Welcome To My Nightmare Timeline

Timeline 9 Welcome To My Nightmare

1975

Jan 2nd `75 Alice`s first talk show appearance on `Mike Douglas Show` with Peter Falk and Ryan O`Neal.

Jan 13th `75 'The Smothers Brothers Show' aired.

Jan 20th `75 Alice signs new deal with Atlantic to issue `Welcome To My Nightmare`(MM).

Feb `75 Welcome To My Nightmare album released.

In `Me, Alice`, Alice reports being in rehearsals for four months before the tour started.

Mar `75 `The Nightmare` TV Special filmed in Toronto.

Mar `75 Only Women Bleed released

Mar `75 Three weeks rehearsals in Los Angeles.

Welcome To My Nightmare Tour

Support: Suzi Quatro(US), Heavy Metal Kids (Europe)

Mar 21st `75 Kalamazoo, MI Wings Stadium

Mar 24th `75 Mustegon, MI L.C. Walfer Sports Arena

Mar 25th `75 Green Bay, WI Brown County Arena

Mar 27th `75 Evansville IN Roberts Stadium [Ticket]

Mar 28th `75 Flint MI I.M.A. Auditorium [Ticket]

Mar 29th `75 Erie, PA County Fieldhouse

31st Mar `75 Alice holds a press conference at the North Lake Shore Drive Holiday Inn's Great Lakes Room above Lake Michigan to discuss the tour and the fact he`d just been banned from Australia.

Tues April 1st `75 Chicago, IL Chicago Stadium [Ticket]

Also: Alice appears on "The Phil Donahue Show".

April 3rd `75 Indianapolis, IN Market Square Arena - canceled as Alice was trapped in Chicago during a bad snow storm

April 4th `75 Richfield, OH(Cleveland) Richfield Coliseum

April 5th `75 Detroit, MI Olympia Stadium [Ticket] [Ticket]

April 6th `75 Cincinnati, OH Gardens

? `75 Dayton, OH Hara Arena (w/Suzi Quatro)

April 8th `75 Detroit, MI The Olympia (17,000 tickets sold out in an hour)The original band are in the audience(minus Glen)and discuss business matters after the show. This was pretty much the end of the original band.

April 10th `75 Richmond, VA Richmond Coliseum

April 11th `75 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Civic Center

April 12th `75 Charlotte, NC Charlotte Coliseum

April 13th `75 Atlanta, GA Omni

April 17th `75 Tampa, FL Curtis-Hixon Convention Hall

April 18th `75 Hollywood, FL Miami Sportatorium (w/ Suzi Quatro) [Ticket]

April 20th `75 Norfolk, VA Scope

April 24th `75 Baltimore, MD Civic Center

April 25th `75 Philadelphia, PA Spectrum

`The Nightmare` TV special aired at 11.30pm.

April 26th `75 Boston, MA Garden (ticket)

April 27th `75 Hartford, CT Civic Center (ticket exists)

April 29th `75 South Bend, IN, Notre Dame [Ticket]

May 1st `75 Syracuse, NY Onadogo War Memorial [Ticket]

May 2nd `75 Toronto Maple Leaf Garden (w/ Suzi Quatro) [Ticket]

May 3rd `75 Ottawa, Ontario Civic Center Arena (Central Canada Exposition Arena)

May 4th `75 Niagara Falls, NY Convention Center (poster) [Ticket]

May 5th `75 Madison Square Gardens, New York (w/ Suzi Quatro)(MM review and ticket) [Ticket] [Ticket]

Melody Maker 17th May `75: `Alice Cooper brought his new "Nightmare" show to Madison Square Garden on Monday evening and celebrated with a party at Ashley's after the concert. Present were members of the old Alice Cooper band Glen Buxton, Mike Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith, who all huddled around Alice discussing the future. Bruce told the MM he has got a new band together and a new album, and will shortly be out on the road.`
New York Times 16th infers this show will be 5th)
Also in the audience were David Cassidy, Flo and Eddie, Suzi Quatro, Lou Reed, Todd Rundgren and maybe Warhol too.

