Love It To Death Timeline

TIMELINE 4 - Love It To Death

1971

Feb 18th `71 "Eighteen" mentioned as being number one in Cleveland

Feb (21st?) `71 `Love It To Death` released.

Me Alice: February the band returned to Pontiac Farm. Shep and Joey had opened up an office on West Thirteenth Street, Greenwich Village, NY where they sat on the phones promoting the record. Things start happening and `18` starts getting airplay. The band head back into the studio to record the rest of the album with Bob Ezrin. Charlie Carnel and Mike Allen built first, `The Cage Of Fire`(which Alice claims WAS used a couple of times, MB says once), and then The Electric Chair.

Early`71 The Bootleg `Paracidal Slumbers' was recorded early in 1971 at the Roostertail Supper Club just outside Detroit.

(Feb 23rd `71 The band are due to go see The Small Faces)

Feb 26th `71(Friday) Electric Playground, Columbus, OH

Feb 27th `71 Toronto

Early '71 tour dates included the Melody Art (read porno) Theater in Inkster, Michigan (USA) about 10 miles due West of Detroit. Alice played there for several Sunday midnight shows. Alice played there before and after 18 charted

'71 Unknown date - The Virginia Theater on First Street in Alexandria, Virginia. The band plays "18". Could have been 1970 but more likely 1971.

Pre-march `71 ACG did do a show sometime before March 1971 with the Who at the Grande Ballroom, Detroit. AC didn't like their performance.

March 20th '71 Cyrus Erie West, North Ridgeville, OH (w/ Rain)

March 31st `71 Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA (w/ Spirit, Freeport)

March 28th '71 Capitol Theatre, Springfield, MA

"I went to this my 1st Alice Cooper concert, and my 1st concert featuring a national big-name band. There was an opening act, whose name I didn't catch, but they were definitely a small local band. The Capitol was a very small, old converted movie theatre with NO seats and a carpeted floor on the main level and a very small balcony. If i was to guess, i would say that the total capacity of the theatre was somewhere around 1200-1500 people. They only had concerts there from the Summer of 1970 to May of 1971. Sadly the theatre was razed about 30 years ago. A vivid memory of this show was Alice being led off stage by a woman in a nurse's outfit (Cindy Smith) and coming back out in a straight jacket. I now know that the song was The Ballad Of Dwight Fry. "
(Ray Rivers, December 2007)

April `71 - Me Alice says `18` brakes nationwide. The band were now making $15,000 a night.

April 1st '71 Atlanta, GA, Municiple Auditoriun (W/ Ted Nugent And The Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station) [Ticket]

April 2nd `71 Curtis Hixon Hall, Tampa, Florida [Ticket]

April 6th `71 Montgomery, AL, Garrett Coliseum (w/ Brownsville Station)

April 16th `71 Detroit, Olympia Stadium (w/ Steppenwolf, Lighthouse)(flyer exists)

April 17th `71 Chicago, IL Opera House (w/ Stooges, Jam Band) - Apparently there was a giant cross onstage

April 24th `71 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theater (w/ Mike Quattro's Jam Band)

April 27th `71 Caught In A Dream single released

April 30th `71(Friday) St. Louis Arena at 'the Annex' - Alice Headlines. Possible the earliest arena headline show)(w/ Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station, Mike Quatro Jam Band) [Ticket]

May 1st `71 Struthers Field House, OH (w/ Velvet Underground, Brownsville Station and Biggy Rat)

May 3rd `71 New York, NY Town Hall (w/ Holy Modal Rounders) (Me Alice says the Town Hall was May 3rd)(feathers clog up air conditioning)

Article discribing the show from the New York Times

On stage, the lead singer of a rock band, a young man named Alice Cooper, has taken off his silver jump suit to reveal black leotards and panty hose. Now he has a live boa constrictor and is wrapping it around his arm.

Alice wears female clothes and makeup, and has a great many female affectations. He also has a good many violent affectations, wherein lies much of the appeal of the classic freak show.

This particular performance took place recently in Town Hall. It was Alice Cooper's first major concert in the city. Word was out ahead that Gerard Melanga, the Warhol superstar, was going to perform a whip dance with Alice. This didn't work out, but it was enough to bring out New York Pop Society, that curious amalgam of rock people, writers, various weird off-off Broadway people, and the Warhol camp.

The group came out on stage wearing skin-tight silver jump suits. Later, Alice did a strip dance from the jumpsuit, revealing leotards slit to the navel, and the panty hose. The group began a long, loud and generally undistinguished set. They're good, professional and capable of building excitement musically, but like so many hard rock bands, there is no particular melody and it all seems pretty much a background for the lead singer.

Alice, unlike most boys in girls' clothing, is fairly unimpressive facially. In his more grotesque moments, he looks a bit like Tiny Tim. He is thin and slinks around stage, but does not slink well. He coyly exposed a shoulder and one breast and sang a few songs.

Then a woman in costume came onstage and led him off. She returned a few minutes later with Alice in a straitjacket. "They said they'd let me out of here," he sang. Then he did another strip, removing the straitjacket.

