Dream Setlist: Alice Cooper Edition

Those who have known me for a while now are likely well-acquainted with my adoration of Alice Cooper’s music. To sum things up, he quickly became my favorite artist when I first got into his music while I was in middle school, and the impact his music has had on my life is indescribable. After being a fan for most of my lifetime now, my first time seeing him live didn’t come until August 29, 2023 in Raleigh, NC during the co-headlining “Freaks on Parade” Tour with Rob Zombie. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long for my second show, because his headlining “Too Close For Comfort” fall leg made a stop in Wilmington, NC just a little over a month later, conveniently just an hour away from my hometown of Jacksonville, NC. Almost a year and a half later, and I’m getting ready to see him for the third time in Greensboro, NC tonight and already having my fingers crossed for a fourth chance in the near future.

I’m not the type of guy to look up what the setlist is before a show, because I prefer to experience it all in the moment and be as surprised as possible in the event that there’s a deep cut or rare favorite. Having seen the “Too Close For Comfort” show twice previously now, I’m interested to see what changes have been made since the last time, either from a musical or theatrical standpoint. Ever since last summer, one of my favorite things to do before a big concert is to try to come up with my dream setlist for the band I’m about to see — sometimes I try to keep it realistic for the time period I’m about to see them, while for others I just name a bunch of my favorite songs and come up with an order for them.

Coming up with a dream setlist for an artist like Alice Cooper, who has almost 30 albums and plenty of B-sides that deserve more attention, is an incredibly difficult task — when you take all of the hits that he’s accrued over his career into consideration, there’s a fair amount of time that has to be dedicated to those songs that fans and casual listeners expect and demand to hear. However, he’s also one to make the most of his time onstage and play over 20 songs per night, so there’s still some room to change the rotation and add different songs here and there. For this hypothetical setlist, I stuck to the template of the “Too Close For Comfort” show as far as where to place the hits, and then add some deep cuts that I think should make a return (or debut) to the live show. I also broke my 17-song no-encore rule and moved it up to 25 songs because of how many songs Cooper tends to play during his shows. With that, this is what I was able to come up with for my dream Alice Cooper setlist.

1. “Triggerman” (Dragontown, 2001)

Alice Cooper’s short-lived metal phase in the early 2000s had its fair share of hard-hitting anthems, with the most famous example being the title track to his 2000 epic Brutal Planet. While that song may actually be the perfect concert opener, given the times we’re living in today, it’s about time that the opening track to 2001’s Dragontown get its time in the spotlight. While it was briefly put in the middle of the setlist during the touring cycle for Dragontown at the time, the time to have this energetic banger kick off a live show is long overdue.

2. “Lock Me Up” (Raise Your Fist and Yell, 1987)

Taking the fast-paced ending of “Triggerman” into consideration, there’s potential for a drum transition right into “Lock Me Up” — while it’s currently the show-starter for the “Too Close For Comfort” era, and a super solid one at that, I wish the entire song would be played, or at least through the post-chorus. That being said, this song keeps the energy up, and it’s honestly wild to believe that it wasn’t even played during the Raise Your Fist and Yell touring cycle. However, now that it’s currently in the setlist for the stage show they’re using now, hopefully it’d be in more people’s heads and more recognizable, which could lead to them playing the song in its entirety on a future tour.

3. “No More Mr. Nice Guy” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

Getting to the hits, this is the most fitting choice to play first — it’s one of the biggest songs in Cooper’s entire discography, and the upbeat energy makes it the right one to play early in the set. It does the job of getting the crowd excited and singing along during its catchy chorus, so it’s a great move to play this song as soon as possible.

4. “I’m Eighteen” (Love It to Death, 1971)

Playing the hits back-to-back is always a smart move, especially when you still have enough to save for the end of the show like Alice Cooper does. There’s also the theatrical element of Cooper wielding a crutch during this song, which has become an aesthetic mainstay in his shows for several decades now. It’s almost always been played early in the setlist, so it almost feels strange to save it for later.

