The band led by Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp, The Hollywood Vampires, has graduated from a special project into working act with the news that they will play 18 North American shows following their initial five European dates.
“Here is a gang of friends who came together really by chance and over the last year we were finally able to wrangle our schedules and the energy just fell into place,” says Perry. “Playing with this line-up is like a dream come true. After seeing the reaction at Rock in Rio [where the Vampires debuted live last September] in front of 100,000 fans, I know this band is going to tear the house down. Hell, I would want to be in the audience to see us rip it up.”
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The three core members will be rounded out live by Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Roses/The Cult) on drums, Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper) on guitar and Bruce Witkin (The Kids) on piano, percussion and guitar. Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots) will take over bass duties for Duff McKagan, who played with the group in Rio and on the Grammy Awards (where the Vampires paid tribute to Lemmy Kilmister) and on L.A. club dates, but is obviously busy this summer with Guns N’ Roses.
The Hollywood Vampires recently released a new digital deluxe version of their self-titled album. This expanded version includes three additional songs: “Bad As I Am” an original song penned by Depp, Henriksen and Witkin; “I’m A Boy,” a Who original that was only available as a Japanese bonus track; and “7 and 7 Is,” an unreleased track from the album sessions and a classic song by the 1960s L.A. band Love that Cooper previously covered on his 1981 solo album Special Forces.
The band promises fans a searing hard rock experience. “There will be rumbling in ears and there might be blood trickling out of one ear,” Depp warns.
Adds Cooper: “Then we’ll know we’ve done our job.”
Hollywood Vampires 2016 Tour Dates (Tickets available here):
North America
July 1 – Bethlehem, PA – Sands Bethlehem Event Center
July 2 – Mashantucket, CT – The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino
July 3 – Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Resort Spas and Casino Event Center
July 5 – Milwaukee, WI – Summerfest BMO Harris Pavilion
July 7 – Aurora, IL – River Edge Park,
July 8 – Orillia, ONT – Casino Rama Entertainment Center
July 9 – Niagara Falls, ONT – Stage at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
July 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Coney Island Amphitheater
July 12 – Kettering, OH – Fraze Pavilion
July 13 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
July 14 – Cadott, WI – Rock Fest
July 16 – Clarkston, MI – DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 18 – Fargo, North Dakota – Scheels Arena
July 22 – Rohnert Park, CA – Weill Hall
July 23 – Jacksonville, OR – Britt Pavilion
July 24 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
July 25 – Paso Robles, CA – Mid State Fair