He played with a hammer, a plastic rod, the boa constrictor; then some stagehands carried out an electric chair. Alice sat down and, at the crucial moment of electrocution, a lot of lights ringing the chair flashed on and off.

"We act as a mirror." he said. "People see themselves through us. Many times they react violently because they don't like what they see."

May '71 Chicago, IL Opera House

May 6th '71 Town Hall, NYC (advert) OR Minneapolis, MI

May 7th `71 Manato, Minnesota

May 8th `71 Crookston, Minnesota

May 9th `71 Rapid City, SD

May 12th '71 Virginia Beach Centre, Virginia Beach, Virginia (poster)

May 13th `71 Virginia Beach, The Dome (Press clipping exists dated 23rd May 1971 could suggest this was 23rd not 13th but that would clash with another show)

May 14th `71 Indianapolis,IN Bush Stadium

May 15th `71 Grand Rapids, MI, Kentwood Roller Rink

May 16th `71 Columbus, OH Veterans Memorial Auditorium

May 17th `71 Lafayette, IN Jefferson High School

May 19th `71 Baltimore, MD - Painter's Mill

May 21st `71 Saginaw, MI Saginaw Auditorium

(May 20th-23rd '71 And advert exists stating Alice is playing these three nights at the Fillmore West, San francisco but not confirmed it ever happened)

May 23rd `71 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum (w/ John Mayall, Mott The Hoople)

Also 1971 - 109th Armory in Kingston Pa. Homecoming Dance in a gym

May 28th `71 Oklahoma City

May 29th `71 Fort Worth, TX Will Rogers Coliseum (w/ John Mayall, Brownsville Station)

May 30th `71 San Antonio, TX, Temple University gymnasium(?)

May 31st `71 Houston, TX

June 4th `71 Eastown Theater, Detroit, MI (w/ The Flamin' Groovies, Wild Man Fischer, Glass Harp)

June 5th `71 Eastown Theater, Detroit, MI (w/ The Flamin' Groovies, Wild Man Fischer, Glass Harp) (eye witness)

June 11th-12th `71 New York, NY Fillmore East (The Final Concerts poster) (w/ Bloodrock,Glass Harp)(June 11th ticket exists and press pass for 12th exists)

June 13th `71 Alex, VA, Alexandria Roller Rink (poster)

June 14th `71 South Amboy, NJ - The Scene

(June ?? `71 Canton, OH, Memorial Aud. )

June 18th `71 Toledo, OH Toledo Sports Arena (w/ Amboy Dukes, Brownsville Station) (eye witness)

June 19th `71 Teen Scene '71 Festival, Birmingham, AL Fairgrounds (w/ Ted Nugent, Mountain and others)

Alice Cooper headlined on Saturday night.

June 20th `71 Sherriville, IN, Starwood Club, "Dex Cards Wild Goose Rock and Roll Club" (WBC).

Eyewitness report says he saw them three times this summer at the Sherwood Club in Sherriville, IN

"When I saw them in Sheriville In. they were nobodies. If memory serves, they played one night in June as part of "Dex Cards Wild Goose" Rock and Roll Club circuit (He was a Chicago DJ). I guess they did so good that ole' Dex had them back a month later to do 2 nights in a row! "

June `71 - Me Alice: Shep and Alice spend two nights in London to do press duties. They go shopping in Kings Road and visit Malcolm McLarens `Let It Rock` Shop buying various outfits for stage use. In the evening they visit the Speakeasy Club.

June 26th `71 Toronto, Beggar's Banquet Festival (w/ Steppenwolf, Bread, BloodRock, Beach Boys, Lighthouse, Chilliwack, Old Rationals)

June 29th `71 College in Boise Idaho.

Thursday in June/July `71 Passaic, New Jersey, Central Theater (w/ The Hampton Grease Band) [Ticket]

`71 Asbury Park, NJ, The Sunshine Inn - This is where the legendary "Stone Pony" black and white footage was actually recorded.

July 5th `71 Houston, TX - (w/ Canned Heat)

July 9th-10th `71 Paramount Northwest, Seattle, WA (w/ Ze Whiz Kidz, Doily Brothers)

July 11th `71 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Auditorium/Convention Hall (w/ Black Oak Arkansas, Savage Grace)

July `71 - Me Alice: The band receive their first royalty checks of $8,000 each.

July 13th `71 Oklahoma City, OK Fairgrounds Arena (handbill)

July 14th `71 Los Angeles, CA Ambassador Hotel Venetian Room (Bastille Day/Coming Out Party)

Me Alice: Warner Bros press party at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. The band are said to have performed a short set.

