Although some rock fans were bummed out when the news of Nita Strauss leaving Alice Cooper’s backing band came out, it was not much of a surprise. Let’s be honest – Alice Cooper isn’t getting any younger. Even though he’s doing insanely well for his age, it’s not like Nita, who’s in her primetime now, will have a long-lasting future. And, besides, she’s a professional “hired gun.” It’s her job and she’s looking for better opportunities.
But then the shock came when she revealed that she was joining Demi Lovato’s backing band. While most were okay with this decision, a certain portion of rock fans was a bit baffled and even outraged by this decision. But at the end of the day, it’s her decision and her career. Although she did no interviews after joining the band, she recently shared a social media post saying:
“An epic sunset to mark the end of an epic 4 weeks of rehearsal. On Saturday [Demi Lovato] unleashes this new show on the world for the first time. It has been an absolute blast to be a part of creating this sonic and visual experience alongside such an incredible group of musicians!!! Demi is a damn rockstar and if you didn’t know it before, you will when you start seeing videos from this tour.”
Although the Jimmy Kimmel performance marked Nita’s live debut with Lovato, the singer has officially kicked off her tour. Taking place on August 13 in Springfield, Illinois, this marked Lovato’s first proper full-length live show of the tour. And, of course, a proper premiere of her new band. Here are some shots featuring Nita Strauss.
In a recent interview, guitarist Kane Roberts discussed his return to Alice Cooper’s band, effectively replacing Nita Strauss. The guitarist, who played for Cooper back in the mid-1980s, said:
“You know, Alice, and I, of course, are friends, so we talk all the time. And, you know, I’m a big fan of Nita. Actually, I’m a big fan of his entire band right now. They’re all very good. And Alice, he knows that, so when Nita implied that she’d be leaving for a little while, I guess it made sense to Alice for him to call me.”
“But before that, Alice had played on my ‘The New Normal’ album, with Alissa White-Gluz from Arch Enemy on the song ‘Beginning of the End.’ And then they both agreed to be in my video and all that stuff, so he knows I’ve been active, and then recently, I wrote a song with him, so we’ve been in touch musically as well.”
“But the call from Alice to join – it came out of nowhere. I was just sitting at home watching TV or whatever after I was done with my day, and then Sheryl Cooper called, and said, ‘Hey, Alice wants to talk to you.’ So, Alice got on the phone and said, ‘Hey, do you want to be in the Alice Cooper band for the fall tour?’ and I went, ‘Yeah, sure,’ because it’s nothing but fun when we’re together.”
“So, I’ve been listening to the set and everything, and it kicks ass. It’s really been kind of a natural thing, and of course, I’ve had a crap ton of stuff to get together. You know, there were also these existing musical arrangements that have been developing with the band over the last eight years, or whatever, but all this stuff is in my fingers. I’m working really hard, and yeah, it’s great.”
Photo: Frank Schwichtenberg (Nita Strauss – Wacken Open Air 2017 17), YouTube screenshot