May 14th `75 Denver, CO Coliseum

May 15th `75 St. Louis, MO Kiel Auditorium

May 16th `75 Kansas City, MO Crosby-Kemper [Ticket]

This venue replaced Tarrant County, TX, Convention Centre but ticket says Ft. Worth Convention Center Arena, TX which was canceled Radio spots exist for the the Texas show both promoting it and announcing the cancellation (sold on ebay) [Ticket]

May 16th `75 `Flash Fearless` released.

May 17th `75 Tulsa, OK Assembly Center

May 18th `75 Houston, TX Sam Houston Coliseum [Ticket]

May 21st `75 Knoxville, TN Civic Auditorium Col.

May 22nd `75 Louisville, KY Municipal Auditorium

May 23rd `75 Memphis, TN Mid South Coliseum

May 24th `75 Mobile, AL Municipal Auditorium

May 25th `75 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium

May 26th 1975 Alice spends the day at a local riding school in Nashville with band and crew

May 27th `75 Johnson City, TN Freedom Hall Civic Center

May 28th `75 Huntsville, AL Von Braun Civic Center

May 29th `75 Little Rock, AR Barton Coliseum

May 30th `75 Shreveport, LA Hirsh Memorial Coliseum (ticket)

May 31st `75 Oklahoma City, OK Fairgrounds Arena

June 1st `75 Amarillo, TX Civic Center

June 5th `75 Monroe, LA Monroe Civic Center

June 6th `75 Jackson, MS Mississippi Coliseum [Ticket] [Ticket]

June 7th `75 New Orleans, LA City Park Stadium - 21,274 record outdoor attendance in New Orleans, $166,432 record box office receipts (Another report says it was possibly canceled when the local Fire Marshall wouldn`t grant a permit)

June 8th `75 Dallas, TX Moody Coliseum

June 12th `75 Bakersfield, CA Civic Auditorium

June 13th `75 San Bernadino, CA Swing Auditorium [Ticket]

June 14th `75 Phoenix, AZ Veterans Memorial Coliseum

June 15th `75 Fresno, CA Selland Arena [Ticket]

June 17th `75 Los Angeles, CA Forum [Ticket]

June 18th `75 Los Angeles, CA Forum [Ticket]

It has been suggested there were 4 nights at the Forum
Recorded for the `King Biscuit Flower Hour` radio programme.

June 20th `75 Portland, OR Portland Memorial Coliseum (*poster)

June 21st `75 Seattle, WA Seattle Center

June 22nd `75 Spokane, WA Coliseum

June 23rd `75 Vancouver, BC P.N.E. Coliseum (Alice falls off stage)

Rolling Stone - 13th July 1975:

The status of Alice Cooper's tour was thrown into doubt after AC fell off the stage during his June 23rd ('75) Vancouver show, breaking six ribs and suffering a concussion. The accident occurred after the opening number, "Welcome To My Nightmare", as AC chased the Nightmares into a ten-foot-tall toy box. The box tipped over, flipping Alice on his head into the security barriers.
After being treated in the dressing room, Cooper returned to the stage 40 minutes later, his head and sidewrapped in bandages. He was able to perform several numbers before ending the abbreviated show to cheers from the 17,000 in attendance. He was then driven to the local hospital, where he received 15 stitches to his head.

AC appeared against his doctor's advice at his next date, in Edmonton, three days later, although warning the crowd he wasn't fit enough to put on an entire show. 35 minutes into the performance he collapsed after experiencing breathing trouble. Ticket refunds were offered, although no one was reported to have asked for one.

The next day, manager Shep Gordon sounded a pessimistic note on the status of AC's next show, in Minneapolis June 28th:

"Everybody around him says he looks horrible.

But on the day of the performance, a publicity aide to Cooper said he was feeling "pretty spirited" and that the show would go on, adding "he's just going to be really careful."

June 26th `75 Edmonton, Alberta Coliseum

Alice collapses after 35 minutes.

June 28th `75 Minneapolis, MN Metropolitan Sports Arena

June 29th `75 Omaha, NE Civic Center

July `75 Department Of Youth released

July 2nd `75 Winnipeg, Manitoba Veledrome Arena

July 3rd `75 Duluth, MN Arena Auditorium

July 4th `75 Des Moines, IA Veterans Memorial Auditorium

July 6th `75 Jersey City, NJ Roosevelt Stadium Garden State Summer Music Festival (w/ Johnny Winter, Leslie West (featuring Corky Laing)) - listed on official schedule and letters in show documentation and advert

July ?th `75 Charleston, WV Charleston Civic Center Auditorium

July 9th `75 Largo, MD Capitol Center(Landover) or Capital Centre, Washington, DC (ticket exists for latter).

