Rock of Aging: The Nightmare Never Ends – Alice Cooper Live! (VIDEO)

In this episode of Rock of Aging, your co-hosts, Dave and Erika, are reviewing a recent show from the legendary Alice Cooper. Alice performed at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Omaha, Nebraska on August 27, 2025.

Despite being a lifelong hard rock and metal fan, Dave had never seen Alice Cooper in concert. For a first Alice show, it was impressive. The king of "shock rock" can still shock, even at age 77. Among the members of Alice's first-rate band is guitarist Nita Strauss. She was also a crowd favorite.

All photos and videos shot by Dave or Erika.

NOTE: We post a new episode of Rock of Aging on the 10th of every month!

Tom Keifer Band and L.A. Guns at Steelhouse in Omaha September 26, 2020 (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

Caught Tom Keifer Band (Cinderella) for the second time last night at Steelhouse in Omaha. Opening the show was L.A. Guns. This same double played here two years ago (here's the video I made about it: https://youtu.be/S-5XWBPHvbA?si=bmptxPPgoBiltgPh).

This marked the third time I had seen L.A. Guns in the last two years. We did a special episode on the band on Rock of Aging: https://youtu.be/wY2b1X2gTkE?si=Fui5c-xyE7F-QADV.

Tom Keifer Band at Steelhouse, Omaha, NE 9/26/25

Here's a quick video of Tom Keifer Band.

Sirius XM's Eddie Trunk hosted the show

L.A. Guns at Steelhouse, Omaha, NE 9/26/25 (Phil Lewis may or may not be wearing a pirate hat)

Tom Keifer Band

"Back in the Day" Concert Tales: FAITH NO MORE + CIRCUS OF POWER June 18, 1990 (VIDEO)

This week, I bring you the next installment in my "Back in the Day Concert Tales" series. We are travelling back to June 18, 1990 when FAITH NO MORE and CIRCUS OF POWER performed in a bowling alley in Omaha! 

Faith No More was celebrating the one year anniversary of its breakthrough album, The Real Thing, with a tiny club show in Omaha. The band was in amazing form and blazed through songs from all three of the albums that had been released up to that point. Immediately after this show, the band left for Europe.

New York hard rockers, Circus of Power, opened the show. COP was touring in support of its second full-length LP, Vices.

I was able to talk briefly with members of both bands, and took some pictures, too!

ALICE COOPER LIVE at THE ORPHEUM: Review, Photos, Videos / NITA STRAUSS (VIDEO)

This week, I am reviewing Alice Cooper live at The Orpheum in Omaha from 8/27/25. Believe it or not, despite being a lifelong metal and hard rock fan, I had never seen Alice in concert before.

Well, for a first Alice Cooper show, I could not have enjoyed it more! The production was great, the band was tight, and Alice was in amazing form. The set included songs from the 70s, 80s, 90s and beyond.

Alice Cooper is 77. It is unbelievable how great he sounded and how much energy he had!

Old Guy at the Punk Show? My SCOWL Live Recap and Review (VIDEO)

 

This week, I am reviewing a recent concert from Santa Cruz, CA punk band, SCOWL. I titled the video, "Old Guy at the Punk Show" because that's how I felt at first. But I've been going to punk shows since the 80s, and it has been a long time since I WASN'T the old guy at the show. I'm good with it. Basically.

Had no idea there were three bands, so unfortunately, I missed Lead Spirit. I believe they are from Omaha. The second band, Glixen, is from Phoenix, and they play a slow, dark, brooding,  mix of metal and shoegaze. The band was really cool, but I just couldn't hear the vocals. I think that was intentional; it was an element to their sound. But, maybe, bump it up from one to two or something. I really wanted to hear it.

SCOWL was next. I will say this about seeing a show with three, young punk bands...the sets are pretty short. The show started at 8:00, and Scowl was onstage by 9:30. When you're older you pay attention to stuff like that. 

However, when Scowl finished, I wanted a lot more. This was a great show. The live versions of the songs are even more intense than the studio tracks.

