- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of New Times free.
As the press release announcing Alice Cooper's appearance at Arizona State's graduation ceremony Wednesday says, the local shock-rocker has played on some pretty big bills: John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix. Even Pele.
All big, but not Barack Obama big.
Cooper will perform "School's Out" for 63,000 people at ASU's commencement ceremonies at Sun Devil Stadium, backed by Runaway Phoenix, the band his son Dash Cooper (ASU Class of '10) is in, after the commencement address given by our popular president.
"Of all the people I've ever shared a stage with Obama is the biggest rock star," says Alice. "And I'd like to thank him, in advance, for changing the national anthem to 'Schools Out'."
This is also one of Cooper's pricier gigs of late, with scalped tickets going for about $200.
Keep Phoenix New Times Free... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Phoenix with no paywalls.