New 2020 US and Canadian shows have been announced. They are as follows:

April 1st - Peterborough, ON - Memorial Centre
April 3rd - Grand Rapids, MI - Devos Music Hall
April 5th - Appleton, WI - Fox Performing Arts Center
April 7th - Omaha, NE - Orpheum Theatre
April 8th - Davenport, IA - Adler Theatre
April 10th - Grand Forks, ND - Alerus Center
April 11th - Winnipeg, MB - Centennial Concert Hall
April 13th - Regina, SK - Conexus Arts Centre
April 15th - Edmonton, AB - Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
April 16th - Prince George, BC - CN Centre
April 18th - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Ent & Sports Centre
April 19th - Penticton, BC - South Okanagan Events Centre
April 20th - Seattle, WA - McCaw Hall
April 22th - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium

AC.com Pre-sale tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10am local time and Lita Ford will open these shows.

And so another UK tour comes to an end with an epic show in Cardiff, which closed with a stage invasion by the opening acts! What a week it's been. MC50 and the legendary Stranglers offered the best support we've had in many years, highly entertaining and surely gaining new fans every night, but of course no one can top The Coop and the best live band in the world who tore up the stage despite tiredness setting in from a long tour. What a set list, and what a show! We even had Dennis Dunaway join the band in Brighton and London!
As always a few thank you's before we get to all the news from the last 10 days. To Alice, Sheryl and the band (Roxie, Tommy, Glen, Nita, Chris, and Chuck) who always give 110% at very show. To Bujie, Kyler, Amber, David and all the backstage team and crew without whom there would be no show. To the great Toby Mamis who always comes through for us to make every tour unforgettable. To Andy Michael for his help, and of course all the Sickthings whose company, as always, has been the very best! Couldn't do it without you all, and here's to next time!
UPDATE: Photos from all shows now up in the Photo section.

So... on with the news!

As I quickly posted yesterday we sadly lost Erik Scott a couple of days ago. In my limited interaction with Erik he was always generous with his time and it was fascinating listening to his stories from the 'Special Forces' years which he told with affection and pride. He'll be missed, and of course the Sickthings community sends their condolences to his family and friends. His music will live on.

Back to the UK tour and the big shock was that Chuck Garric only played the first show in Manchester! Couldn't believe it when he told us afterwards that he would be heading home, as he had the Beasto Blanco Megacruise show to prepare for. We missed you Chuck! In his place we had Hollywood Vampire's super-bassist Chris Wyse standing stage left, who did a excellent job filling in on short notice for the last six shows. Chuck will be back in the band for the next run of shows in the USA, and Chris will be back with the Vampires next year (hopefully!)
Speaking of the Hollywood Vampire's they'll be back on 'Late Night With James Corden' on Halloween night, when the show will air the second song the band recorded a few months ago when they last appeared.

A couple of enterprising fans did their best to promote the UK shows, including the bus driver in Aberdeen who wore full Alice makeup the evening of the show, and the enterprising London Underground worker who put this up in honor of the master! (Thanks Mercy for photo)

The Aberdeen Evening Express had an article about AC fan Carol McLean and the Aberdeen show.

There's been lots of reviews from the UK shows as well. Check out Purple Revolver, The Guardian, Manchester Evening News, Aberdeen Press and Journal, Society Aberdeen, The Argus, Arts Desk, Brighton News, The Express, The Up Coming, Financial Times (subscription), and Express and Star.

And there's a few new interviews in The Metro, The Telegraph (may need to register), and Express and Star.

Also check out a new interview with Glen Sobel at 'That's My Gig'.

The Daily Mail caught Alice and Sheryl out and about in London and seem surprised he wasn't in full stage costume!

This years 'Record Store Day Black Friday' on November 29th has a couple of Cooper related releases to look for. First is the release of the 1973 Houston, TX show which comes on one LP and one 7". This was previously released on CD as part of the 'Billion Dollar Babies' Deluxe reissue some years ago, but this is the first time it will be on vinyl. It's being released by Rhino Records but there's no info on how many will be pressed yet.
There's also a new vinyl version of 'Dragontown' on 2xLP coloured vinyl. This is a limited edition of 1500.