WAXAHATCHEE Live at Maha Music Festival, Omaha, NE 8/2/25

Katie Crutchfield of Waxahatchee at Maha Music Festival in Omaha NE 8/2/25

 

PIXIES Live at Maha Music Festiva, Omaha, NE 8/2/25 (PHOTOS)

Pixies closed out the Maha Music Festival in Omaha, NE on August 2, 2025

Black Francis of Pixies at Maha Festival

Joey Santiago of Pixies at Maha Festival

Emma Richardson of Pixies at Maha Festival

Pixies at Maha Music Festival, Omaha, NE 8/2/25

Ringo Starr and His All-Star Band LIVE in Omaha September, 12, 2024 (PHOTOS)

Ringo Starr leading his All-Star Band

The All-Star Band includes Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Hamish Stuart, and Gregg Bissonette

Ringo (drums) and Hamish Stuart (bass)

Ringo says good night

Orenda Fink To Play at Reverb Feb 11

It has just been announced that Orenda Fink will be making her premier performance at The Reverb Lounge on Wednesday, February 11 (click for tickets).

I'm very glad that Orenda is doing this show, as I missed her two Omaha shows at the end of last year due to scheduling conflicts. This concert takes place in between her two European tours (one of which is happening now).

Maybe you somehow missed it, but Orenda Fink was a guest on my podcast last year, and her interview is on episodes #116 and #117. Both can be streamed below:

My So-Called Weekend

I only ventured out on Saturday to see this band

Had a very uneventful weekend. The only thing I actually accomplished was making a permanent indention in my living room couch. I barely ventured outside the entire time. 

There are barely any decent shows from now through the end of the year. On Saturday morning, I went to Rockbrook Camera and bought a new camera. Despite blowing over a grand on the camera, I still headed over to Half Price Books to look for records. I grabbed a used 'Best of Scorpions' record which features the band's music from the 1970s. I have never heard the really early stuff, and I liked it. I also grabbed a Heart record and a still sealed copy of Matthew Sweet's 'Sunshine Lies,' which is a double LP, gatefold with a CD inside. It was heavily marked down. Score!

Later that night, I hit Reverb Lounge to see my friend's new band. Unfortunately, I already forgot the name of the band. They were good -- a 90s math rock, instrumental band. The set was only about 30 minutes, and I soon retreated back home where I stayed the rest of the weekend.

Not much else to report. I will hopefully have my video for part two of my Top 20 albums of the year up in a day or so. I already posted part one.

Review: Dum Dum Girls @ Waiting Room 10/20/14

Dee Dee from Dum Dum Girls 10/20/14

As anticipated yesterday, I hit last night's Dum Dum Girls show at Waiting Room. This was my third time checking out DDG, and my first with them as a headliner. 

I wanted to get to the show a little earlier than normal because I wanted to try and get some of my records signed by Dee Dee. Fortunately, she was behind the merch booth chatting with fans, and I got her to sign my LP of Too True. In addition, I bought a 7" that I didn't have and had her sign that, too. We chatted briefly about her other band, Haunted Hearts, and about her husband's band, Crocodiles. I was hoping to get her to commit to coming to Omaha with a double bill of Dum Dum Girls and Crocodiles. I guess she'll take it under advisement. Dee Dee was very nice, but it was hard to have a real conversation with the loud music of the openers, and with her being inundated with autograph requests. Oh well, the life of a rock star!

There were two openers last night: Yes You Are and Ex Cops. YYA features a former member of Tilly and the Wall, so many old school Omaha scenesters were in attendance. To me, YYA sounded like a modern take on Linda Ronstadt. I don't mean that to sound negative, that's just my initial impression. Next up was Ex Cops, who were running very late and had a myriad of technical issues. I spent most of their set in the back and couldn't hear much. Asking around, I got mixed reviews as to the quality of their set.

Dum Dum Girls hit the stage sometime around 11 and proceeded to play the entire Too True album from start to finish. As a rule, I don't like it when bands play their entire new album in concert. If I wanted to listen to the record in order, I'd just stay home and play it, you know?

