Support Acts and Shared Bills

Alice Cooper co-founder and Hall Of Fame inductee Dennis Dunaway answers your questions!

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VinceRaven
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Support Acts and Shared Bills

Post by VinceRaven » Sat Jul 24, 2021 11:45 pm

Hey Dennis,

The high profile bands you've supported and have been supported by are fairly well documented. Were there any acts you played with that went under the radar but happen to stick in your memory? Any gigs that aren't as celebrated as you think they should have been?

And, if you don't mind me being a bit niche, I'm a big fan of the Flamin' Groovies who contrived to be on some immense gig line-ups in the early seventies, including with the Alice Cooper group. Do you have any recollections of sharing the stage with them?

Thanks

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Dreary
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Re: Support Acts and Shared Bills

Post by Dreary » Sun Jul 25, 2021 6:54 pm

I haven't kept track of what gigs are known and which might deserve more attention so I'll just grab a few that pop into my head.

During The Spiders reign in Arizona, we opened for the Lovin' Spoonful, The Byrds, The Bobby Fuller Four, and the Hollies.
Those were all exciting shows.

Alice Cooper played at a club on the coast of Oregon circa '69. The other band had gone way over their time slot so we got stuck with 15 minutes. We plowed through 4 songs then unleashed every prop we had including a feather storm that unlikely settled until we were half way to California.

We once played on the popular Virginia Graham Show live on television. We were forced to sing along to our pre-recorded instrumental track but they played the track at such a low volume that we had a tough time staying in time. When the curtain closed, Neal was cursing about it. He didn't know that our microphones were still hot and he could be heard in the audience. Graham swore our career was over.

Sorry that I don't recall much about the Flamin' Groovies, but there are bands that I think are under the radar.

The Chambers Brothers were masterful showmen who's closing song was "Time Has Come Today" with a gigantic ending that always left audiences in a wonderful mood.

The Sic F*cks are one of the few CBGB bands that never broke big. Their shows are still so ridiculously politically incorrect that it's sheer fun. Their punk integrity remains intact and they refuse to change their name to something that can be said on the radio or even in print, which is more reason to love them.

The Icelandic band Dimma are excellent writers, recording pros, and they put on one of the most powerful shows ever. They're highly respected in Iceland but the world needs to catch up.

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VinceRaven
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Re: Support Acts and Shared Bills

Post by VinceRaven » Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:42 pm

Thanks Dennis.

A pity you don't recall the Groovies but yet more fascinating info.

Cheers

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