Live from the Astroturf

Live From The Astroturf
Live album by Alice Cooper
Released	November 23, 2018
Recorded	October 6, 2015
Venue	Good Records, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Genre	Hard rock
Label	Good Records
Alice Cooper chronology
Paranormal (2017) Live From The Astroturf (2018)

Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper is the 12th live album by rock group Alice Cooper, released on November 23, 2018.

Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper features eight tracks performed by the original line-up of the Alice Cooper band (Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway, and Michael Bruce, with Ryan Roxie filling in for the late Glen Buxton) recorded October 6, 2015, at Good Records in Dallas, Texas.

In addition to the live concert album, a documentary film entitled Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper, produced by Christopher Todd Penn and directed by Steven Gaddis, was made that featured the concert, its inception and events leading up to it, and a question-and-answer session with original Alice Cooper group members that took place following the concert.[4,5,6,7,8,9,10] The film premiered at the Phoenix Film Festival April 4 to 14, 2019,[8] in the group's birthplace of Phoenix, Arizona, where it was awarded Best Documentary Short Feature; the four surviving original members of Alice Cooper were in attendance at the World Premiere event on April 5, 2019. The film also was the Official Selection to be shown in the Detroit Freep Film Festival [9], the Dallas International Film Festival[10], and the Northeast Mountain Film Festival [11,12].

Background

On 6 October 2015, fans attending a book signing at Good Records, Dallas, Texas, in support of bassist Dennis Dunaway's autobiography, Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!, were treated to a surprise reunion by the four surviving members of the original Alice Cooper group.

Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway, Neal Smith and Michael Bruce were joined by Ryan Roxie (in place of the late Glen Buxton) to perform an intimate set of eight hits in front of 200 people. This marked the first performance by the surviving members since they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011. It was also the longest time that they had spent together on stage since the group broke up in 1974.

Set list

1. Caught In A Dream (without Alice and featuring Michael Bruce on vocals);

2. Be My Lover;

3. Eighteen;

4. Is It My Body;

5. No More Mr Nice Guy;

6. Under My Wheels;

7. School's Out;

8. Elected.

US Record Store Day 7" single release (2016)

The historic performance was initially celebrated through the release of a two track 7" 45 vinyl release called Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper (the single taking its name from the pink astroturf located on the stage where the band performed). The two tracks included were Eighteen and (Is It My) Body, which featured together on the original single of Eighteen in 1970.

The release was limited to 2,700 units worldwide, with the numbers comprised as follows:

> Willy Wonka variant: 100 pressings (0,001 to 0,100);

> Pink variant: 1,150 pressings (0,101 to 1,250);

> Black variant: 100 pressings (1,251 to 1,350);

> White variant: 1,150 pressings (1,351 to 2,500); and

> Good Records variant: 200 pressings available only in Good Records (0,001 to 0,200).

All versions came in a shrink-wrapped gatefold foil board jacket with a sticker and six 5" × 7" double-sided art prints. The record came packed in a colour sleeve featuring thumbnail pictures from the night. A further paper inlay featured some press articles from local newspapers plus credits and details of the official Live From The Astroturf website. The art prints in the Willy Wonka and Good Records Editions were hand-signed in silver pen by the surviving Group members and they also came with a bonus glow-in-the-dark Live From The Astroturf record adapter and a paper jukebox strip.

US Record Store Day 12" vinyl release (2018)

By popular demand, a 12" vinyl release featuring the full eight-song set list (again called Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper) was released in 2018, 50 years on from the renaming of 'The Nazz' to 'Alice Cooper'. The release was limited to 5,000 units worldwide, with the numbers comprised as follows:

National edition variants

> Confetti variant: 18 pressings (0,001 to 0,018);

> Willy Wonka variant: 32 pressings (0,019 to 0,050);

> Random Colour Mix variant: 150 pressings (0,051 to 0,200);

> Black variant: 200 pressings (0,201 to 0,400);

> Transparent Pink variant: 1,000 pressings (0,401 to 1,400);

> White variant: 500 pressings (1,401 to 1,900);

> Opaque Pink variant: 600 pressings (1,901 to 2,500);

> Coke Clear variant: 200 pressings (2,501 to 2,700);

> Boris Purple variant: 300 pressings (2,701 to 3,000);

> Silver variant: 300 pressings (3,001 to 3,300);

> Transparent Neon Green variant: 200 pressings (3,301 to 3,500); and

> Clear variant: 500 pressings (3,501 to 4,000).

Good Records edition variants

> Fluorescent Pink variant: 150 pressings (0,001 to 0,150);

> Transparent Orange variant: 400 pressings (0,150 to 0,550); and

> Opaque Violet variant: 450 pressings (0,551 to 1,000).

All versions featured a double sided 24" × 36" poster, a 11" × 11" 16-page booklet / program, 6 trading cards, and each b-side* of the LP featured a different member of the Alice Cooper Group at random. The Good Records Edition variants also featured a custom sticker sheet (featuring caricature images the Alice Cooper Group), a Dennis Dunaway Live From The Astroturf guitar pick, 6 double-sided 8" × 10" prints of the Alice Cooper Group, and Alice Cooper Group 50th Anniversary logo patch and a double-sided Live From The Astroturf vinyl slipmat.

Limited cassette and 8-track releases (100 units each) were also produced.

References

[4] Rolling Stone Magazine article, "Alice Cooper Doc ‘Live From the Astroturf’ Captures Original Band's 2015 Reunion," by Daniel Kreps, published 13 February 2019, 10:20 AM EDT. Retrieved 6 May 2019.

[5] News announcement and interview with concert producer Christopher Todd Penn, KDFW FOX4 News, reporter Dan Godwin. (3:50). Broadcast posted: 27 February 2019, 09:51AM CST. Retrieved 6 May 2019.

[6] Lone Star 92.5 FM Radio interview with producer Christopher Todd Penn and original Alice Cooper bassist Dennis Dunaway about the making of the live concert and film "Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper," recorded live on-air on "The Bo and Jim Show," 16 April 2019 (16:53). Retrieved 6 May 2019.

[7] Fan group announcement of the film "Live From The Astroturf, Alice Cooper" with background information and photographs. Retrieved 6 May 2019.

[8] Arizona Republic newspaper article, "The story behind the Alice Cooper band reunion that won best documentary short at Phoenix Film Festival," by Ed Masley, Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona), updated 17 April 2019, 2:14 PM PDT. Retrieved 6 May 2019.