auditorium, GA (w/ Lee Michaels, MC5) - Great Speckled Bird September 13th lists this and there is a Ticket.
OR
Florida State Fairgrounds, Tampa, FL on other lists.
Sept 12th 1971 Hollywood, FL Sportatorium (w/ MC-5, Sweet Basil, Boulder Dam) [Ticket]- Show review exists and show preview in the Fort Lauderdale News 10th September.
(Sept 13th-14th 1971 Berkeley, CA Berkeley Theatre ( w/ Led Zeppelin)) - While it has been suggested Alice Cooper played these shows Zeppelin were doing three hour shows by now with no support.
Sept 1971 University of Western Ontario, London, ONT - Eyewitness report of a show in Sept 1971 at University of Western Ontario in London "Empty stubbies (the industry standard beer bottle in Canada in those days) of 50 Ale littered the stage at the outdoor Alice Cooper concert I attended at the University of Western Ontario in London in September 1971. In fact, Alice substituted the lyrics "Drinking Labatt's 50 Ale" into "I'm Eighteen" before spitting a mouthful into the similarly inebriated front few rows of the crowd. (Labatt 50 Ale was the best selling beer in Canada at the time.)"
Sept 16th 1971 Physical Education Center, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario (w/ Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airman) - Contract exists from Ebay.
Sept 17th 1971 Brian Timmis Stadium, Hamilton, Ontario (w/ MC5 [didn't play], Reggie Truerabbit) - Review in Hamilton Spectator Spetember 18th 1971 mentions MC5 arrived at the show late and didn't get to play.
"For me, it was Alice Cooper. The year was 1971, I was 14 and I'll never forget the experience. I took the bus downtown all by myself. I got there way too early. I thought I found a great spot on the lawn, but soon discovered the rock 'n' roll concert etiquette concerning outdoor seating as more and more people arrived and squeezed in front of me. When Cooper finally came on, everyone stood up. Not good for a short 14-year-old! But somehow I still saw enough of the stage to see the show. Cooper was just breaking out with songs like "I'm 18" and doing crazy things onstage like faking his execution. I'm sure that gig was Cooper's last show in a dodgy little place like the Brian Timmins baseball stadium in Hamilton, Ont. I know I'll never forget it."
(Jon Siddall, CBC Music 2012)
Sept 18th 1971 Louisville, KY, Browns Theatre (w/ Buster Brown Band) - 2 shows 8PM and 10.30pm. - Advert in Louisville Courier-Journal 12th September and review on 19th September
Sept 19th 1971 The Gym At Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (w/ Goose Lake Symphony) - Poster exits [VCU Commonwealth Times Review Sept 22nd]
"I wasn't in Richmond 15 minutes when Alice Cooper played at the VCU gym," Parker says. "After the show I leave out the side door to the alley just as Neal Smith was getting into a gold Cadillac, and I said to him, 'Hi, I'm 18 and I like it!' and he said, 'Get in the car,' so I did. And then I took off with Alice Cooper for like a week. Everybody was freaking out. They thought I had been kidnapped."
(Donna Lynn Parker, Style Weekly 2014)
- Billboard announces the new Alice Cooper album will be entitled 'Killer' and "feature a nine-minute cut called "Halo Of Flies" which is guarenteed to produce some buzz in the industry".
Sept 20th 1971 Scranton Armory, Scranton, PA[Date on Itinerary]
Sept 21st 1971 Convention Hall, Grove City, PA (w/ Holy Mackerel) [Date on Itinerary] - Photos in Grove City Collage Yearbook. Front page of Grove City "The Collegian' Sept 21st. Review/Interview 28th Sept.
Sept 22nd 1971 Peoria, IL The Barn (w/ Mike Quattro's Jam Band) (poster,ticket)
Sept 24th-25th 1971 Winterland, San Francisco, CA (w/ Cold Blood, Glass Harp) Future ALice guitarist John Nitzinger may have been in one of the support acts. [One newspaper listing says 23rd-25th, Billboard says 24th and 25th.]
"As much as Bill Graham doesn't like us, he grudgingly hires us to play the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. The hippies are letting us know they don't get what we're doing but the Hell's Angels lining the outer walls of the room are shouting at them to shut up and watch the show. We will play here again tomorrow night."
(Dennis Dunaway, 2013)
Sept 24th 1971 Alice Cooper apperance on the Virginia Graham show airs. A document also exists listing various dates depending on location between 1st October and the 5th November.
Sept 28th 1971 Under My Wheels/Desperado released
Sept 30th 1971 Rolling Stone mentions the band are getting a Gallows.
"Alice Cooper has arranged for construction of a life-sized working gallows, including a trap door that traps. The gallows will be part of the boys' stage act and is being built at Warners' movie lot."
Oct 2nd 1971 A. N. Jorgensen Auditorium, Storrs, Mansfield, CT (w/ Dennis Stoner)
(Oct 6th 1971 Underground paper Praxis has a report and photos from a show at the Atlanta Municiple Auditorium with Lee Michaels opening and describe it as a recent show but we have no date it could be. They also have an advert on the back for Alice Cooper at the "Teen Scene 1971 Rock Fair" on "Tues." at the Exhibition Hall at the Alabama State Fairgrounds.
NOTE: There is an issue with the date listed on the cover of the magazine, as the advert is for a show that happpened in June as evidenced by a dated ticket with the same artwork. Could there have been two Teen Scene 1971 Rock Fairs?