5. “Under My Wheels” (Killer, 1971)

While this made for a great show-closer during the 2009-2010 “Theatre of Death” Tour, which is my personal favorite stage show in Cooper’s live career, I’ve learned during my times seeing the “Too Close For Comfort” show that it’s just as fitting, if not more, during the opening part of the set. It’s also a great early moment to give the guitarists time to improvise solos one after the other, which is another fun part of an Alice Cooper show.

6. “All Over the World” (Road, 2023)

Alice Cooper’s latest album, 2023’s Road, was a solid release both conceptually and musically — chronicling the average life of a touring musician, Cooper recruited his touring lineup to not only perform in the studio with him for the first time, but also play as “live” as possible, with little to no overdubs and no multitrack instrumental layering. While there are definitely a couple tracks that are perfect for the stage, like the opening back-to-back of “I’m Alice” and “Welcome to the Show,” there’s something about “All Over the World” that feels like it would be a stellar live track as well. If Alice Cooper’s stage show continues having video screens in the background like the “Too Close For Comfort” show currently does, this song could present an interesting oppportunity to either show footage of the audiences the band plays in front of worldwide, montages of the band getting ready for a show backstage, or anything of the sort, similar to how Rush’s stage show was for tours like “Time Machine” and “R40.”

7. “Billion Dollar Babies” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

This is another hit that is just mandatory for a live Alice Cooper show — it’s become a tradition for dollar bills with Cooper’s face on them to fly into the crowd during performances of this song, which always makes for a fun experience for those close enough to the stage. This is a song that could probably fit anywhere in the set, but between the live DVDs I’ve watched and the shows I’ve seen on the “Too Close For Comfort” cycle so far, I’ve come to enjoy when it’s played earlier in the set for some reason.

8. “(In Touch With) Your Feminine Side” (Along Came a Spider, 2008)

Along Came a Spider was a very interesting concept album, one that I actually prefer over that of Cooper’s 1975 smash-hit album Welcome to My Nightmare (controversial take, I know), but it may be difficult to fit many songs from that album into a live set over 15 years after its release. However, this specific track is lyrically vague enough to comfortably find a place on the stage, and it has that classic Cooper charm that makes it perfectly plausible to bring this song back into the fold.

9. “Novocaine” (The Eyes of Alice Cooper, 2003)

It’s no secret that 2003’s The Eyes of Alice Cooper is my favorite Alice Cooper album and “Novocaine” is my favorite song, so this is a purely selfish pick on my part. While I’m glad it had its moment on the stage during the album’s touring cycle, I selfishly wish there could be a time in which I’d be able to see it return to the setlist in the future. While this may be the most unlikely possibility on this entire hypothetical setlist, aside from another song that we’ll get to later, it just wouldn’t feel right for me to leave this criminally underappreciated track out.

10. “Snakebite” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

One of my favorite moments of the entire “Too Close For Comfort” stage show is the performance of “Snakebite”— not only is the song one of Cooper’s catchiest, but this tour marks the first performances of this deep cut since the touring cycle for the Hey Stoopid album in the early 90s. It’s also the first time Cooper appears on stage with a live boa constrictor since the “Raise the Dead” Tour in the early 2010s, so it’s a phenomenal double-whammy situation. Despite its occasional absence, the snake has always been a big part of Cooper’s stage show over the decades, so I’d be perfectly content with “Snakebite” becoming a permanent part of the setlist and being the token snake song for all future tours.

11. “Guilty” (Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, 1976)

Easily one of my favorite songs from Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, this track looks like it’s just as much fun on the stage as it is to listen to on the album. Most recently played in 2016 for the “Spend the Night with Alice Cooper” Tour, this upbeat banger is another one that some casual fans may not recognize, but it’ll easily be stuck in their head before the end of the song. The lower tuning that it’s played in now also gives a little more edge to it, and I have my fingers crossed it makes a return to the setlist soon.

