When asked by USA Today why “revenge,” Cooper’s response was, “We were always the underdogs. The press said this band will last for one year; they’re great onstage, but not good musi- cians. … The revenge is that 50 years later we do an album and none of us knew what this was going to be, and it turned out we made a really good 1975-type record.” With their overlapping careers and mutual admiration as elder statesmen in rock, a full tour featuring both Halford and Cooper has been a long time coming. Halford recalls: “Actually, we toured with them way, way back on his Operation Rock & Roll tour. Maybe ’91? And we’ve done some festivals, shows in Europe, some concerts at Solid Rock (Cooper’s foundation) here in the Valley. So one-off shows, but never a tour in decades. I’m in awe every time I talk to Cooper; I was working in retail when ‘School’s Out’ was playing nonstop.” Of course, the idea that Cooper and Halford ended up influencing each other over decades is very possible with such boundary pushers. “Alice Cooper has always been great straight-ahead hard rock, with a touch of horror and maybe even a little Broadway theatricality. We’re sort of a dark vaude- ville,” says Cooper. “Everybody is influ- enced by everybody one way or another. The common denominator between both bands is that we ‘bring it’ every single show. You can’t just phone in an Alice Cooper or Judas Priest show. Every night, both bands are at the top of their game. Rob tried to get me to wear a big white beard and shave my head, and I said, ‘Well, I’ll think about it (I never thought about it).’” This fall, they finally brought the dual energy to fans with a co-headlining tour spanning 22 cities and kicked off on September 16. Stops include Toronto, Los Angeles, and the highly anticipated Phoenix homecoming show, of course. Word on the street is that it’s full of deep cuts and live debuts, including a “colossal” version of “War Pigs”: “You get Ozzy singing a line, then I’m singing a line, and Ozzy singing a line, and I’m singing a line. It’s the first ever time in my entire life that I’ve been able to do a duet with Ozzy, and I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that,” Halford has told Full Metal Jackie. The tour feels almost inevitable when considering their similarities. Both have become synonymous with theatrical stage shows, visually stimulating lyrics, leather- and-stud-heavy style, raucous props (like Halford’s on-stage motorcycle and Cooper’s guillotine) and raw human emotion. In addition? They’re next-door neighbors. Halford says with a laugh, “I could walk to his house. After the Phoenix gig, HEAVY DUTY W hat does heavy rock represent in 2025? Power? Rebellion? Survival? For Alice Cooper and Rob Halford, it’s all of the above. Beyond that, it’s about staying true to themselves and to their fans, while continuing to evolve. With more than a century of combined experience in music, Cooper and Halford have long since earned their crowns: Cooper as the Godfather of Shock Rock, and Halford as the Metal God. Their current co-headlining tour and respective new albums are proof that this isn’t a nostalgia act. They’re still creating and performing with the same fire that launched their careers decades ago. And you’ll get to see them both in action at their co-headlining North American tour on October 22 at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre. Judas Priest’s 19th studio album, “Invincible Shield,” released in 2024, delivers what fans love: thunderous riffs, sharp precision, and Halford’s still-formi- dable voice. Halford says that a new album is “always in the back of the band’s mind,” which shows just how forward- looking Priest remains. Meanwhile, Cooper returned to his roots this past July with “The Revenge of Alice Cooper,” reuniting with original bandmates Michael Bruce, Dennis Dunaway and Neal Smith. With the help of technology, even the late Glen Buxton appears. It is the first full album the original Alice Cooper group has made together since 1973’s “Muscle of Love.” Rock legends Alice Cooper and Judas Priest co-headline North American tour. >> p 16 All photography by Jim Louvau
