Went to see Alice play last night at the AIS Arena here in Canberra. Given that it is a basketball/netball/volleyball stadium we wondered if Alice or the sports were sponsored by Dencorub and Gatorade 😉
The support band were called Six Hours. They were competent but boring. We thought they could’ve been renamed Matchbox 15 or Half-Live. Very derivative and nothing original. Their singer looked like Keith Urban and we’re not sure if that is good or bad.
Alice was LOUD. Often the mix had way too much top end in ot making it harsh. Ear plugs fixed that (I am OLD!). He played all his standards (set list at the end) and did the whole stage show – he was hanged (hung?) at the gallows – the whole nine yards. His band (including Eminem’s bass player I am told) were awesome – very tight and very energetic. The high point for me was probably when Alice was off stage and the two guitarists and the drummer were all playing the drums along with the bass player. That is not to take away from Alice, but this was different and fairly groovy really.
Best song…..hard to say…but there was one dud. Poison. I remember it from the early 90’s (or was it ’89). It was the closing number and it really just didn’t stack up to anything else he played. It was really one dimensional compared to the rest.
So….all in all a great gig – see him now if he comes your way. Alice is 59….
Setlist: It’s Hot Tonight / No More Mr Nice Guy / Under My Wheels / I’m Eighteen / Is It My Body? / Woman Of Mass Distraction / Lost In America / Feed My Frankenstein / Be My Lover / Raped And Freezin’ / Public Animal #9 / Muscle Of Love / Desperado / Halo Of Flies (inc.Drum Solo) / Welcome To My Nightmare / Cold Ethyl / Only Women Bleed / Steven / Dead Babies / Ballad Of Dwight Fry / Medley: Devils Food – Killer – I Love The Dead / School’s Out / Billion Dollar Babies / Poison / Elected