Bethel Woods had a vampire problem this past weekend when the Hollywood Vampires took flight. This was the last show of their tour. They only played 3 shows in the United States, and they played most major European festivals this summer. There was a lot of anticipation for this show (along with the other 2 US shows) as these were makeup dates as the original shows that were postponed. The Hollywood Vampires consists of the 4 main members of Alice Cooper (vocals and guitar), Joe Perry (lead guitar and vocals), Johnny Depp (rhythm guitar and vocals) and Tommy Henriksen (rhythm guitar). The rest of the band were Buck Johnson on keyboards, Glen Sobel on drums and Chris Wyse on bass.
The band took the stage at around 9:15 to overwhelming fanfare. They kicked into an original tune called “I Want My Now” off 2019’s ‘Rise’ album. The Cooper classic “I’m Eighteen” was installed in the 3rd spot in the setlist order and kept the momentum going. Buck Johnson stepped out from behind the keys to play acoustic on the track “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory.” Blown up fangs came to life over the stage before the song “Who’s Laughing Now.” Wyse also incorporated a small bass solo during the song as well. Wyse also played a stand-up bass for a few songs including “Heroes,” which Depp sang lead on. You can tell Depp had more responsibility this time around than the last time I saw them (in 2016). He handled lead vocals on 4 tracks and played a few more guitar leads too. There are few cooler rock stars than Joe Perry. Perry looked great and his playing was stellar; as always. He sang lead vocals on “You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory.” This same track, Cooper played rhythm guitar and played the 6th string on “Heroes.” Cooper dedicated the “The Jack” to the late Malcom Young of AC/DC. The touching moment of the evening is when Depp talked about the recent passing of his friend Jeff Beck. A white Fender Stratocaster was on the guitar stand by the drum for the entire show. At one point, Depp presented it to Perry and said he wanted you play this. Perry ripped off an amazing cover of the Beck classic “Beck’s Bolero.” Cooper showed his underrated harmonica skills on the Aerosmith song “Bright Light Fright.” Depp and Johnson sang co lead vocals on “The Death and Resurrection Show.” For the encore, it was a pleasant surprise to see former Alice Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway join the band to play “School’s Out/Another Brick in the Wall.”
This was a completely different show than the one I saw in 2017. This show seemed more well thought out from a visual concept. Also, musically the band sounded super tight. This could have been due to the amount of shows they just completed or maybe the new members of the band (or both). Either way, the show had it all. It had the look, sound and deliverance that gave the fans what a true rock and roll show should look and sound like.
Setlist:
I Want My Now
Raise the Dead
I’m Eighteen (Alice Cooper song)
Five to One/Break on Through (to the Other Side) (The Doors cover)
The Boogieman Surprise
My Dead Drunk Friends
You Can’t Put Your Arms Around a Memory (Johnny Thunders cover)
Baba O’Riley (The Who cover)/Drum solo
Who’s Laughing Now
People Who Died (The Jim Carroll Band cover)
The Jack (AC/DC cover)
As Bad as I Am
Heroes (David Bowie cover)
Beck’s Bolero (Jeff Beck cover)
Bright Light Fright (Aerosmith song)
The Death and Resurrection Show (Killing Joke cover)
Walk This Way (Aerosmith song)
The Train Kept-A-Rollin’ (Tiny Bradshaw cover)
Encore:
School’s Out (Alice Cooper song)/Another Brick in the Wall (Pink Floyd cover)
We would like to thank Amy Sciarretto from Atom Splitter PR and Susan Ross from Bethel Woods for the credentials to revie the show.