July 16th `71 Brothers Club, Aberdeen, WA (a show in Boise, Idaho was cancelled)(poss. w/ Mike Quatro Jam Band, Jim Gustafson, Poobah)

July `71 Findlay, Ohio Greenmill Gardens (Michael Bruce absent as he was in hospital in Detroit with bad ulcers)

July 19th `71 Ottawa Auditorium (w/ Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Yes ) (Eyewitness/Ticket)

July 23rd `71 Peoria, IL The Barn (see also 22 September 1971)

July 28th `71 Gaelic Park. The Bronx (W/ Black Sabbath)

July `71 Sherriville, IN Starwood Club (Two Nights - see above 20th June)

Me Alice: The Killer show was written during a three hour layover at O`Hare airport(Chicago) In August `71. The Makeup changes to the `demented clown` makeup.

Aug `71 Possible show at Rubber bowl, Akron, Ohio

August '71 Show on Boston Common, Boston, MA as part of the "Sunset Series". Eye witness and photo exists.

August 8th '71 Cincinnati Gardens, Cincinnati, Ohio (w/ Black Sabbath & Edgar Winter's White Trash)(eye witness)

Aug `71? Killer recorded.

Me Alice: Around this time the first Snake, Kachina, appeared. She was actually owned by Neal and Skip Ladd used to have to go to the pet shop to get live mice for her to eat.

Aug 21st `71 The Park, N. Baltimore, OH (w/ SRC, Reginal True, Rabbitt, Ormandy, Abu-Tala) - Reported tha Michael Bruce missed this show.

Aug 22nd '71 Lucas County Recreation Center, Maumee Ohio (Eye Witness)

Aug 28th `71 Wildwood, NJ, Wildwood Convention Centre [Ticket]

Sept 7th `71 Recording at RCA Studios, Chicago. According to contract, songs worked on were Desperado, Halo Of Flies and Under My Wheels

Sept `71 Richmond, VA Richmond Arena

Sept `71 Oklahoma City (mentioned in Zig Zag article)

Sept `71 Tampa, FL Fairgrounds

Sept 12th `71 Hollywood, FL Sportatoreum (w/ MC-5 & others)

(Sept 13th-14th `71 Berkeley, CA Berkeley Theatre ( w/ Led Zeppelin))

Sept 22nd `71 Peoria, IL The Barn (w/ Mike Quattro's Jam Band) (poster,ticket;PB)

Sept 24th-25th `71 Winterland, San Fanscisco (w/ Cold Blood, Glass Harp, John Nitzinger may have been in one of the support acts)(A handbill exists)

Sept 28th `71 Under My Wheels/Desperado released

Sept 30th `71 Rolling Stone run a news story about the building of the Gallows.

Oct 17th '71 Toledo, OH State Theater

Oct 19th `71 Irving, TX Danny Veno Auditorium

Oct 21st `71 Alice arrives in London

Oct 24th `71 Alice leaves London and flies to Denmark

Oct 25th `71 Copenhagen, Denmark Tivoli (w/ Tea)

Me,Alice mentions a Bremen show but could be referring to the Beat Club TV show which had Breman connections..

`Beat Club` TV appearance filmed and broadcast featuring `18`

Oct 26th `71 Alice leaves Denmark for Germany and records the performance on German show 'Beat Club'

Oct 27th `71 Frankfurt, Germany Jahrhunderhalle (w/ Procol Harem, Heads Hands and Feet)

"In 1971 I carried Alice off stage on my shoulder. Shep Gordon had me dress up in a Warner Brothers gorilla outfit and said you can play it one of two ways. Either play a casual nonchalant gorilla, or a mean swinging side to side gorilla. I played the latter. German kids would say "Look behind You! Look behind You!" In English and German. Alice was throwing posters out into the audience. I'm sweating up a storm under the stage lights that were flown in from England for the gig. Alice and I get into a pushing match and I just picked him up and carried him to the wings of the stage for Alice to give the final direction to end the song. The lights went out and the crowd called him back out for two more encores. The next day Neal was talking to the press at the Continental Hyatt House and they were wondering who the Gorilla was." (Skip Ladd, May 2000)

Oct 28th `71 Alice arrives in Holland

Oct 29th `71 Amsterdam, Holland Concertgebouw (w/ B.P. Mense (a fakir act!))

Oct 30th `71 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshaus (w/ Tea)

Nov 2nd `71 Paris, France Pierre Cardin Theatre(Originally scheduled to be the Olympia but venue management wouldn`t allow them in(Me Alice), Omar Sharif, Bianca Jagger and Alain Delon in the audience)

Nov 3rd `71 The band arrive in the UK with Alice suffering from flu. Me Alice: Two TV shows, `Top of the Pop`s` and `The Old Grey Whistle Test`(`Under My Wheels` and `Is It My Body?`) recorded. However no TOTP`s was broadcast at this time so this could be an error.

Nov 4th `71 Birmingham, England Mayfair Suite(Original venue was The Kinetic Circus, Robert Plant in audience?) - First UK appearance

Nov 5th 1971 Records 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' TV Show

Nov 7th `71 London, England Rainbow Theatre (w/ Arthur Brown, Roger Ruskin Spear) (Bowie in audience) [Ticket]

Nov 9th `71 Alice leaves London Alice was due to record an appearance on 'Top Of The Pops' on November 10th but this never happened.

Nov `71 Killer released