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Halifax welcomed a little bit of Hollywood to The Piece Hall last night, with Johnny Depp, Alice Cooper and Joe Perry bringing their Hollywood Vampires show to the famous courtyard for a night of epic rock showmanship.
Support came in the form of legendary punk band The Damned who, after 50 years in the business, have a hit or two up their sleeves. Seeing them in daylight was a little jarring, as the gothic, dark-lord appearance of Dave Vanian feels far more at home in a dimly lit venue, but the sound they produced was monumental.
Hit followed hit followed hit, with the likes of Love Song and the haunting Eloise spurring the audience into frenetic singalongs. But it was the closing trio of Neat Neat Neat, New Rose and Smash It Up that really sealed the deal — and even though his beloved Palace had lost 2-0, Captain Sensible looked like he’d had an absolute blast.
A high-production video showing the band emerging from coffins announced the arrival of Hollywood Vampires — and however cool Johnny Depp is, he’s not Joe Perry, cigar in mouth, bursting through a cloud of smoke while ripping out a perfect guitar solo cool. And that was just how the show began.
Perry was joined on stage by Tommy Henriksen, Alice Cooper and Depp for original tracks I Want My Now and Raise the Dead, before the band began making their way through a set largely built around covers, tributes and songs from their respective back catalogues.
Alice Cooper remains a pure vaudevillian entertainer and had the crowd in the palm of his bony hands from the get-go. When the band launched into one of his own hits, I’m Eighteen, the courtyard erupted. At times it felt like there were two audiences in attendance: those drawn in by the allure of Depp and those there primarily to see Cooper and Perry. So whenever an Alice Cooper or Aerosmith song was released like a bat into the night sky, the fever hit its peak.
The band, named after the notorious 1970s drinking club that counted the likes of Cooper, John Lennon and Keith Moon among its members, paid tribute to many of their fallen friends throughout the night. Yet for all the reverence, My Dead Drunk Friends was perhaps the most gleefully enjoyable of them all — a suitably boozy salute to those no longer around to join the party.
Johnny Depp looks every bit the rock star, even in a band surrounded by them, and to his credit he never looks like he’s playing a part. For much of the show he hangs back, almost shunning the limelight until it’s his turn to step forward and sing, which he does particularly well on Venus in Furs and some of the night’s lower-register numbers, including Bowie’s Heroes.
As a giant set of fangs inflated above the stage, the night took an even darker turn and the theatricality ramped up another notch. What followed was one of the strongest runs of the evening: a ferocious Highway to Hell, belted out by Henriksen, followed by a brilliant Walk This Way, before Alice Cooper brought proceedings to a spectacular close with School’s Out, stalking the stage with his cane and bursting the giant balloons bouncing around above the crowd.
This was never a night about subtlety. It was about huge riffs, huge personalities, theatrical excess and the simple thrill of seeing a collection of genuine rock stars having an enormous amount of fun on stage.
Hollywood Vampires might have been born out of a drinking club dedicated to absent friends, but at The Piece Hall they felt very much alive. And with Cooper commanding the stage, Perry effortlessly proving why he remains one of rock’s coolest guitarists and Depp looking completely at home alongside them, Halifax got its little taste of Hollywood — fangs, cigars, giant balloons and all.
In a summer that’s seen some incredible shows at The Piece Hall, this ranked among the best for its pure rock and roll excess and A-list level of entertainment. It set the benchmark for future rock shows here and will take some topping.