Oct 16th 1971 Lynch Memorial Gymnasium, Lebanon Valley College, Lebanon, PA (w/ The Big City Band, The Grease Band) [Lebanon Daily News October 12, 1971][La Vie Collegienne Oct 28th Review]
Oct 17th 1971 Toledo, OH State Theater
Oct 19th 1971 Irving, TX Danny Veno Auditorium
First European Tour 1971
Oct 21st 1971 Alice arrives in London
Oct 24th 1971 Alice leaves London and flies to Denmark. The band were originally advertised (see advert for Nov. 4th below) as appearing at the London Roundhouse today but the show never happened.
Oct 25th 1971 Copenhagen, Denmark Tivoli (w/ Tea) - Rumours that this show was filmed for DR (Danish TV) but there's no evidence it still exists or even if it was ever shown.
Me,Alice mentions a Bremen show but could be referring to the Beat Club TV show which had Breman connections..
Oct 26th 1971 Alice leaves Denmark for Germany and records the performance on German show 'Beat Club'
Oct 27th 1971 Frankfurt, Germany Jahrhunderthalle (w/ Procol Harem, Heads Hands and Feet) [Ticket]
"In 1971 I carried Alice off stage on my shoulder. Shep Gordon had me dress up in a Warner Brothers gorilla outfit and said you can play it one of two ways. Either play a casual nonchalant gorilla, or a mean swinging side to side gorilla. I played the latter. German kids would say "Look behind You! Look behind You!" In English and German. Alice was throwing posters out into the audience. I'm sweating up a storm under the stage lights that were flown in from England for the gig. Alice and I get into a pushing match and I just picked him up and carried him to the wings of the stage for Alice to give the final direction to end the song. The lights went out and the crowd called him back out for two more encores. The next day Neal was talking to the press at the Continental Hyatt House and they were wondering who the Gorilla was." (Skip Ladd, May 2000)
Oct 28th 1971 Alice arrives in Holland
Oct 29th 1971 Amsterdam, Holland Concertgebouw (w/ B.P. Mense (a fakir act!)) [De Waarheid Review][De tijd Review]
Oct 30th 1971 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus (w/ Tea) - Billboard runs a full page Warner Brothers advert for 'Under My Wheels'
Nov 2nd 1971 Paris, France Pierre Cardin Theatre (Originally scheduled to be the Olympia but venue management wouldn't allow them in(Me Alice), Omar Sharif, Bianca Jagger and Alain Delon in the audience) - French communist agitators smashed their way into the Cardin Theatre causing disruption. Reports circulate, including a Billboard mention, of Mick Jagger throwing a party for the band.
"In Paris we originally wanted to play the Olympia Theater, where all the top musical acts gigged, but our reputation for chickens offended the sensibilities of the management, and they wouldn't even let Shep past the front door to talk about it. We wound up getting booked into the Pierre Cardin Theater, a chic little auditorium of plush red velvet used for designer fashion shows. Pierre Cardin was delighted to have us there, although I'm sure he didn't have the faintest notion what we were going to do. We were billed all over Europe as "Transvestite Rock."
The Parisian kids were pissed as hell that we booked into such a tiny place. On top of a seat shortage a lot of tickets had been given away to celebrities who were curious to see me, including Omar Sharif, Bianca Jagger and Alain Delon. At least a thousand kids who couldn't get in were milling around in front of the theater in angry little groups when we arrived in a line of limousines. They booed us and yelled "Bourgeoisie" at us, making it all look very political.
They waited outside during the show, and when feathers began to drift into the lobby during the finale they couldn't bear it any longer. They got so excited that a group of them drove Omar Sharif's white Rolls Royce right through the plate glass windows of the theater and into the lobby. They had to lock me in a closet until the fighting stopped. Everybody had to leave through the fire exits. Cardin hosted a party for us afterwards, much of which is a drunken blot in my memory except for Glen Buxton smashing Bianca Jagger in the face with a pastry and a free-for-all food fight erupting. Omar Sharif was sitting next to me, and as his hair got splattered with pate, he looked at me very confused and said, "Why do you do such thing?"
(Me, Alice)
French TV show Pop 2 aired fooatge and an interview of Alice
Nov 3rd 1971 The band arrive in the UK with Alice suffering from flu. Me Alice: Two TV shows, 'Top of the Pop's' and 'The Old Grey Whistle Test'('Under My Wheels' and 'Is It My Body?') recorded. However no TOTP's was broadcast at this time so this could be an error.
Nov 4th 1971 Mayfair Suite/Kinetic Circus, Birmingham, England - Was to be the first UK appearance but was postponed until the 8th.
Nov 5th 1971 The band record 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' TV Show appearance which aired November 9th.
Nov 6th 1971 A show was apparently planned in Liverpool on this date but didn't happen. It was mentioned in news announcements along with Birmingham and London.
Nov 7th 1971 London, England Rainbow Theatre (w/ Arthur Brown, Roger Ruskin Spear) (Bowie in audience) [Ticket] - 1st show to feature a snake (Neal's snake Kachina as seen on the cover of 'Killer'). [The Times Review] - A poor live recording exists
Nov 8th 1971 Mayfair Suite/Kinetic Circus, Birmingham, England (w/ Stray?) (Robert Plant in audience?) Date confirmed by Dennis Dunaway.
"I remember one of my favourite gigs here was the Alice Cooper gig (Alice goading the audience with pound notes stuck on his sword, wafting it over their heads) and then the nurse routine happily stolen later by The Tubes. I think that they were supported that night by Stray as I remember."
(Vance Whittall, October 2011)
Nov 9th 1971 Alice leaves London. Alice was due to record an appearance on 'Top Of The Pops' on November 10th but this never happened.
Nov 8th 1971 'Killer' released
Billboard full page advert from November 27th 1971