The Plaza Theatre opened in Palm Springs in 1936, its first event being the film premiere of
Camille, the George Cukor film starring Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. And that was just the beginning of its storied existence. But of course no matter how much history a building has, at some point it will require renovations. On November 11, 2022, a special concert was held to raise money to fund the needed renovations for the Plaza Theatre. That concert featured Alice Cooper, Joshua Homme and Paul Rogers, among other artists. And now, renovations completed and the venue back in business (Lily Tomlin and John Waters will be there this week), an album of that concert is being released. A double album on vinyl was released as part of Black Friday Record Store Day, and the CD is coming out December 5th. The house band for the event included Spike Edney on keyboards and vocals, Brian Ray on guitar and vocals, Pete Thorn on guitar and vocals, Jon Button on bass, Matt Sorum on drums and vocals, Teddy Andreadis on keyboards and vocals, Eric Singer on drums and vocals, Sheryl Cooper on backing vocals, and Vanessa Amoros on backing vocals.
The album kicks off with Alice Cooper performing "No More Mr. Nice Guy," a song from the 1973 record
Billion Dollar Babies. He delivers a good rendition, even if his vocals are a bit rough at moments. The lyrics that always stand out to me are these: "
I went to church incognito/When everybody rose/The reverend Smith, he recognized me/He punched me in the nose/He said, 'No more Mr. Nice Guy.'" Alice Cooper follows that with "I'm Eighteen," from the 1971 album
Love It To Death. "
Well, I've got a baby's brain, I've got an old man's heart." I loved this song when I heard it growing up, but it is somehow even more powerful now, more meaningful hearing it from a different perspective, and I hope that teenagers and people in their early twenties are still getting exposed to it now, reminding them that their brains are not quite fully developed (something it seems they are unaware of). "
I'm eighteen/I get confused every day." At the end of the song, he jokes, or clarifies, "
Now, I was singing 'eighteen,' not 'eighty.'" It's crazy that Alice Cooper isn't all that far from eighty now.
Alice Cooper next gives us "Under My Wheels," a song from
Killer. It's interesting that he chose all early 1970s songs. This one is probably the wildest, most exciting of the songs he plays here, and it features some excellent guitar work and some good backing vocals. "
Okay, this is a sing-along," he then says in introducing "School's Out." "
If you don't know this song, you never went to school." Indeed. Who didn't love this song? It was the title track to Alice Cooper's 1972 record. That was the year I was born, and when I was in high school, we were still blasting it and shouting it. And he delivers a strong rendition here, with some outstanding stuff on guitar. Toward the end, the song segues into Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2." You know, the "
We don't need no education" song. On the CD case, it is listed as "Another Brick In The Wall." And then he goes back into "School's Out." There is some fantastic energy here. "
Thank you," he says at the end. "
Let's save this theatre."
Joshua Homme, from Queens Of The Stone Age, delivers a fun rendition of David Bowie's "Let's Dance," the title track to his 1983 record (what a good year that was for pop music, the year of
Syncronicity,
War,
She's So Unusual,
Sports,
Rebel Yell,
Colour By Numbers and
Murmur). Joshua does a great job with the song. He certainly has the vocal chops for it. Joshua, by the way, was born in Palm Springs. He then takes things in quite a different direction, covering "Somethin' Stupid," a song recorded by Frank Sinatra. Nancy Sinatra had joined Frank on his 1967 recording of the song, and here Joshua Homme is joined by Orianthi. They give us a wonderful rendition. Matt McKenna joins the group on acoustic guitar, delivering some excellent work.
Orianthi performs a cool rendition of "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," her voice containing all the necessary attitude. Orianthi is then joined by Brian Ray on vocals for the duet of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe." It might seem an odd choice, but remember, Sonny Bono was the mayor of Palm Springs for four years. And, besides, it's a wonderful song. Who can dislike this song? The crowd is clearly digging it. That's followed by Joshua Homme covering Gerry Rafferty's "Right Down The Line," this track featuring some nice work on both keys and guitar, as well as a good, prominent bass line. That in turn is followed by "I Sat By The Ocean," a Queens Of The Stone Age song from that band's 2013 album,
...Like Clockwork. It was also released as a single. This one too includes a strong bass line, which is part of the song's appeal.
Paul Rodgers is introduced as "
One of the greatest throats in all of rock and roll," which is wonderful. He starts with an excellent rendition of "Can't Get Enough," which was Bad Company's first single and the lead track on the band's self-titled debut LP. I need to revisit those Bad Company albums. I listened to this music a whole lot when I was growing up. And listening to this song now, I find it totally holds up. After the song, Paul tells the crowd, "
We all love Palm Springs, and we all love this particular theatre." He follows that with a cover of Sam & Dave's "I Thank You." I especially like the second half of this rendition, when things get looser. That's followed by "Feel Like Makin' Love," a single from Bad Company's second LP, 1975's
Straight Shooter (which was the first Bad Company album that I got). This is a really nice rendition, and I love his vocal work here. Plus, the song still has the power during the chorus that I recall from my childhood. "
Yeah, nice singing," he tells the crowd just before the end of the song. But what is particularly impressive is Paul Rodgers' singing on this one. This track is one of the disc's highlights for me.
Then, interestingly, we get the second David Bowie cover of the album, "Rebel Rebel," here performed by Jay Nailor. He is backed by Joby Pritzker on acoustic guitar, Bernt Bodal on bass, and Eric Singer on drums. Jay delivers a good, energetic rendition. Alice Cooper then covers The Who's "My Generation," doing the stutter and all. This song still totally rocks, which, of course, you'd expect anyway in Alice Cooper's hands. This is a very cool rendition. The disc concludes with Paul Rodgers singing "All Right Now," Free's big hit, and another excellent rock song. For those who might not recall, Free was the band Paul Rodgers was in before Bad Company. This song was a staple of the Massachusetts rock radio stations I listened to while growing up, and it always hit me just the right way. I'm glad to find it still does. There is a section toward the end with vocals over a steady pounding on the drums. This is a great way to wrap up the album.
CD Track List
- No More Mr. Nice Guy - Alice Cooper
- I'm Eighteen - Alice Cooper
- Under My Wheels - Alice Cooper
- School's Out/Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2 - Alice Cooper
- Let's Dance - Joshua Homme
- Somethin' Stupid - Joshua Homme and Orianthi
- These Boots Are Made For Walkin' - Orianthi
- I Got You Babe - Orianthi and Brian Ray
- Right Down The Line - Joshua Homme
- I Sat By The Ocean - Joshua Homme
- Can't Get Enough - Paul Rodgers
- I Thank You - Paul Rodgers
- Feel Like Makin' Love - Paul Rodgers
- Rebel Rebel - Jay Nailor
- My Generation - Alice Cooper
- All Right Now - Paul Rodgers
Rock The Plaza: Concert To Save The Historic Plaza Theatre In Palm Springs was released on vinyl on November 28, 2025, and is scheduled to be released on CD on December 5, 2025 through Omnivore Recordings.
