Phoenix Recording and The Christmas Pudding Show
Cindy and Anna backstage at a WHO concert.
Neal and Dennis playing the 2019 Christmas Pudding Show, courtesy of Philamonjaro Studio Photography
The Original Alice Cooper Group with Johnny Depp playing the 2019 Christmas Pudding Show, courtesy of Ed Masley
The Original Alice Cooper Group, with Johnny Depp and Joe Bonamassa, courtesy of Julia Aarg
Sister Sledge, The Alice Cooper Group, Gary Mule Deer, Johnny Depp, Sheryl Cooper, Sixwire band, Nita Strauss, Joe Bonamassa, Orianthi, Johnny Depp, Santa, and more gather on stage for the grand finale.
On December 12th and 13th, 2019, the one and only Alice Cooper group recorded two songs in Phoenix with Bob Ezrin. The songs will be included in Alice’s next solo album. We worked hard and had a lot of fun.
The following day, we played for a benefit that brought in the largest total donations the Solid Rock Foundation has ever raised. Talk about a good cause! That amazing organization gives kids 12-20 years old a positive direction in their life through the arts. The foundation’s active figureheads are Alice and Sheryl Cooper.
The fundraiser, The 18th Annual Christmas Pudding, took place at the Phoenix Celebrity Theater, which looks pretty much the same as it did back in 1966 when the Spiders were in a local production of Bye Bye Birdie. The stage is still in the center of the room, and it still goes around and around during the show, which makes the confined hallway they call the backstage area confusing. People are constantly trying to figure out which direction to go to get to a stage that's going around. Thankfully Bujie Leichtweis, who donated her time and talents, was running around with her clipboard directing people, just like she does at Alice’s concerts.
You could feel the electricity in the air as the crowd filled the theater. People expected something special but they didn’t realize how many pleasant surprises were about to unfold throughout that stellar evening.
Following introductions that included Sheryl Cooper in a glimmering copper sequin top, which of course Cindy gave thumbs up to, Sister Sledge got everyone singing along with "We Are Family" which was the theme of the show. Then their acapella rendition of "Silent Night" lifted you out of your seat with spine tingling glee. The crescendos were so grand that the song seemed to end in several places but then rose to even greater heights.
Then came the kids! They came dancing, they came singing, and they came playing instruments - all bursting with talent and positive energy. It was a tightly rehearsed presentation that all built up to a thunderous finale rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy" with drummers on stage and in the aisles all playing loud enough to summon King Kong himself.
The kids could have ended the entire evening with their string of performances but the show had just begun. It was about to unfold into a night of incredible guitar players.
Nita Strauss and drummer Josh Villalta played a couple of instrumental compositions that left you with no choice but to agree with Guitar magazine that Nita is the Guitarist of the Decade. Everything about Nita is strong. She’s living proof that positive dedication and hard work can take you to the stars. I’m sure the Solid Rock kids saw her as an encouraging example.
Gary Mule Deer gave a big introduction to his first song, and then his pick fell into the hole in his acoustic guitar. He fell to his knees while shaking the guitar; A bit that went over the head of a portion of the audience, but all of the musicians laughed. Then Gary, with the deep timber of his voice, proceeded to do justice to a set of Johnny Cash songs. The excellent backing band for the evening, Sixwire, supplied the country picking.
Next up, Mark Slaughter is a real deal road warrior with a “rough and tumble” presence. He delivered some powerful rock with all of the gusto that only a stack of Marshall amps can crank out, however, the volume didn’t overpower the relatively small room. In fact, the sound was well mixed throughout the show, which, with the many various acts, and the challenges of being “in the round” was highly admirable.
Phoenix is Alice Cooper’s home turf and all of our friends and families were there in droves. So due to conversations, I couldn't hear all of comedian Jim Breuer's jokes. But I could hear lots of hearty laughter from the crowd.
Then Gary Cherone & Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme stepped into the spotlights and delivered some genuine heartfelt rock with strong vocals, polished showmanship, and fine guitar playing. The audience joined in singing along.
A sea of devil horns rose as Rob Halford walked on stage in a floor length sequined storm trooper coat. His razor voice soared high above the wall of power chords and crushing drum fills proving song after song why he is an iconic metal maestro. I was proud that all of these talented artists respected Alice enough to donate their energy at his request. Afterward, I asked Rob about the sequin coat and he said, "You guys set that bar high."
