A new documentary about an unusual 2015 reunion show by the original Alice Cooper band will have its world premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival in April.
Live From the Astroturf, Alice Cooper tells the story of how an Alice Cooper fan who runs a record store was able to coax the original lineup — minus guitarist Glen Buxton, who died in 1997 — into reuniting at his shop 41 years after they had disbanded. The band had previously gotten together only a few times, most recently for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and the full-length set chronicled in the film was their first in over four decades.
It was originally intended as a personal video for the record store owner, Chris Penn, but director Steven Gaddis told Penn after the show that they had enough material for a movie. Bob Ezrin, who produced most of the original Cooper band’s recordings, is one of the film’s sound mixers. An LP of the show was released in limited quantity for last November’s Black Friday Record Store Day.
After its premiere, the film will be shown at select film festivals around the world. More screening announcements are expected soon.