I could have handled the whole new album thing better if the band played with a little more...spunk. Or energy. Or enthusiasm. Something. 

For all practical purposes, Dee Dee is the band. She writes the songs, she sings the songs, and she decides who plays on the albums. For the most part, the rest of the "band" has been consistent over the last few years, but last night there was a change. Rather than sing and play guitar, Dee Dee gave up the guitar and just sang. She brought in a new guitar player to play her parts. I don't know if that was the problem or not, but last night, the band played quite lifelessly. 

This is a band that I love, performing an album that I love, and yet I was bored. Every band has off nights, and this seemed like one to me. Everyone played their parts, but they didn't seem to be playing together. Dee Dee's voice sounded great, but she was being backed poorly last night. I ended up leaving early! WTF.

The last two times I saw Dum Dum Girls they were amazing live. Last night, however, they were just off. Maybe I am being too nit-picky, perhaps; because a listener of my radio show emailed from the concert thanking me for turning him on to this band and saying how much he loved the show. I'm glad he had a good time, but I was a little disappointed.

Dum Dum Girls TONIGHT at Waiting Room

LA's Dum Dum Girls return to Omaha tonight for a show at Waiting Room. The girls are on the tail end of their tour in support of their third album, Too True. It's been a while since I've seen Dum Dum Girls. The last time, I believe, was at the MAHA Music Festival in 2012.

Few people remember the time before that when DDG opened for Girls at Waiting Room on their first tour. They blew Girls off the stage, and have been a favorite of mine since then. Tonight's show should be quite good, even though it's a Monday night.

Opening the show will be Ex Cops and Yes You Are. Tickets are still available for $15.

J Mascis and Lulac TONIGHT at Waiting Room

Alternative rock legend J Mascis is performing tonight at Waiting Room here in Omaha. J performs solo tonight - without his band Dinosaur Jr. - in support of his newest album, Tied To a Star. Opening the show is the Australian folk duo Lulac.

Both J and Lulac record for the Sub Pop label, and both have new albums out. Obviously, I'm going to see Mr. Mascis. Dinosaur Jr. is one of my favorite bands ever, and I never miss an opportunity to see Mascis perform.

J last appeared in Omaha as a solo artist at the MAHA Music Festival in 2011. He came through with Dinosaur Jr. in 2012.

Here is J's most recent video for "Every Morning":
See you there tonight!

Drakes Hotel Live Tonight at Barley Street Tavern

Omaha band, Drakes Hotel, is performing tonight at The Barley Street Tavern (2735 N. 62nd St). This is a rare Omaha appearance from the band, who have been playing out less lately.

I got word from the band that they will be playing first, so their set should start around 9pm.

Before hitting the show, make sure to check out Drakes Hotel's appearance on The Dark Stuff Podcast #108:

Video Recap of My Arizona Trip to see The Replacements

Sebadoh / See Through Dresses 9/28/14 @ Reverb Lounge

Despite being dead tired from my Arizona/Replacements experience, I hit up the brand new Reverb Lounge to catch the official opening show night. The club got a pretty impressive band for its opening -- indie rock legends, Sebadoh. Despite having a close connection to the new venue, I had not seen the space since it had been demoed a few months ago. I didn't see the progress of the construction. Now that it's finished, it looks amazing.

There are separate rooms for the bar and for the performances. This is great if you want to see only one of the bands, or want a break from the volume. The bar room is upscale, hipster. It looks really nice. Lots of vintage guitars hanging on the walls, and a comfortable environment. There is a high probability of overcrowding, however, if people come to the bar who aren't actually there to see a show. This is probably not a concern for Reverb since more people = more money. But, being a little claustrophobic, I worry about those things.

The show room is small intimate by design. It's purpose is to host shows that are too small for the nearby Waiting Room. The room is sleek and modern, with tall, grey walls and a high ceiling. Framed photos are hung around the room at about eye level, but that is the only decoration, at this point. The stage is adorned with a tall curtain only. The room has a feel of a practice space or rehearsal studio. It almost feels like you are a voyeur secretly spying on a band's private practice time.

