Alice Cooper – Welcome to my Nightmare/Cold Ethyl – Too Close For Comfort Tour 1/31/25 Augusta, Ga

Alice Cooper – Welcome to My Nightmare/Cold Ethyl –
Too Close For Comfort Tour 1/31/25 Augusta, Ga
Alice Cooper launched the 2025 leg of his Too Close For Comfort Tour with a visceral blend of shock-rock theatrics and hard-hitting classics at Augusta, Georgia’s Bell Auditorium on January 31. The performance, which featured a career-spanning setlist, showcased the 77-year-old icon’s enduring prowess as rock’s premier theatrical showman.
The evening’s most chilling moment arrived with a medley of “Welcome to My Nightmare” and “Cold Ethyl”, staples of Cooper’s macabre repertoire. As described in past tours. Cooper prowled the stage wielding a crutch and a stuffed doll, theatrically enacting the twisted narrative of necrophilia central to “Cold Ethyl.” The Bell Auditorium crowd roared as Cooper tossed the prop into the front rows, a hallmark of his boundary-pushing stagecraft. Giant video screens amplified the horror-movie ambiance, blending live action with pre-recorded scenes to immerse fans in Cooper’s grotesque fantasy world.
The Augusta show marked the live debut of Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N’ Roses) as Cooper’s temporary lead guitarist, filling in for Orianthi, who withdrew due to injury. Clarke’s blues-tinged solos added a gritty edge to classics like “No More Mr. Nice Guy” and “Poison”, while longtime bandmates Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen anchored the dual-guitar assault. Cooper praised his rotating lineup’s adaptability, stating, “I’m so fortunate to always have such great musicians to work with”
True to form, Cooper’s set leaned heavily on theatrics:
- A guillotine execution during “I Love the Dead”
- A towering Frankenstein monster for “Feed My Frankenstein”
- A confetti-and-balloon finale with “School’s Out”
The show also featured deeper cuts like “Lock Me Up” and “Go to Hell”, satisfying die-hard fans while balancing hits like “Billion Dollar Babies” and “Elected”
Attendees hailed the performance as a “masterclass in rock spectacle” with one fan noting, “Alice Cooper didn’t disappoint – the man still performs whttps://open.spotify.com/track/0mtUvL8w3vQiMm93AfnRpO?si=1c2cffabedfb4b8cith gusto, and the band could really shred”. Despite his age, Cooper’s voice remained robust, particularly during the garage-rock anthem “I’m Eighteen”
The Too Close For Comfort Tour resumes on February 11 in St. Augustine, Florida before Cooper headlines festivals like Sonic Temple (May 9) and supports My Chemical Romance in August. With decades of material and a penchant for reinvention, Cooper proves shock rock remains as vital as ever.
As the Godfather of Shock Rock told Blabbermouth: “I want the audience to get involved in the show… the emphasis is on the character Alice”. In Augusta, that character still ruled supreme.
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