Credit: Ross HalfinThe Hollywood Vampires, the hard-rock supergroup featuring Alice Cooper, Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry and actor Johnny Depp, kick off their first official U.S. tour tonight in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The band’s set list mainly consists of tunes by some of the late, great rockers that Cooper used to drink with at the Sunset Strip’s Rainbow Bar and Grill during the 1970s.
At a recent red carpet event, Cooper told reporters that despite the Hollywood Vampires’ star-studded lineup, he considers them to be “a glorified bar band”…not that that’s a bad thing.
“Every single band in the world started out being a bar band,” the shock rocker maintains. “Us, The [Rolling] Stones, The Beatles — everybody started out playing everybody else’s music.”
With regard to Depp being involved in the group, Cooper said that although most people know him as a great actor, he also is “a killer guitar player.”
In addition to Cooper on vocals, and Perry and Depp on guitars, the touring lineup of the Hollywood Vampires includes ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum and Stone Temple Pilots bassist Robert DeLeo. At previous shows, the band’s sets have included well-known songs by John Lennon, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Motorhead and T. Rex, along with a couple of tunes featured on the group’s self-titled 2015 debut album.
Sorum recently told ABC Radio that playing classic songs by some of Cooper’s departed musical pals is “kind of a cool thing, ’cause they’ll always live through the music.”
Matt also noted that since the Hollywood Vampires members haven’t played many concerts together, the upcoming gigs will be as on-edge [for us] as it will be for the fans…so it’s gonna be like this sort of loose, exciting thing happening.”
Here are all of the Hollywood Vampires’ upcoming U.S. tour dates:
7/1 — Bethlehem, PA, Sands Bethlehem Event Center
7/2 — Mashantucket, CT, The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino
7/3 — Atlantic City, NJ, Borgata Resort Spas and Casino – Event Center
7/5 — Milwaukee, WI, Summerfest – BMO Harris Pavilion
7/7 — Aurora, IL, River Edge Park
7/8 — Rama, ON, Canada, Casino Rama Entertainment Centre
7/9 — Niagara Falls, ON, Canada, Stage at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
7/10 — Brooklyn, NY, Coney Island Amphitheater
7/12 — Kettering, OH, Fraze Pavilion
7/13 — Mount Pleasant, MI, Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
7/14 — Cadott, WI, Rock Fest
7/16 — Clarkston, MI, DTE Energy Music Theatre
7/18 — Fargo, ND, Scheels Arena
7/22 — Rohnert Park, CA, Weill Hall
7/23 — Jacksonville, OR, Britt Pavilion
7/24 — Saratoga, CA, The Mountain Winery
7/25 — Paso Robles, CA, California Mid State Fair
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