During a recent interview with Rolling Stone Deutschland, shock-rocker Alice Cooper provided some really incredible advice for younger bands and how to treat your touring crew. At one point during the conversation, Alice talks about how everyone in his band are best friends, and offers some bullet proof anecdotes for how to treat your employees with respect. Honestly, we need more Alice Coopers in this world:
“I think it starts at the top. I think that whoever’s leading the band, the other guys mold into that. So I treat the guy that sweeps the stage with the same respect as I treat the guitar player, or the bass player. Everybody gets treated the same. If, we have a night off, for example, I’ll invite everybody to dinner. We take 35-40 people to dinner. And that means everybody – the lowest guy on the totem pole is treated exactly the same as the band.
“And to me, once you do that, you get a loyalty – you know, most guys don’t even know who worked for them. I know everybody that works for me. And I know pretty much their families. I like to keep it like that. And that way, every show, everybody wants to do the best show that night, everybody [wants to] make it represent the best thing. And I want them to have pride in the show. Not just the fact that, ‘Oh, all I do is the lighting.’ I go ‘No. Without that lighting I don’t look good. So you are as important as I am.’ That’s how I think you work a band.”
That is not only super awesome advice from Alice Cooper, but that advice also highlights just how wonderful of a guy he is! You can check out the full interview with Alice Cooper below. Also, in September, Alice will be coming through North America on a brand new tour. You can find all the dates and locations associated with that tour below.
This isn’t the first time that Alice Cooper has shown the world how good of a dude he is:
- 9/7 — Bethlehem, PA — Wind Creek Event Center
9/9 — Alton, VA— Blue Ridge Rock Festival
9/11 — Windsor, ON — The Colosseum @ Caesar’s
9/13 — Buffalo, NY — Shea’s Buffalo
9/14 — Binghamton, NY — Visions Arena
9/16 — Albany, NY — The Palace Theater
9/17 — Atlantic City, NJ — Tropicana Casino & Resort
9/18 — Wallingford, CT — Toyota Oakdale Theatre
9/20 — Muncie, IN — Emens Auditorium
9/21 — Grand Rapids, MI — DeVos Hall
9/22 — Hammond, IN — The Venue @ Horseshoe Casino
9/24 — Louisville, KY — Louder than Life Festival
9/25 — Chattanooga, TN — Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium
9/27 — Memphis, TN — Orpheum Theater
9/28 — St.Louis, MO — Stifel Theatre
9/30 — Cedar Rapids, IA — Paramount Theater
10/1 — Springfield, IL — Bank of Springfield Center
10/4 — Loveland, CO — Budweiser Event Center
10/6 — Prescott Valley, AZ — Findlay Toyota Center
10/8 — Las Vegas, NV — TBA - WITH SPECIAL GUEST BUCKCHERRY:
4/12 — Edmonton, AB — Northern Jubilee Auditorium
4/14 — Calgary, AB — Winsport Arena
4/15 — Penticton, BC — South Okanagan Events Center
4/16 — Abbotsford, BC — Abbotsford Ent & Sports Centre
4/19 — Portland, OR — Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
4/20 — Seattle, WA — McCaw Hall - WITH ACE FREHLEY:
4/22 — Reno, NV — Grand Sierra Resort
4/23 — Paso Robles, CA — Vina Robles Amphitheatre
4/24 — Los Angeles, CA — Greek Theatre