July 10th `75 Harrisburg, PA Farm Show Arena

July 11th `75 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Center

July 12th`75

Unknown paper dated 12th July reports:

Alice Cooper hosted a party here(Los Angeles) last week and everyone was there. It was to celebrate America's Bicentennial, a pastime that is gradually taking over all activity in this country, and the powers that be took over the Palladium for more than 2,000 people. Nothing really happened that was too outrageous, because as one observer put it, "everything was waiting for someone else to start something." Attending the party were David Crosby, Bill Graham, Nigel Olsson, Suzi Quatro, Flo and Eddie, Aerosmith, Ray Manzarek, Davy Jones, Terry Ellis

July 13th `75 Montreal, Forum

July 15th `75 Broom Country Veterans Memorial, Binghampton, New York (CANCELED?)

July 16th `75 Providence, RI Providence Civic Center (MC announces that this is the 77th and last show.)(w/ James Gang)

August 9th '75 Alice attends the "Rock Music Awards" official (programme)

Aug 12th `75 Alice now has a moustache while in New York!

Aug 13th '75 Alice sees Dr John at the Purple's in New York

Aug `75 Alice Hollywood home burns to the ground. The cause is thought to be an electrical fault. It takes a year to rebuild.

Sounds Aug 30th `75:A moustached Alice Cooper, looking like a Mexican bandit buzzed into New York last week with his 'Department Of Youth' clean up crew. They plan to clean up various parks in the Autumn. Alice, Die to play some British dates in a few weeks, is seen here at New York's Riverside Park supervising the rubbish collection.
Time 25th Aug: Sometimes there's more to Vaude-Rocker Alice Cooper than meets the eye shadow. After a three-week Hawaiian vacation. Cooper came to New York last week and was . . . well, swept up in a city cleanup campaign. Joining some 300 volunteers, the rock star spent a couple of hours clearing away the garbage in one of Manhattan's parks. "I'm an old sentimentalist about New York." explained Cooper. That may be just as well. While the singer was away from home, his new $150,000 house in West Los Angeles burned to the ground.

Aug `75 - Cream(Sept `75 issue):Alice Cooper pulled out all the plugs recently in a Bicentennial tribute to the 200-year history of the American music industry. Although Francis Scott Key might have felt out of place at the extravaganza Alice co-hosted with the Los Angeles Bicentennial Committee at the Hollywood Palladium, the celebration was everything the 2,000 invited guests could have asked for.

Late Aug Press tour of the UK. Alice was due to represent the US at a golf tournament at Glen Eagles in Scotland. He was to partner Tom Weiskopf but had to pull out due to exhaustion. When the match was televised, Alice presented the trophy to the winner, Tom Weiskopf and actor Christopher Lee.
He flew out of Heathrow for Sweden on Aug 30th.

Aug 31st `75 Gröna Lund Stockholm Sweden

Sept 1st `75 Gothenburg, Sweden Scandinavium

Sept 3rd `75 Copenhagen, Denmark Falkoner Theatre

Sept 4th `75 Bremen, Germany Stadthalle

Sept 5th `75 Stuttgart, Germany Sporthalle, Boblingen [Ticket]

Sept 6th `75 Ludwigshafen, Germany Radstadium (Open Air Festival)(w/ Status Quo, UFO, Supertramp, Leslie West, randy Pie, Baker Gurvitz Army, Snafu, Chapman-Witney, Streetwalkers)

Sept 7th `75 Vienna, Austria Stadthalle

Sept 8th `75 Munchen, Germany Cirkus Krone

Alice leaves Munich on the 9th, a day earlier then planned so that he can appear on the Russell Harty show in the UK (which Alice described in Me, Alice as his best TV interview) only to be stopped at customs for an unpaid hotel bill. Apparently the hotel wanted them to pay for an extra day despite the fact they weren`t going to be there.
When they finally arrived at Heathrow, one of the dancers exited the plane in the full Cyclops costume much to the amusement of the people at immigration who called him Mr. Clops.
When he arrived at his hotel(The Savoy) he turned on the TV to discover the German hotel manager had called a press conference and was accusing the band of stealing towels and ashtrays!
While in London, Alice went to the St. Lorenzo Restaurant with Valerie Perrine, Peter Sellers and Richard Chamberlain.