Only a month prior to flying to Phoenix, I had seen Joe Bonamassa's show at the Beacon Theater in New York City. He is a blues man supreme. Now he was on stage in Phoenix demonstrating the same precision playing and singing. He ripped through some great songs as his new girlfriend, Orianthi, yet another great guitar player, watched from the shadows of the Phoenix Celebrity Theater. Yes, that night, that place was ground zero for great guitar players!
The previous night, Bonamassa had showed up at the recording studio just as Michael, Neal, and I had packed up following our session.
Joe asked if we would mind running over the songs we would be playing at the Pudding show. And so, with Michael and Joe playing acoustic guitar, me on an acoustic bass, and Neal slapping his drumsticks on a leather couch, we ran through the set. I told Joe that I was impressed that he knew our songs so well. He said he has a hobby of dissecting his favorite albums and even cited some of my bass parts that he liked. I was pleasantly surprised and knew we had a fun show ahead.
Then, on the afternoon of the Pudding show, we ran through our set, but with amps and drums. And with Johnny Depp who also knew our songs well. So working out a few details was a breeze.
Johnny had his guitar tech. Joe had his guitar tech, and I had Anna, who, as a young Polish girl, cut her teeth on Pretties For You (learning to play all of the guitar parts and even learning English so she could understand the lyrics) and now she’s the Guitar Technician for Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones. That’s not surprising. Anna is enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and alert. We talked about the challenges of working with a rotating stage. I said if I needed assistance, I wouldn’t know which direction to look. She told me not to worry because she would be watching me the whole time.
And now I’d like to talk about Johnny Depp. I don’t know him but I’ve been backstage with him on several occasions and I’ve only ever seen him being exceptionally nice to everyone. I’ve been on stage with him a few times and found him to be a good guitar player who knows his way around a stage. Most people love him, while others don’t, which seems fitting since that’s pretty much the story of the Alice Cooper group.
Okay, that said, let’s get back to the show. Johnny was on stage helping Alice raise bids for an auction that had been taking place between acts throughout the evening. Michael, Neal, and I watched from the shadows of the ramp that lead to the stage, which had stopped turning for now. The high bid for the snare drum that Neal would be playing was $10,000. Everyone applauded.
Joe Bonamassa was standing next to me with his guitar in hand. He said he was at the studio earlier with Bob Ezrin and had recorded lead on a blues track that I wrote with Alice. I told him I had written the lyrics for fun and didn’t intend to make them into a song, but they were in the stack of lyrics I had given to Alice, who later surprised me with his recording. Joe smiled and said he likes the song.
The auction ended and technicians swarmed the stage, which was our cue. Michael, Neal, Joe, and I walked out to a vibrant audience.
Anna handed me my cord and I plugged it into my bass. She assured me that she had already set the dials on the bass amp to match the sound check settings, and asked if I needed anything. I played a riff and said I’m set so she retreated to the sound pit.
Neal played a thunderous roll and made sure everyone was ready. He counted down “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and the stage started moving in a clockwise direction. The crowd was cheering and the excitement soared.
Michael was smiling broadly while Joe and Johnny both seemed pretty reserved. I wondered if someone had asked them to lie back and let us shine, or if they were simply concentrating on their parts.
Barely into the song, I felt my pick snap in half. I dropped a note as I rotated the remaining half and continued playing. When Alice sang the “a dog bit me on the leg today” section, where the bass drops out, I tossed the broken pick into the audience and grabbed a fresh one. I went over to Johnny and yelled “Yeah!” He smiled and continued playing. I smiled too, but I smiled because I remembered Johnny and I doing the exact same thing when I sat in with the Hollywood Vampires.
Alice, of course, is the quintessential pro stalking the stage in complete confidence. He’s certain of every intro, ending, and transition, even though they vary from the parts he does night after night in his solo shows.
Alice, Michael, Neal, and I are always thrilled to be together on stage or off.
Due to the round stage, Neal’s drums were positioned deep behind the amp-line, which made it hard to hear the beat at times so I walked back near the drums to lock in for the next song. Neal pounded out a heavy bass drum and directed his stare onto Michael for the opening riff, but Michael was talking to the crowd. I started wondering if he forgot what song came next, but he turned toward us and the intro to “Be My Lover” rang out loud and clear.
