Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding Wins Again With Johnny Depp, Rob Halford & Joe Bonamassa (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding has been a yearly affair in Phoenix for 18 years. The fund-raising event was started by Cooper and his wife as a way to get teenagers off the streets of Phoenix and into an environment that would teach them the arts. Cooper has spent his career ‘playing’ a teenager and it was time to help teenagers to stay away from drugs and any other dangers. Many of the teens continue with careers in music after they graduate.

The Solid Rock Teen Center was created and it started with a few teens and now the center accommodates more than 100 teens per day teaching music, dance, art, photography and vocational training. The center has been so successful that there are plans to open another center in Mesa, Ariz. The cost is free for the teens, but the centers need revenue in order to operate. Cooper has two major fund-raising events during the year. One is the golf classic in April and the other is Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding in December.

Cooper’s Christmas Pudding has evolved into a cavalcade of top-notch entertainers performing for a great cause. Cooper has a huge rolodex of his musical friends that he has collected during his 40-year career and he is not shy about reaching out to those friends. The entertainers change every year and the ‘Pudding’ is very much like a variety show. The entertainment includes comedy, dance, art, as well as multi-genre live music by big-name entertainers. All of the entertainers donate their services for the event.

Auctioning of rare memorabilia is another way that the ‘Pudding’ raises money during the night during set changes. Everything from photography, paintings, top hats, guitar stands, and tap handles were auctioned from $2000 to $43,000 were funds raised during this event.

The entertainment at Phoenix’s classic Celebrity Theatre on December 14th was stellar with a lot of guitar shredding and good old rock and roll. Here’s the rundown. After a prayer invocation given by Sheryl Cooper’s father, Sister Sledge started the festivities with their mega hit song “We Are Family.” It was a very appropriate opening song because the feeling throughout the night was being with a family. Sister Sledge also performed an a cappella version of “Silent Night” that was amazing. 

Cooper conducts a music competition every year called the Proof is in the Pudding that awards winners in solo performance and in group performance. The winners get to open the show at the Christmas Pudding. This year’s solo winner is Japhar Pullen. Pullen had showmanship galore as he sang and played keyboards on Stevie Wonder’s “Faith” and Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight.” He ditched the keyboards and danced his way through Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now.” He was a breath of fresh air. 

The Joeys were the winners of the group band with a rockabilly flair. Dean Cheney lead singer, started the set with “Please Come Home Christmas.” The rest of their set was some of their original songs. There was a lot of stage presence from this group as well.

The Christmas Pudding is never complete without showcasing the performers from the Teen Rock Center. The most elaborate production of the night came from the Solid Rock Dancers joined by the Teen Center’s Bucket Bridge and the Cesar Chavez High School Drumline. Add the Horizon High School Choir and the Rocky Mountain Ball Theatre ballet for a major production directed by Hodgie Jo.

Next up was Nita Strauss, Cooper’s guitarist in his touring band. Strauss is a distant relative of composer Johann Strauss. Strauss lived up to the family tradition and is one of the most incredible guitarists today. Her brief performance exemplified her exceptional talent.

Gary Mule Deer brought the first round of comedy for the evening. Deer is a regular performer each year for the ‘Pudding.’ His music leans toward the Johann Cash songbook and he does it very well. His jokes in between songs certainly has the crowd laughing. There is always the joke about his hair that stands at attention all the time.

Mark Slaughter followed with his ‘metalicious’ guitar and vocal prowess. Slaughter is one of the founders of the rock band Slaughter. His offerings of the night were “Shapes of Things,” “Fly to the Angels,” and “Up All Night.” Jim Breuer gave the sold-out crowd their second dose of comedy. Breuer was a member of Saturday Night Live from 1995-1998 and the standup comic did a 15-minute set with his offbeat stories and jokes. 

Gary Cherone and Nunu Bettencourt of Extreme added more char and charisma with “Get the Funk Out,” “Hole in My Heart,” and their mega hit “More Than You Know.” Judas Priest’s Rob Halford returned this year to give another command performance of five songs that included “Heading Out to the Highway,” “Diamonds and Rust,” “Breaking the Law,” “Living After Midnight,” and “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming.” It was very clear the Halford was loving every minute of the performance and so were the screaming fans.

Joe Bonamassa brought the swagger of the blues to the evening’s festivities with “Don’t Lie to Me (I Get Evil)” “Sloe Gin,” and “The Ballad of John Henry.” The set was much too short, but he did join the headliners of the night, the original Alice Cooper Band.

The Alice Cooper band was joined by Johnny Depp on guitar as well as Bonamassa. Cooper is THE quintessential entertainer of our times and he is in total command of the stage. That said, everyone had a chance to shine. His former bandmates are Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway, and Neal Smith. They were with Cooper when “I’m Eighteen,” School’s Out,” and “No More Mr. Nice Guy” were conceived. All of their hits were dusted off for tonight’s show. Even though Cooper has performed these songs thousands of times, there was still that same electricity floating through the room as though it was the 1970s again. The set was magic.

Sister Sledge returned to the stage with everyone to lead an all-star jam with a conclusion of “We Are Family.” After five hours of a stunning show, it was a family affair.