Sept 11th `75 London, England Wembley Empire Pool [Ticket]

Backstage Alice was joined by Richard Chamberlain, Peter Sellers, Lynsey De Paul, Russell Harty, Alan White (of Yes), David Essex, Steve Hackett (then of Genesis), Keith Emerson, financier Bernie Cornfield and Jeanette Charles, a noted impersonator of Britains' very own Queen, who presented Alice with a gold disc for U.K. sales of 'Welcome To My Nightmare'.

Sept 12th `75 London, England Wembley Empire Pool [Ticket]

The two Wembley shows were filmed and released as 'Welcome To My Nightmare'. This tape has been re-released several times over the years and on April 20th, 1999 Rhino released a special DVD of the film:

LOS ANGELES - Rhino Home Video courageously releases one of the most extravagant rock shows ever filmed with the April 20 DVD and VHS release of Alice Cooper's "Welcome To My Nightmare". The king of shock rock unfurls his nightmarish illusions in this legendary performance originally filmed for theatrical release before a live sold-out audience at Wembley in London on September 11-12, 1975.

This concert for the platinum-selling album gets the full Rhino treatment on a special DVD, featuring an alternate commentary track recorded by Alice himself, a new never-before-seen interview, and a specially created Alice Cooper memorabilia and trivia game. Both the VHS and DVD programs are completely remastered from the original film elements and newly repackaged utilizing the original album art.

Alice Cooper was the first artist to take rock to shockingly theatrical extremes. The Welcome To My Nightmare show, featuring rock's famed guitar duo of Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, offers up plenty of ghoulish images, including dancing skeletons, giant black widow spiders, graveyards, a nine foot tall Cyclops, and a special narrative appearance from fellow horror-meister, Vincent Price, and a finale with Alice's ground-breaking "magic" movie screen that "comes to life"! Of course, Cooper hits and classics are showcased including I'm Eighteen, School's Out, Only Women Bleed, No More Mr. Nice Guy and the trademark title track.

There is also a UK DVD release on Eagle Rock but this version DOES NOT have any of the features of the Rhino Version. Avoid it.

Sept 14th `75 Liverpool, England Empire Pool

Sept 16th `75 Paris, France Pavilion(schedule) or Olympia

Sept 17th `75 Antwerp, Belgium Sportspalatz [Ticket]

On around the 15th September an Alice Cooper Balloon was floated through Antwerp to advertise the show. This Balloon was also used in London and Australia.

Sept 19th `75 Hamburg, Germany Ernst Menk(canceled due to German hotel problem above - Me, Alice)

Sept 20th `75 Dortmund, Germany Westhaller(canceled due to German hotel problem above - Me, Alice)

Sept 21st `75 Alice returns to New York.

Oct `75 Welcome To My Nightmare/Cold Ethyl single release

Australian/New Zealand Dates canceled:

Nov 18th `75 Auckland, New Zealand Western Springs Stadium CANCELED
Nov 21st `75 Brisbane, Australia Lang Park CANCELED
Nov 23rd `75 Sydney, Australia Randwick Racecourse CANCELED
Nov 25th `75 Melbourne, Australia Myer Music Bowl CANCELED
Nov 26th `75 Adelaide, Australia Wayville Showground CANCELED
Nov 29th `75 Perth, Australia W.A.C.A. CANCELED

Nov 24th `75 Tonight Show

Nov 26th `75 `Welcome To My Nightmare` concert film released.

Dec 12-20th `75 Lake Tahoe, NV Sahara`s High Sierra Theatre

Week long stint. Steve Hunter (or Wagner?) replaced by Danny Weiss (of Iron Butterfly and Rhinoceros) Personal appearance by Vincent Price on opening night
Newpaper: Alice Cooper became the first rock star to appear at the Sahara Tahoe, Las Vegas, Nevada, where he opened on December 12 for a one-week engagement, during which he performed the 'Welcome To My Nightmare' show. Vincent Price appeared to perform his parts live at the first show.

