In a new official statement, it has now been revealed that guitarist Nita Strauss has come back to Alice Cooper’s band. Last year, Nita famously left Cooper’s band to join Demi Lovato’s live lineup but is now back according to the singer’s management. Alice Cooper’s official statement on the matter reads:
“She’s Back! Nita asked for a leave of absence to work with someone else, something I always encourage my band members to do. I like them to challenge themselves and try new things.”
Since Kane Roberts, who worked with Cooper in the past, filled in for Nita, Alice thanked him by adding:
“I’m thankful to my old friend Kane Roberts for stepping up and filling in for her, but she’ll be back with us for the new tour that starts up in late April. It’s going to be great to have her back.”
Nita also shared her statement, which reads:
“From the studio to the stage, it’s always an immense honor to make music with Alice Cooper!! I’m very excited to be rejoining the band on the road for the 2023 dates, and so I’ll see you on the road in April. Let the nightmare return!”
As of this moment, Alice Cooper is preparing for his North American tour which kicks off in late April. This run will also feature a show dubbed “Too Close for Comfort” and will last until late September this year. In addition to this, Alice Cooper will also do a few shows with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard, joining their stadium tour.
Spring tour dates are:
- Apr. 28 – Mt. Pleasant, MI – Soaring Eagle Casino + Resort
- Apr. 29 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
- Apr. 30 – Hershey, PA – The Hershey Theater
- May 02 – Fort Wayne, IN – Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
- May 03 – Milwaukee, WI – Miller High Life Theatre
- May 05 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Mystic Showroom
- May 06 – Bemidji, MN – Sanford Center
- May 07 – Sioux City, IA – Tyson Events Center
- May 09 – Champaign, IL – State Farm Center
- May 10 – Louisville, KY – Louisville Palace Theater
- May 13 – Knoxville, TN – The Tennessee Theatre
- May 14 – Spartanburg, SC – Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium
- May 15 – North Charleston, SC – Performing Arts Center
- May 17 – Shreveport, LA – Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
- May 18 – Biloxi, MS – Beau Rivage Theatre
- May 20 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville
The shows that they’re planning to do with Mötley Crüe and Def Leppard are:
- Aug. 05 – Syracuse, NY – JMA Wireless Dome
- Aug. 08 – Columbus, OH – The Ohio State University Ohio Stadium
- Aug. 11 – Fargo, ND – Fargodome
- Aug. 13 – Omaha, NE – Charles Schwab Field Omaha
- Aug. 16 – Tulsa, OK – Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium
- Aug. 18 – El Paso, TX – Sun Bowl Stadium
What’s also important to add is that Alice’s final part of the tour is actually a co-headlining run with none other than Rob Zombie. These dates are:
- Aug. 24 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion
- Aug. 26 – Tampa, FL – Mid-Florida Credit Union Amphitheatre
- Aug. 27 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
- Aug. 29 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park @ Walnut Creek
- Aug. 30 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheatre
- Sep. 01 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
- Sep. 02 – Des Moines, IA – Wells Fargo Arena
- Sep. 05 – Clarkston, MI – Pinke Knob Amphitheatre
- Sep. 06 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
- Sep. 08 – Scranton, PA – The Pavilion @ Montage Mountain
- Sep. 09 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell Health Theatre @ Jones Beach
- Sep. 10 – Hartford, CT – XFINITY Theatre
- Sep. 12 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
- Sep. 15 – Bonner Springs, KS – Azura Amphitheatre
- Sep. 16 – Englewood, CO – Fiddler’s Green
- Sep. 19 – Ridgefield, WA – RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheatre
- Sep. 20 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
- Sep. 22 – Concord, CA – Pavilion
- Sep. 23 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
- Sep. 24 – Phoenix, AZ – Ak-Chin Pavilion
Despite leaving the band, Nita said that Alice Cooper was very supportive of her decisions. In a last year’s interview, the guitarist explained how her gig with Demi Lovato came up and how Cooper reacted to the news. Asked about how she broke the news to Alice, Nita replied:
I wouldn’t even say nerve-racking, because… I mean, it was a big decision, of course, but it definitely wasn’t as dramatic as it has seemed online, if that makes sense. We had just started the U.K. tour when I got the offer to come and play with Demi.“
“And I just went into Coop’s room — I went to his hotel room and I talked with him and his wife. And I said, ‘Look, I have this opportunity.’ He asked, ‘Would it conflict with anything on this tour?’ I said, ‘No, but it would conflict with the fall dates, so I’d have to step back from the fall tour.’ And he said, ‘Go and do it.’“
“He gave his blessing. He gave me a big hug and said, ‘Go and have fun. Shine your light, and let us know what next year looks like and we’ll work it out.’“
“So it was a lovely and loving conversation — no big blowup; no drama; no one got fired; no one stormed out. And I took a step back and I’m trying something different. And we’ll see what happens in the future.”
But before Nita officially revealed what she’ll be doing after announcing her departure from Alice’s band, some outlets leaked the news that she’s most likely joining Demi Lovato. Discussing this whole thing and how it affected her, Nita said:
“I don’t really know how that news got out, ’cause it was all pretty close to the vest. But somebody found out, somebody decided to put it out before anybody really could make a proper statement about it, and I think that’s how these things get twisted around into something that it’s not.“
In another interview that was published in early 2023, Strauss reflected on her famous “hired gun” status. Asked about “being someone’s guitar player” and what it requires, she offered:
“Playing with the artists that I do, I’m not technically a band member. Being a hired gun, it’s really ‘step in and fill this role,’ whether it’s playing Alice Cooper songs or reimagining rockers from Demi Lovato songs.”
“What I bring to each of those different gigs is that sense of professionalism I’ve learned across so many years, and how to step into each role, fill it nicely and tightly, and help bring that artist’s vision to life while still bringing my own personality and energy to the show.”
“I have learned so much from Alice and Demi. One of the things they both do really well is they take the forefront, but they give each band member an introduction and time to shine. They don’t take the entire spotlight for themselves. That’s something I try to do with my solo band as well, to make sure it’s a collaborative effort and everybody knows it.”
An interesting point that she made was also about how playing someone else’s music rather than just your own original material is important for developing your musicianship. She said:
“First of all, any time you’re playing guitar, you’re improving, no matter what it is. Whether you’re playing power chords or technical metal, if you’re playing guitar, you’re getting incrementally better each day.”
Photo: Raph_PH (AliceCooperO2 250522 (32 of 133) (52101074061))
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