alice cooper tour springfield mo

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417 Magazine October 2024

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Arts & Culture

Alice cooper brings his too close for comfort tour to springfield.

Alice Cooper’s “Too Close for Comfort” tour makes a one-night stop at Juanita K. Hammons Hall in Springfield.

by Jamie Thomas

Aug 17 2023 at 8 a.m.

When any fan of rock music or heavy metal, regardless of their age, hears the term rock star, there are probably a handful of people who immediately come to mind: people who shaped not just the music, but the look and personality that go along with it. Among those names—likely near the top—is Alice Cooper. Cooper has been performing since 1969, beginning as the frontman for the band Alice Cooper, taking the name (legally changing his own name—Vincent Furnier—in the process) when the band split and going solo in 1975 with the album “Welcome to My Nightmare.” Now, Cooper has a new album, “Road,” on the way, set for release on August 25. It seems fitting that someone who’s been touring for more than 50 years would make a stop at the birthplace of Route 66, and we (me, specifically) were lucky enough to get tickets to the show.

On a personal note, as someone born in the mid-1980s to parents who were both fans of rock music, Cooper’s music had always been in my life in some way, and the tongue-in-cheek theatrics and gloomy aesthetic finally clicked fully into place for me when I hit my typically moody teenage years. Even as I (mostly) grew out of my own gloomy aesthetic and my musical taste expanded in more… eclectic directions, I’ve always maintained a soft spot for Alice Cooper’s music and an admiration for his ability to keep doing this with so much charisma well into his 70s. When the opportunity to see him live came along—especially right here in Springfield at Juanita K. Hammons Hall —it wasn’t something I could pass up.

Arriving at Juanita K. Hammons Hall, I was greeted by a big crowd of all ages that had already lined up way out into the street, excitedly waiting for the show: older fans, middle-aged fans, teenagers and even a few young kids. The outfits ran the gamut too. There were plenty of band T-shirts, mostly featuring Alice Cooper himself, but a healthy number of Ozzy Osbourne shirts, Black Sabbath T-shirts (mine included), shirts proclaiming fandom of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles and more. Perhaps more surprising was the equally healthy showing of fans in sensible button-down shirts and comfortable shoes intermingled with a few fans who had gone all out in full Cooper-esque costumes, eye makeup and black leather included.

With everyone seated, the show kicked off at 8:15 p.m. There was no opening act for this particular show, so Cooper kicked off the concert with “Lock Me Up,” followed by “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” before launching into a fast-paced show that clocked in at a brisk 90 minutes. In that 90 minutes, Cooper and his band, including returning guitarist Nita Strauss, blasted through songs spanning the decades he’s been both in-studio and onstage. The set list included songs from the early days of his solo career, “I’m Eighteen” and “Ballad of Dwight Fry,” and his anthemic ’80s and early ’90s hair metal–infused hits, including “Poison,” “Hey Stoopid” and “Snakebite,” which saw Cooper draped in his signature python, the live reptile curling around his head and shoulders as he sang. The show closed with two of Cooper’s biggest and best-known songs, “Elected” and “School’s Out,” mixed in with a fast-paced cover of Pink Floyd’s “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2.”

What stood out the most about the show was how tight, well-rehearsed and expertly crafted the experience was. Nearly every song had its own costume and set change, all achieved with a brief drop in lights. Even with the brisk pace, Cooper (and his band—not to mention his wife, dancer Sheryl Cooper, who made a few gruesome and show-stealing appearances, at one point gleefully holding aloft her husband’s guillotined head while dressed as a bloodied-and-eye-patched Marie Antoinette ) clearly relishes every second he’s in front of a crowd. Even at 75 years old, the founding father of theatrical shock rock owns the entire stage, delivering his characteristically gravelly vocals with a grandiosity, enthusiasm and charisma that demonstrates why he’s been able to perform for so long and appeal to generations of fans.

The Takeaway

Cooper’s ability to put on a show hasn’t wavered in his nearly five decades of touring the world and making music, along with founding his Solid Rock charity , which provides free after-school training in music, dance and more for young people aged 12 to 20 . Cooper treats every live show like the single greatest show on earth, acting as host and ringmaster for a macabre circus that keeps the camp factor up to make sure—no matter how gory things might get—everyone’s having the time of their life. If you’re a fan of rock music or even just really into theatrical shows, vaudevillian humor and larger-than-life spectacles, you’ll definitely want to catch Cooper the next time he stops in southwest Missouri. Considering how energetic he still is halfway through his seventies, it probably won’t be long until we see him on stage here again.

