And now that I think about this, it feels a little bit teenager-ish. Is one expected to shake hands, gush briefly, then move on? Or what. I’m 53 and sort of past celebrity-worship.
I’ve met (and even partied with, back in the day) some entertainers and stars of note, but never in a back-stage-pass kind of way. The secretary of the friend I’m going with used to be Alice Cooper’s personal assistant, is how we get to go backstage after the show.
What can I expect? Any experiences?
Moved MPSIMS --> Cafe Society.
We’re not worthy!
Actually I bet that’s really really old for him. I think your shake/gush plan is the best bet.
I am soooooo jealous…
Ask him about Milwaukee.
Also he does have a pretty respectable radio show you could chat about.
Besides music and his radio show, golf is one of his biggest passions. I actually met him and chatted for a bit a number of years ago in the bag room of the golf club where I tended bar.
If you’re a golfer, that’s your in. Hell, invite him to play a round (although he might beat the pants off you, he’s pretty good, I understand)
Cool.
Tell him he still owes me twenty.
I was a PA for Live Nation for a couple years and I hate to disappoint but in the vast majority of cases nothing happens backstage after a show.
I never worked an Alice Cooper show so I don’t know what his tendencies are, but the fact is, most artists tend to go from the stage straight to their tour bus and are gone, or they take a quick shower, maybe do a quick meet-and-greet with a group of fans, and then they’re gone. Who you primarily encounter backstage are tour managers and their staff, roadies, the local promoters and crew, a lot of security people, caterers, porters, etc., all of whom will be looking at the awed backstage pass holders and rolling their eyes (sorry, but they’ve just seen it a million times and know how mundane it is backstage).
Don’t confuse “Backstage Pass” with “All Access.” It’s not like in movies, with hallways and big rooms packed with scantily clad women and band members laying around doing shots and snorting coke off of groupie’s asses. The dressing rooms are strictly off-limits. You may be shuffled to a designated area for fans with backstage passes where there are refreshments and maybe they will do the aforementioned meet-and-greet with Alice or other band members. You may be able to get into the catering room but there will usually just be leftovers from the crew dinner, if it hasn’t already been cleaned up. You’ll get to wander the back hallways where there are offices and maybe the literal backstage area if the crew is not already taking down the staging, in which case you want to be out of the way anyhow.
Or maybe it will be exactly like in Wayne’s World. My point is, I wouldn’t get your hopes up for any sort of wild adventure or even anything very interesting at all.
The fact that you’re going backstage after the show is a pretty clear indication that you don’t have an all-access pass. After the show you’ll be directed to a room where there will be some drinks and a lot of people like you standing around. Some will be radio contest winners, and some will be friends and family of the band. There will be nobody famous there; they get to talk to the band privately. Alice will probably work the room quickly and leave, never to be seen again. You should get to say hello, but it’s unlikely that he’ll hang around for much more than that. Unless you’re really interested in meeting him, there’s little point to bothering going back at all.
Access All Areas is the only way to go. You can watch the show from the side of the stage, you can drink the band’s beer, you really can go just about anywhere. I rode the freight elevator in Madison Square Garden just because I could.
I think it depends a lot on the artist. I used to get backstage passes for the Alan Parsons Project all the time back in the 90s (I was in a fan club that could request them any time the band was in the area). Alan and the rest of the band were great–they hung out with the fans, chatted, and generally were about as cool as they could be (as long as you were fine with the fact that they were a bunch of really nice guys who had zero “rock starrish” behaviors.) Dunno what Alice is like but I’m sure jealous and would love to find out. 
Actually I’m not sure what sort of pass it is. Just that we’ll be introduced to him by my friend’s co-worker (the one who was his personal assistant way back) and we get to go backstage.
Back in the 70s a good friend was a radio DJ and lights person, in Glasgow, Scortland. (RIP Ronnie.) I went backstage before, during and after the show at the Apollo theater for many shows because of him, and was briefly a go-go dancer (no, really) for a local band. But it’s been decades and now the notion feels a bit silly.
However, I hope to get a photo of me with Alice Cooper, just because, hopefully, I can. Even if I’ll feel like a dork.
Just watching some recent YouTube videos…looks like he still puts on a pretty good show!
With Alice Cooper I’d just be personable. Dude’s seen it all. Tell him you’re a fan (if you are) and ask him a question he wouldn’t normally hear. Like “is it just a job, or is this really you?” 
“Hey Alice, you’re 63…do you know what you want yet?”
I’d kinda like to meet Alice Cooper, just to see if we really do look alike.
Tell him you’re not leaving until he prays with you and asks forgiveness for biting the head off that bat. If he says that wasn’t him, just nod condescendingly.
Yes I want those pants! (And the butt to put in them.)
He’s not only a golfer, he’s a born-again Christian. I had no idea.
Must be sort of odd to be singing “I’m 18 and I like it” and “School’s out…” when you’re in your 60s. Guess everyone’s got to make a living!
Well! He puts on a great show…very showy, lots of glitzy rock & roll fun, including the guillotine 'n blood schtick and an inflatable doll and a live python. Sold out Pine Knob/DTE, which is quite a feat for a 63-year-old rocker.
Unfortunately I had to work today, so didn’t get down early - otherwise I would have been able to visit in the band trailer with my friend and his co-workers before the show. But I did get the “VIP” pass to go to the meet and greet afterwards. He was very personable; we chatted for about 5 minutes and his assistant took some pictures.
He signed the VIP pass on my right tit, and I gave it to a one-armed man outside whose mother used to date Alice’s manager 30 years ago (he had a photo he said his mother took he wanted to have signed) who wasn’t able to get a pass.
I am so jealous! Glad you had a great time and got to chat with him! Love the pics.
Very cool! He’s one of the few people I’ve always wanted to meet. I’ve always thought he’d be a regular, down-to-earth kind of guy who just happens to have an unusual job. Unpretentious.
Glad you had a great time!
My own little Alice Cooper story:
When I was 16, he came to town to do a concert, and was staying at the motel my mom worked at as a maid. His block of rooms was in her section. She was just finishing his room up as they all arrived, and in walked Alice with his dufflebag. She told him she had 2 daughters that really liked him (my cousin was living with us at the time) and he told her to bring us to the motel after she got off work and he would fix us up.
Mom had NO idea who he was other than having heard us gush how we wished we could go to the concert, but couldn’t afford the tickets. So after work, she brought my cousin and I to his room. He greeted us warmly, signed autoraphed pictured, gave us each a hat, and… tickets to the show along with back stage passes!
Unfortunately, Mom had talked to some of her co-workers who had described his ‘satanic’ show, so she wouldn’t allow us to go to the concert. I never understood why it was OK for her to take us to his MOTEL ROOM but not OK for us to see his show.
I never forgave my mother that one.