15 Dec 1st–Dec 7th, 2022 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | L egendary shock rocker Alice Cooper — you know, the one who uses electric chairs and guillotines as props and once famously threw a chicken off the stage — isn’t the most likely host of a beloved, family-friendly Christmas show. But likely or not, Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding, the holiday-themed variety show created by the longtime Valley resident and his wife, Sheryl, is celebrating its 20th anniversary, marking two decades of bringing top-tier talent to town for a good cause. This year, the sold-out show on Saturday, December 3 at Celebrity Theatre boasts its typical all-star lineup, including Sammy Hagar, Rob Zombie, Wally Palmar of The Romantics, the Gin Blossoms, Sixwire (who Cooper will perform with), and comedian Jim Breuer. Also on the bill are the winners of Cooper’s American Idol-esque youth talent competition, Proof Is in the Pudding: singer Eleeza, band The Darn Kids, and dance troupe Fierce & Fabulous. The Mission There’s music and fun and merriment for all, but beneath the lighthearted exterior is a serious mission. Proceeds from the Christmas Pudding benefit the work that the Coopers do through their Solid Rock Teen Centers, two facilities in north Phoenix and Mesa that provide free arts programming and safe spaces for young people ages 12 to 20. The Coopers’ interest in helping teens began, as Alice tells it, when he saw “a really awkward drug deal go down with these two 16-year-old kids. I’m sitting in the car and I’m looking over and I’m thinking, how does that kid not know that he might be the best guitar player in town? And the other kid might be the best drummer?” The couple began the nonprofit Solid Rock Foundation in 1995 with their friend Chuck Savale. The stated mission is to “make an everlasting difference in the lives of teens.” At Solid Rock, that happens through music, dance, and art training, talks by people in the entertainment industry, and a place where all are welcome. The centers give teens a chance to discover what they’re good at, Alice says. “They might try guitar and say, ‘eh, I can’t do that.’ And then they try bass and they can’t do that. But all of a sudden, they realize they’re a drummer, and they’re there every day at 3 o’clock. And once they find what they want to do, they blossom,” Cooper adds. Entertainment professionals drop by to tell the kids what they do, answer questions, and show them ways to break into the industry, from musician to makeup artist and DJ to photographer. PARTY Celebrating 20 years of Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding – and one couple’s passion for helping teens. >> p 16 BY JENNIFER GOLDBERG Teens learning the craft at the Coopers’ Solid Rock Teen Centers. Solid Rock Foundation