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Jan. 13, 2023

Too Close For Comfort Tour

Just Announced: The Too Close For Comfort Tour! Pre-sale tickets + VIP Packages available next Tuesday, January 17 (use code SICKTHINGS), tickets go on sale next Friday, January 20 at 10a local time.

🎟 https://AliceCooper.com/tour

Happy Friday the 13th Sick Things!

Too Close For Comfort Tour 4.29 – Youngstown, OH 5.02 – Fort Wayne, IN 5.03 – Milwaukee, WI 5.06 – Bemidji, MN 5.09 – Champaign, IL 5.10 – Louisville, KY 5.13 – Knoxville, TN 5.14 – Spartanburg, SC 5.15 – North Charleston, SC 5.17 – Shreveport, LA 5.18 – Biloxi, MS

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Legendary rocker Alice Cooper announces tour stop in Springfield, Mo.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Edited News Release/KY3) - Legendary rocker Alice Cooper will appear in Springfield on his Too Close for Comfort Tour!

Cooper will rock Juanita K. Hammons on Tuesday, August 15. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood, and boa constrictors. He regularly tours, performing shows worldwide with the dark and horror-themed theatrics he’s best known for. Having recently returned to the concert trail, Alice insists he’s motivated to continue touring and recording albums, as well as making time for other projects, including most recently, Alice’s widely praised 2018 performance as King Herod in NBC-TV’s live production of Jesus Christ Superstar on Easter Sunday.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 23, at 10 a.m. Tickets range from $46 to $179.50 (plus applicable fees). You can buy tickets at the Hammons Hall box office, by phone at 417-836-7678, and online at HammonsHall.com .

PLEASE NOTE: HammonsHall.com and MissouriStateTix.com are the ONLY official online ticketing services for Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts events. Tickets sold online at any other web location may reflect inflated pricing and/or speculative seating options. Juanita K. Hammons Hall cannot assume responsibility for unauthorized ticket purchases.

To report a correction or typo, please email [email protected]

Copyright 2023 KY3. All rights reserved.

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Alice Cooper

• August 15, 2023 Setlist

Alice Cooper Setlist at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, Springfield, MO, USA

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Tour: Too Close for Comfort Tour statistics Add setlist

• Lock Me Up Play Video
• No More Mr. Nice Guy Play Video
• I'm Eighteen Play Video
• Under My Wheels Play Video
• Billion Dollar Babies Play Video
• Hey Stoopid Play Video
• Snakebite Play Video
• Feed My Frankenstein Play Video
• Poison Play Video
• Guitar Solo ( Nita Strauss ) Play Video
• Black Widow Jam Play Video
• Ballad of Dwight Fry Play Video
• Killer ( Band Only ) Play Video
• I Love the Dead ( Band Only ) Play Video
• Elected Play Video
• School's Out Play Video
• Lost in America Play Video
• Cold Ethyl Play Video
• Bed of Nails Play Video
• Only Women Bleed Play Video
• Fallen in Love Play Video
• Escape Play Video
• Be My Lover Play Video
• Welcome to My Nightmare Play Video

Edits and Comments

6 activities (last edit by Jay_Whittaker , 16 Aug 2023, 13:37 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

• Black Widow Jam
• Only Women Bleed
• Welcome to My Nightmare
• Billion Dollar Babies
• I Love the Dead
• No More Mr. Nice Guy
• Feed My Frankenstein
• Hey Stoopid
• Be My Lover
• Under My Wheels
• Ballad of Dwight Fry
• I'm Eighteen
• Bed of Nails
• Fallen in Love
• School's Out
• Guitar Solo
• Lost in America

Complete Album stats

More from this Artist

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Alice Cooper Gig Timeline

• Aug 11 2023 Fargodome Fargo, ND, USA Start time: 5:45 PM 5:45 PM
• Aug 13 2023 Charles Schwab Field Omaha Omaha, NE, USA Start time: 5:45 PM 5:45 PM
• Aug 15 2023 Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts This Setlist Springfield, MO, USA Add time Add time
• Aug 16 2023 H.A. Chapman Stadium Tulsa, OK, USA Start time: 5:45 PM 5:45 PM
• Aug 18 2023 Sun Bowl El Paso, TX, USA Add time Add time

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• Jay_Whittaker

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[url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/alice-cooper/2023/juanita-k-hammons-hall-for-the-performing-arts-springfield-mo-5ba5a724.html][img]https://www.setlist.fm/widgets/setlist-image-v1?id=5ba5a724[/img][/url] [url=https://www.setlist.fm/edit?setlist=5ba5a724&amp;step=song]Edit this setlist[/url] | [url=https://www.setlist.fm/setlists/alice-cooper-63d63aa3.html]More Alice Cooper setlists[/url]

Tour Update

Setlist goes there: something corporate ooo tour.

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