DVD review: ALICE COOPER – Raise The Dead Live From Wacken

UDR [Release date – 20.10.14]

No one would begrudge Alice Cooper a quiet retirement, playing away his twilight years on the golf course fairways he loves almost as much as the concert hall stage. Alice, thankfully, shows no signs of slowing down and continues to play sold out shows around the globe.

This DVD and CD three disc package catches Alice, and possibly one of his finest band line ups, headlining the Wacken Festival in 2013. Both the DVD and CD capture the full festival set and clocking in at 22 tracks you certainly aren’t short changed. There is something here for everyone, it has all the hits to keep the casual fan happy but there are also a couple of rarer gems to interest the more discerning Alice aficionado.

The set begins with ‘Hello Hooray’ closely followed by ‘House Of Fire’ which is given a rare outing, it also happens to be one of my favourite Cooper tracks so earns extra points for its inclusion. After a couple of Coop classics the band then play ‘I’ll Bite Your Face Off’, the first of two tracks from the ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ album, ‘Caffeine’ being the other, which brings things right up to date.

‘Dirty Diamonds’ gives Alice a chance to take a break and for the band to show what they can do. Long time bass player, Chuck Garric takes the lead during the instrumental section along with drummer Glen Sobel who plays an impressive solo.

The pair are then joined by Orianthi, Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen on guitar to bring the song to a climactic finish. Alice, like Ozzy Osbourne, has always managed to surround himself with some of the best players in the business and here the band prove they are well capable of maintaining the Cooper legacy.

Another surprise inclusion is ‘He’s Back (The Man Behind The Mask)’ which has been missing from the live set for a good while. Not one of the strongest Alice tracks in my opinion but good to hear it again none the less. More classics follow, ‘The Ballad Of Dwight Fry’, ‘Killer’, with Alice losing his head, and ‘Poison’ all go down a storm with the Wacken crowd.

There are also a couple of covers thrown in for good measure including a cracking version of The Doors’ ‘Break On Through’. The end of the set is then heralded by the familiar opening riff of ‘Schools Out’ which also includes a snippet of ‘Another Brick In The Wall’, bringing down the curtain on another excellent Alice Cooper performance.

This package not only provides great entertainment from one of the ultimate showmen in rock but also proves to be great value for money. The DVD also contains a 20 minute interview with Alice on the tour and more. Here’s hoping Alice continues to ‘Raise The Dead’ for a few more years yet! ****

Review by David Wilson

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