She walked into the room but I don’t know her, Alice sang. The audience sang along - a tribute to Alice’s adoring fans and to Michael’s great song writing. It’s a fun song to play, but I enjoy playing all of our songs. And here we are, smack dab in the middle of what seems like our billionth show together.
Joe Bonamassa was cool and calculated. His clear cutting tones were perfection and he was well aware of what everyone else was playing.
The song ended and I walked back to Neal as stinging guitar riffs and a powerful drum fill kicked off “Under My Wheels.” I flashed back to 1971 when Glen Buxton and I sat on my bedroom floor in Pontiac, Michigan while I showed him the song. We never would have thought that some day we would be playing it at the Celebrity Theater, where we had performed as teens.
Alice, Michael, Johnny and I all faced Joe Bonamassa as he ripped through some fiery lead soloing. Lack of rehearsals kept things from being too slick and it felt like real live rock n roll. This is what live music is all about. The sounds blend in the room, and if the room acoustics are as good as they are in this room, the sound can’t be matched on record, or especially in someone’s phone video.
The crowd’s enthusiasm held strong. I spotted faces in the crowd from all across the U.S.A. and way beyond. I saw people we’ve known from the band’s earliest beginnings, throughout our rise, and people that were seeing the original band for the very first time.
“Hey Alice,” Michael said, “Is it true you lived on a farm? I just can’t imagine that.”
Alice jumped right into a story: “Chickens live on farms. Chickens have wings. Chickens should be able to fly. But chickens don’t fly as much as they plummet.” Of course Alice was talking about the Rock and Roll Revival in Toronto in 1969 when he tossed our pet chicken Pecker into the crowd to his demise causing 20,000 people to go silent with shock.
As soon as Alice’s story ended, Neal and I picked up with Michael’s dramatic intro that shifted rhythm and marched it’s way into “Eighteen.” We held the tempo slightly slower than the hit single version because it feels more powerful. Johnny and Michael were locked into the moody groove while the bluesy style of the chord changes was right up Bonamassa’s alley.
Michael had told Joe to take all of the leads, and we all told him to extend them as long as he liked, and to cue us accordingly. He and his Les Paul reinforced the emotional angst of every high school kid.
It was excellent, but I will always miss the gritty rebelliousness of the late great Glen Buxton, especially on “School’s Out” which we jumped right into. The song is about celebration and the excitement of that opening riff is all consuming.
It was nice to know that the record proceeds from this show would benefit the Solid Rock Foundation’s fine programs designed specifically toward helping kids with the same sort of starry-eyed dreams that we had at that age – dreams of art, music, dance, poetry, and setting the world on fire with fresh new creativity.
The final chord rang out to cheers worthy of the excitement of the final bell of a long semester at school. That exhilarating feeling that marks a successful live performance. It’s what keeps you coming back for more. From the stage to the back walls, everybody was smiling.
The stage stopped turning to allow safe exit.
Johnny and Alice remained on stage as the Sixwire house band returned and launched into the cool groove of “Heroes” by David Bowie. Johnny Depp sang the song with Alice playing guitar.
The theater has a special intimacy. Even the people in the seats along the back wall feel like they’re part of the show, like family; Hence the theme of the show.
Sister Sledge came out singing “We Are Family.” This time Sixwire played the song live. The celebration was in full swing with all of the entertainers on stage. Johnny was playing all of those great Nile Rogers riffs. Orianthi joined us. Sheryl Cooper joined us. There must have been thirty people on stage clapping their hands, singing, pointing, dancing, and shaking the rafters.
The infectious chorus of “We Are Family” was the perfect icing on the cake. Sister Sledge amazing vocals brought everyone together in a magical heart warming way.
The show didn’t seem to end. Instead it turned into a party. People were thanking the volunteers and entertainers for donating their time and energy, and in turn, those people were thanking the Solid Rock people for including them. Fans were thanking me for coming, and I was thanking them for coming. Everybody was thanking everybody. Everybody in the theater was happy.
And the best thing of all is that, as days go by, and pages tear off the calendar, the money raised will impact many young lives for many years to come.