In 1975, Alice had been scheduled to tour Australia but canceled. When he returned the following year he was arrested due to a dispute with the previous promoter.

Time - 7th April 1975:"I am not going to allow a degenerate who could powerfully influence the young and weak-minded to enter this country and stage this sort of exhibition here." declared Australian Labor and Immigration Minister Clyde Cameron after banning a tour Down Under by eye-shadowed Vaude-Rocker Alice Cooper. "Isn't it crazy?" said Alice. "People still think I kill chickens on-stage." Alice's defense of his props is somewhat cobwebbed too: "I have never done anything nearly as bloody as King Lear or Macbeth, and that's considered required reading in every high school in America."

Dec 30th `75 Dinah! show airs (recorded early Nov.) in Los Angeles during which Vincent Price awards Alice with a Gold Disc for Welcome To My Nightmare. This date was stated on a letter to Alice from the show informing him of the airdate.

1976

Jan 6th `76 `Dinah Shore` show with Vincent Price(Repeat presumably.)

Feb `76 Alice attends Bowie after show party.

Rock Scene: "David Bowie holds a private party after his show at LA Forum and among those who drop in are Stephen Ford, Carly Simon, Alice Cooper, Ray Bradbury, and Flo & Eddie"
Rock Scene states that this was May but if it WAS a party after a Bowie show it can only be Feb 8th, 9th or 11th.

Feb 28th `76 Alice was invited by the Krewe of Endymion, an ultra-conservative carnival club, to be The Grand Duke of Endymion for 1976. This prestigious honour involved Alice heading the parade at the New Orleans Mardi Gras. It was the largest parade in the history of New Orleans Mardi Gras with 25 major floats, 11 mini floats, 22 marching bands and 10 military drill units, as well as hordes of TV, radio and press people. The previous evening he attended a small gathering of 7,000 at a party thrown in his honour.

March 2nd `76 Alice Cooper is made Mardi Gras Grand Marshall at the Endymion Parade in New Orleans along with Wolfman Jack. The Theme that year was `Hail To The Chiefs`. (The date was found at mardigras.org)

Mar 20th `76 Alice and Sheryl get married in Acapulco, Mexico.

On honeymoon, they spend some time in Antwerp.

June 7th `76 I Never Cry/Go To Hell released

June 25th `76 Go To Hell album released

Australian Nightmare tour 1977

The 'Welcome To My Nightmare' Show was also performed on Australia in 1977. This is covered at that point in the timeline but for convenience I include the details here as well

Dick Wagner- guitar
Bob Kulick - Guitar
Prakash John - bass
Penti 'Whitey' Glan - drums
Mark Stein - Keyboards

The setlist was similar to the 'Welcome To My Nightmare' tour but there were differences. For one, they included 'I Never Cry'.

In 1975, Alice had been scheduled to tour Australia but canceled When he returned the following year he was arrested due to a dispute with the previous promoter.

Time - 7th April 1975

"I am not going to allow a degenerate who could powerfully influence the young and weak-minded to enter this country and stage this sort of exhibition here." declared Australian Labor and Immigration Minister Clyde Cameron after banning a tour Down Under by eye-shadowed Vaude-Rocker Alice Cooper. "Isn't it crazy?" said Alice. "People still think I kill chickens on-stage." Alice's defense of his props is somewhat cobwebbed too: "I have never done anything nearly as bloody as King Lear or Macbeth, and that's considered required reading in every high school in America."

Tour dates :1977

March 14-15th `77 Perth Entertanment Centre (w/ Hush) [Ticket]

March 18th `77 Adelaide Westlakes Football Stadium (w/ Hush)

March 21-24th `77 Melbourne Festival Hall (w/ Hush) [Ticket]

March 26th `77 Sydney Showground (w/ Hush) [Ticket]

March 29-30th `77 Brisbane Festival Hall (w/ Hush) [Ticket]

April 4th `77 Auckland Western Springs Stadium (w/ Hush)

Apparently there was a promo in the Australian streets with a helium balloon blowup of Alice which has been made by Disney's in Los Angeles