Official announcement from Mickie Scott.
It is with a very heavy heart, that I let you know that Erik Eski Scott has lost his battle with cancer today. Up to the end, he had expressed his love of music and his deep appreciation for having so many talented musicians and friends throughout his life. He was deeply moved by the love and support he received during his battle here at home and in the hospital. Please wish him well on his journey and know that we are so grateful for your support, and as Eski would say, "It's never goodbye, but hang in there!"

Just popping in to highlight a couple of things coming up. I'll do a full news update after the tour.

Firstly of course is tonights London premiere of 'Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper' and 'Cold Cold Coffin' at the Castle Cinema in Hackney. The first showing is now sold out but there are still a few tickets for the later second showing. Dennis and Cindy Dunaway will be there along with others who worked on the films and it promises to be a fun night! Last minute tickets can be obtained at Castle Cinema, and there is no guarantee there will be any left on the door.

Then there is Ryan Roxie's guitar clinic at 'Sixty Sixty Sounds' in Denmark Street, London, which is also tonight. This starts around 7pm so it's possible to attend both this and the late film (10.45) showing in Hackney. Again, spaces are now very limited but you can still email info@sixtysixtysounds.com and ask to be put on the list. It's free!

Lastly, just after the Alice Cooper tour ends in Cardiff Ryan Roxie and ex-Alice/Slash's Snakepit guitarist Eric Dover set out on their own string of UK club shows as 'Lost Angels'. It's not often we get the chance to see the multi-talented Eric Dover in the UK so well worth the trip if you can make a show. The full list of dates appears below. There are also a few VIP packages at £55 still available for each show and you can check availability and get more info at https://lostangelsvip.blogspot.com.
The full line up for these shows is Ryan and Eric on guitar/vocals, Troy Patrick Farrell (White Lion/Gilby Clarke Band) on drums and EJ Curse (Gilby Clarke Band/Silent Rage) on bass. 'Saints Of Sin' will open most of the UK shows.

There will be a full news update after the tour when I have time to go through everything!

Solid Rock have announced that the original Alice Cooper band - Alice, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce - will headline this years Christmas Pudding show on December 14th in Phoenix. The show will also feature Nita Strauss, Rob Halford (Judas Priest), Joe Bonamassa, and Extreme among others. In the press release, Alice commented “As always, Solid Rock is trying to put together a show with new and classic headliners. The uniqueness of this concert is that you’ll never see this caliber and variety of artists on the same stage again.”
Tickets for the show go on sale October 7th at 10am local time.

The 'Billion Dollar Babies' show at the weekend seems to have been a great success and there's lots of clips and photos being posted to facebook. Probably the best place to go to see them is Dennis Dunaway's own page where fans have posted tons of images from the show. The setlist mostly included obvious Cooper tracks as well as 'Black Juju' and 'I Miss You'. Original B$B guitarist Mike Marconi joined the band for 'Under My Wheels', 'I Miss You' and 'I'm Eighteen'.

On October 30th Alice, along with Jack White (Raconteurs) and others, will be taking part in 'Devil's Night' at the Shinola Hotel in Detroit raising funds for the 'Kirk Gobson Foundation for Parkinsons'. There will be various events including a Q&A and a silent auction which includes the chance to play table tennis with Alice! This is a 'high roller' event with $350 tickets on sale now.

PRP and Hard Four Productions have posted a 30 second teaser trailer for 'Cold Cold Coffin' to Vimeo, and list a full release date as October 26th 2019. The short clip shows Calico Cooper and Dennis Dunaway in a castle accompanied by a short clip of the song. The film will also be shown at the 'Spooky Empire Horror Film Festival' in Tampa, FL between October 31st and November 3rd, and as previously announced Alice will also be at this event.
'Cold Cold Coffin' will officially launch at the Chiller Theatre Expo in Parsippany, New Jersey on October 25th - 27th.

NOTE: This will likely be the last news update until after the UK shows as I won't be home.

It has been confirmed that Dennis and Cindy Dunaway are flying to London to attend the screenings of 'Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper' and 'Cold Cold Coffin' at the Castle Cinema on October 9th. They will be joined on the 'pink carpet' by current Alice Cooper band guitarist Ryan Roxie (after his guitar clinic earlier in the evening), Astroturf mastermind Chris Penn and 'Cold Cold Coffin' director Brian Cichoki. The Q&A will be moderated by NME and Kerang! writer Ian Fortnam.
There are still a few advance tickets available for both film showings which you can buy directly from Castle Cinema. This promises to be a memerable night so don't miss out!
The films will also be showing in Hollywood on October 14th which will feature an 'aftershow party' at the Viper Room. The Hollywood Q&A will feature Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, Cindy Dunaway, and Chris Penn. You can get tickets for this one here.