12. “Hey Stoopid” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

The title track to another one of my all-time favorite Alice Cooper albums have become a little bit of a live staple, with fans always excited to hear it when the time comes. There’s also a fun moment on stage during the “Too Close For Comfort” show with this song in which Cooper’s photographer and personal assistant is impaled during the guitar solos, a sequence that’s also become a memorable part of the live show over the years. As far as Alice Cooper’s major hits go, this is probably my favorite of the bunch, and while the song has heavy lyrical themes of suicide and addiction, it’s a super fun song to listen to from a sonic perspective, with that lively feeling translating very well on the stage.

13. “Might As Well Be On Mars” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

If there can only be one ballad in the set (minus “Poison,” of course), I would argue that it’s about time “Might As Well Be On Mars” finally makes it to the live show — it’s incredible to think that this song has never been performed live, and probably never will, but I know I’m not alone in holding out hope that hopefully there will come a time that it has its debut. On a technical level, this is easily one of the best songs Cooper has ever written, feeling like a full-blown movie in sonic form, so there’s certainly some way to bring it to the stage in terms of theatrics, whether it’s on an ambitious level or a more moodily understated fashion. Much like “Novocaine,” this is probably the most aspirational pick in terms of realistically having potential to make it on a real setlist in the future, but here’s to hoping.

14. “Feed My Frankenstein” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

Just like on the Hey Stoopid album, “Might As Well Be On Mars” serves as the midpoint of this hypothetical live show, with the show coming to a bit of a halt while that spectacle of a song is being performed. Kicking things back up would be this macabre rager, complete with the Franken-Alice monster roaming the stage, the dueling guitar solos, and the crowd singing along to the easily-recognizable chorus. It’s a great transition on the album, leading me to think it could make for an interesting moment on stage as well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right?

15. “Caught in a Dream” (Love It to Death, 1971)

This is likely on every old-school fan’s dream setlist, and for good reason — this classic fan-favorite from the band’s breakout album Love It to Death is a wonderfully energetic one, and it’s easy to imagine there may be a bit of a demand for its return to the fold. Having not been performed live since 2001, it’ll be interesting to hear what it’s like today when it’s inevitably downtuned, so hopefully there’s a chance to experience that song in a live setting once again soon.

16. “Spirits Rebellious” (The Eyes of Alice Cooper, 2003)

As you can see, there’s been no slowing down in this second half of the set so far, and a fantastic song to keep the momentum up is this aggressive cut from The Eyes of Alice Cooper. It’s unfortunate that the song was never played live, but with its upbeat energy, one can hope that it’ll make its live debut eventually. This is another example in which the audience may not be familiar with the song at first, but I’m confident that they’d be singing along and loving the song before it’s over. Additionally, Cooper’s current live band has the kind of stage presence and backing vocal ability that would be perfect for a song like this.

17. “Ghouls Gone Wild” (Welcome 2 My Nightmare, 2011)

Just like with Along Came a Spider, it’s hard to fit many songs from Welcome 2 My Nightmare into the set, but there’s one that I’ve always wanted to see live. “Ghouls Gone Wild” has a wicked fun and upbeat energy to it, and it’s just begging to be on the setlist with that kind of musicality. As a shorter track, it could comfortably be placed anywhere, and one can only imagine what the theatrical possibilities could be with it too.

18. “Poison” (Trash, 1989)

As another must, and likely one of the top 3 most popular Alice Cooper songs, this ballad is mandatory for every show — simply put, it wouldn’t be right if Blue Öyster Cult didn’t play “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper,” and it would feel outright wrong if Alice Cooper didn’t play “Poison.” While the live version has more of a rock edge to it, it’s still an incredibly impactful moment and a standout of every live set.

