Events Center, October 4, 2022, Loveland, Colorado.

Tim Van Schmidt

Ahhhh — there’s nothing like a good hard rock show to get the blood pumping and Alice Cooper delivered in full at the Events Center in Loveland on October 4.

Let’s get the age nonsense out of the way right away. Cooper is 74, but he remains a strong rock ringmaster. He’s got younger musicians blasting off the musical fireworks, while he stalks the stage and belts out the tunes with authority.

Cooper’s stage persona has always been a little rough — his voice too — so really there wasn’t any real sign of the usual aging rocker’s troubles. Actually, his “pre-aged” presence has been a little bit of genius for years.

Then you have to admire the usual scary stage props that help make his show continue to be a rocker’s delight. From a huge “Billion Dollar Baby” to the famous guillotine bit, the show was a Halloween-ish visual feast.

The tunes were all there — “Be My Lover”, “I’m Eighteen”, “Under My Wheels”, “School’s Out”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, “Poison”, and “Hey Stoopid”. The patriotic display for “Freedom” included not only American flags, but also a Ukrainian flag right in the middle.

Packed into a 1 1/2 hour show, it was a mighty set list. And the whole ensemble kept the momentum fast and furious — there was no loose talk, just rock action.