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Two-thirds of the founding members of the Hollywood Vampires — Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp — performed their first full concert without bandmate Joe Perry of Aerosmith. Perry collapsed on stage in New York on Sunday night and was hospitalized.
Cooper asked the audience several times during the concert to send Perry get-well wishes, and certainly, the lead guitarist was missed, especially when the group performed Aerosmith's “Sweet Emotion” and “Train Kept A-Rollin'.”
Perry's absence didn't deter most concert-goers, but he was clearly part of the appeal of coming to the show.
“We've seen Alice Cooper three times, and, of course, Johnny Depp – we love his movies,” said Chris Stacy, speaking about herself and husband Mark.
“And Aerosmith, well, they've been on our bucket list,” the Beavercreek woman said.
The Hollywood Vampires take their name from a 1970s celebrity drinking club formed by Cooper that included other musicians, such as Keith Moon of The Who. The band's setlist honors a number of Cooper's rock musician friends who died untimely deaths due to the excessive lifestyle that's a hallmark of rock and roll superstardom.
A consummate singer and songwriter, Cooper is known as the godfather of "shock rock," whose shows typically include snakes, electric chairs, straight jackets and guilletines. With The Hollywood Vampires, he has reinvented himself. He showed off his pipes in numbers ranging from David Bowie's "Suffragette City" to Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" to Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion."
“If we didn't do one of your favorite covers tonight, it's because they're not dead yet,” Cooper told the audience.
The show's message was a mix of rock-while-you-can carpe diem as well as a reminder of the dangers of living on the edge.
Joe Perry's publicist has reported that the guitarist “will rejoin his fellow Vampires on stage again soon.”
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