A reminder that Dennis, Michael Bruce and Neal Smith and special guest Mike Marconi, four fifths of the original Billion Dollar Babies 'Battle Axe' band, will be performing this Saturday (28th September) at the 'Fore N Aft Benefit' at Ives Concert Park in Danbury, CT. You can still get last minute tickets here. The band are due on stage at 8PM.

1883 Magazine have a new interview with Beasto Blanco/Cold Cold Coffin star Calico Cooper which you can read here.

'Heavy 1 TV' have a new interview with Nita Strauss during which she reveals she is already working on a second solo album for release late next year! You can watch the interview on YouTube.

Ex-Motorhead guitarist Phil Campbell has released a lyric video for 'Swing It' from his forthcoming solo album 'Old Lions Still Roar' which is out October 25th via Nuclear Blast. The song features vocals from Alice Cooper, and you can watch it below. The album also features appearances from Dee Snider, Mick Mars, Rob Halford and Joe Satriani

Flaunt.com have a new interview with Calico Cooper AND a new video from Beasto Blanco. The video is for 'Solitary Rave' which is taken from the bands latest album "We Are".

Michael Bruce, Dennis and Cindy Dunaway and Chris Penn will all be in Los Angeles on October 14th for another screening of the 'Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper' and 'Cold Cold Coffin' films. It's happening at the W Hotel Hollywood, 6250 Hollywood Boulevard, CA (across from Pantages Theater) and tickets are available here.

Sadly we've lost two more music legends this week. Firstly Eddie Money, most famous for the hit "Two Tickets To Paradise', and who toured with Alice back in 1978. Alice Cooper posted the following:

"I first met Eddie when we did some shows together early in his career, and we’ve crossed paths many more times along the way," he shared with Billboard. "He kept having huge hits, which was no surprise because he seemed to have a voice that was made for the radio. But of the things I can most relate to about Eddie is that like myself, Eddie had his struggles with addiction and he found his way out of it with the help of his family. Another thing about his family is that Eddie brought them all on the road with him. They all performed on stage with him in his band, and that’s the way my family works as well, we have that in common. Eddie Money is and always will be an American icon of Rock N Roll, and I love playing his music on my radio show every night. My condolences to his family and fans around the world."

Secondly a few days ago saw the passing of The Cars' Ric Ocasek and again here is Alice's comment:

"We have lost another great in Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Famer Ric Ocasek of The Cars. Ric and I actually used to be neighbors for a time when we lived in the Hollywood Hills. Ric had a very unique voice for rock 'n' roll, there was just nothing complicated about it and that really gave The Cars an edge on the radio. They spearheaded a simplistic new wave of minimalist rock alongside producer Roy Thomas Baker, much to the delight of car stereos and fans everywhere. Condolences to his family and many fans. We’ll miss ya man."

Alice will be the featured guest at 'NAIOP Arizona’s Signature Speaker Series'. The event is scheduled for Thursday, October 24th at the Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Registration begins at 3 p.m. The event, 'Alice Cooper “Unplugged', a conversation moderated by Valley celebrity Mark Cordes, begins at 4:30 p.m. A networking reception begins at 5:30 p.m.

According to this press release Alice provides a voice during the new season (5) of Nickelodeon's 'Bubble Guppies' which begins airing on September 27th in the USA. No information as to which specific episode he is in yet.

Paul Rodgers (of Bad Company and Free), Joe Bonamassa, and Judas Priest's Rob Halford are the first names announced for this years Christmas Pudding show on December 14th. Tickets are expected to be on sale shortly.

MMH Radio have an article on the '10 Underrated Alice Cooper Tracks' which you can check out here. It includes some interesting deep cuts.

'Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper' will receive its UK premiere at the Castle Cinema (First floor, 64-66 Brooksby's Walk Hackney, London E9 6DA) on October 9th. Dennis Dunaway's short film 'Cold Cold Coffin' will also be shown. There are showings at 9.15pm and 10.45pm, and tickets are available now from Castle Cinema.

Below you can watch the new 'official visualizer' video for Wednesday 13 'Necrophaze' which features a guest appearance by Alice. The song is the title track of Wednesday 13's new album which is due September 27th.