HERRMANN MEETS COOPER

First, I would like to say a Very Special Thank You to Alice, Shep, Toby, Calico, and the rest of the band and crew. They were all very friendly and treated me like I was a member of the family.

So how long IS an afternoon with Alice Cooper? A little over ten hours.

I met Alice at the hotel around 2:30pm. We sat in the lobby for about ten minutes waiting on our ride to the mall. That's right, we went shopping. Alice took me on a quick tour of his bus while we were waiting and got his hat. He put his hair up under his hat to disguise himself from other people. It worked...not really. Calico(Alice's daughter) went shopping as well. And yes guys, she IS beautiful.

As we walked through the mall, I was waiting for a mob of fans to surround us. It never happened. A few people here and there came up for a picture or autograph. Alice was more than happy to do both. The girls were hungry, so they went up to the food court. Alice needed a new pair of pants for the show that night, so we kept shopping. We finally found them. I found a cool shirt for myself. When we were in line to pay, he grabbed the shirt and paid for it along with his pants. Yes, Alice bought my shirt for me. The little teenage girl(not knowing who Alice Cooper was) asked to see his I.D. with the credit card. I thought that was pretty funny. We talked about everything. Old albums, new albums in the works, golf, the shows, my photography, everything. He even talked about some personal things. Things you wouldn't think you would talk about after knowing someone for only an hour. He was very open, and you could tell he was very proud of all he has accomplished. We met Calico and her friend at the car and went back to the hotel.

Alice had a radio interview at 4:30. I hung out with Calico while she got her things together for the show that night. I drove her to the venue while Alice was doing the interview. She took me on a tour around the place. I saw all the props and learned how they work. NOT TELLING!! I met the rest of the band in a back room and had dinner with them. They were all very friendly and wanted to know how I made the trade with a snow globe. After dinner, I had about two hours to roam around until the show started.

I had my ALL ACCESS pass and my PHOTO PASS, I was ready. I was in the photo pit, right in front of the stage. The usual time allowed to shoot, is the first three songs. I was up there the entire show. I think I used about nine rolls of film. The show was GREAT!! I was in front of the front row. Alice kicked ass and rocked the audience with his music and stage show. Everyone had a blast.

Afterwards, Alice came back to the room where we had dinner. A few of his close friends were there. He signed autographs and took pictures with everyone. When it was my turn, he said he had something for me. He came over with a painting that he had hanging in his bus. (see above photo)It was very cool. To personally get something that belonged to Alice Cooper was awesome. He signed the frame and a few other things for me. Then he was going over to see the fans at the meet & greet. By that time, it was around 11:30pm. I was tired and I had a two hour drive home. Alice told me that I have an open invitation to come back and see him whenever I wanted. I asked him about the July 20th show in Dayton, OH. He said to come on down. Another afternoon with Alice Cooper. Will the ride ever end? I hope not.

As far as my pictures go, I am in the process of developing them now. Give me a few days to get them organized and downloaded to my site. I won't put all nine rolls on. Just a few of the good ones. I'm not sure if I will be selling them right now. I think I will give a few of them away to all of you, the fans. The people who have been by Alice's side through the good times and bad. We ALL deserve an afternoon with Alice. For now, I can give you some great photos. But, you might have to help me in return.....

The BEST part about this whole experience, I made a few new friends.