19. “Former Lee Warmer” (DaDa, 1983)

While there are quite a few gems from Alice Cooper’s “blackout” era of the early 80s, it’s difficult to comfortably place many of those songs into a live show now because of how much they stand out from the rest of Cooper’s discography, in terms of both composition and production. However, a cult classic has come in the form of “Former Lee Warmer,” arguably one of the most unsettling songs Cooper’s ever written. While it may be more fitting for a Broadway production of some sort as opposed to a rock show due to its subdued musicality, it’s interesting to think of what could be done with this song in a live setting, both musically and aesthetically.

20. “Dirty Diamonds” (Dirty Diamonds, 2005)

The successor to The Eyes of Alice Cooper left a lot to be desired as far as production goes, but there are still some gems that do very well on the stage. The title track became a fun moment similar to “Billion Dollar Babies,” with Cooper throwing fake diamond necklaces into the crowd during the performance, and it also became another opportunity for the guitarists to jam together for an extended period of time during the song’s most recent appearance on the setlist, in the 2015 leg of the “Raise the Dead” Tour. There are a handful of examples in which a song sounds better live than in the studio, and this song is one of the first that comes to mind for me.

21. “Hurricane Years” (Hey Stoopid, 1991)

There are plenty of tracks from Hey Stoopid that could be used live (as evidenced by me putting almost half the album in my dream setlist), and “Hurricane Years” is no exception. Again, if video screens are in the cards for future stage shows, there are some interesting visual possibilities that could be utilized during performances of this track, and I’m sure it won’t take much for the crowd to be able to sing along to this one. Also, coming from an area that gets hurricanes every year, there’s just something amusing about the idea of hearing this song live at a show in my state.

22. “Ballad of Dwight Fry” (Love It to Death, 1971)

It’s a must to have this come towards the end of the set — sitting front and center, trapped in a straitjacket, this is another instance of the show coming to a halt and only focusing on one area of the stage. The live version is slightly more concise than the studio version, but it still packs a punch, especially with the conclusion of Cooper going through the guillotine.

23. “I Love the Dead” (Billion Dollar Babies, 1973)

As Alice Cooper’s decapitated head is paraded around the stage, the band sings the chorus to this cult classic track, which has turned this song into a live staple of its own. While part of me would eventually love to hear the song in its entirety, I can’t deny how great the transition is between “Ballad of Dwight Fry” and the chorus to “I Love the Dead,” especially when the theatrical aspects of the show are taken into consideration.

24. “Escape” (Welcome to My Nightmare, 1975)

The finale to Cooper’s masterpiece Welcome to My Nightmare is only appropriate for the ending portion of the show for obvious reasons, and I love the idea of Alice returning to the stage with this song. In previous tours, it would be played after performances of the title track to Welcome to My Nightmare, which is also fitting, but there’s something about having it be the first song after the decapitation scene that just feels right to me. Assuming encores were a thing, this would be the perfect closer for the main show before the inevitable finale/encore.

25. “School’s Out” (School’s Out, 1972)

Does anything really need to be said here? The title track to the original Alice Cooper band’s 1972 album is undoubtedly the perfect set-closer — most of us were likely introduced to Alice Cooper’s music through this song or have some sort of connection to this song in one way or another, so it’s sure to have the crowd on their feet for one last hurrah before the curtain closes. There have been tours in which it started the show or was played towards the end of the set but not last, but in an ideal situation, this would be the finale of every single show.

As much as I love making these writeups in anticipation of a show, they never get easier. This one in particular is likely the most difficult one I’ll ever end up doing, mainly because of all the different songs at our disposal over the almost 30 albums in Cooper’s discography. I honestly could make a few different setlists without even using the same song twice because of all the possibilities — I didn’t even find room for songs from one of my favorite albums, 1978’s From the Inside, for this time around, but maybe I’ll make a couple revisions for the next time I see Alice Cooper whenever the chance hopefully comes. Until then, see you in Greensboro.

To keep up with Alice Cooper, click here.

Thanks for reading! If you liked this article and want to keep up with more from me, feel free to subscribe