Overcrowding could be a problem, but as of now, the club is limiting tickets to 115 or so per show. At the peak point of Sunday night's sold out show, when the crowd was at its largest, I could still move around the room with relative ease. Hopefully, it will remain that way. There were a few sound issues, but that is to be expected with a brand new space. I am sure they will be worked out in short order. I'd also like to see some more decoration or artwork on the walls. It's a little too grey at this point. Again, I am sure this will be addressed shortly.

Omaha band See Through Dresses opened the show

Omaha's own, See Through Dresses, opened the show. They were great, as usual, and their 90s influenced sound was a perfect compliment to Sebadoh. STD's set was too brief, in my opinion, but openers typically don't do sets of epic proportions. (Editor's note: Check out See Through Dresses on the Dark Stuff Podcast here)

Sebadoh's Lou Barlow singing "License To Confuse"

After a brief break, Sebadoh hit the stage, and immediately there were problems. Lou Barlow complained that his vocals were not loud enough (they weren't), and that he couldn't hear himself on stage. After struggling through a second song, Barlow took off his guitar, said goodbye, and walked off the stage. The crowd was stunned, and so were Barlow's band mates. He returned in less than 30 seconds, however, and resumed playing. After another song or two, the sound issue was fixed, and the crowd showed its appreciation.

Sebadoh's set drew heavily from the band's celebrated album, Bakesale, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Non-Bakesale classics like "The Freed Pig" were also played, alongside cuts from the band's most recent album, Defend Yourself.

Jason Lowenstein takes a turn at the mic

Barlow and Jason Lowenstein each had their own mini-sets where they handled lead vocals. They would alternate every 5-6 songs or so. Overall, Sebadoh performed for over 2 hours. The crowd of dedicated fans seemed to love every minute of it. Later in the set, Lou Barlow apologized for his earlier behavior, and said that sound issues are common in a new venue, and he was certain Reverb would be a fantastic place.

The mighty Sebadoh

Before Sebadoh actually ended, I popped over to the nearby Waiting Room to see The Dandy Warhols. When I walked in, I was shocked by the mellowness of both the band and the crowd. I was told that Dandy's lead singer, Courtney Taylor Taylor, had all but blown out his voice and had trouble singing a lot of the band's older songs. To compensate, the band played only its slower material, as well as songs that were more suited to Taylor's new, limited range. Though the crowd seemed to be enjoying the show, I found it sort of sad and depressing. I only stayed for about 10 minutes.

Overall, it was a great night, and a great way to open a new venue. I'm certain that I'll be writing a number of reviews of shows from Reverb over the next few months and years.

The Replacements at The Marquee 9/27/14 - My Review

This past weekend, I took a 24 hour trip to Arizona to see The Replacements perform at the Summer's End Music Festival. The band were the headliners of the second night of the three day festival. The rest of the line-up was questionable to me, so I only wanted to see The Replacements. 

This was my one day in "sunny" Arizona

When I landed in Phoenix on Saturday morning, the skies were clear, the sun was shining, and it was hot as hell. Usual Arizona. Within two hours of getting there, however, the skies had darkened, and it was pouring down raining. This rain was not some mild sprinkling. It was coming down in buckets. It was so bad that it caused flash flooding in parts of the city.

Naturally, this made me a little stressed about attending an outdoor music festival. Since I didn't care about much of the festival, I wasn't planning on going until later in the day or early evening. Why stand around watching shitty bands all day, when the only one I want to see plays after 10 pm? 

Around 5:00, we got word that the festival was being moved to an indoor location a mile or so away from the original site. It was being put into a club called The Marquee. Two scenarios came to mind when I heard this news: 1) they must not have sold many tickets to this festival if they could move the whole crowd into a club or 2) they sold a lot of tickets, and most people with tickets would not be making it into the club due to the smaller capacity. I never got a real answer as to which scenario was accurate, but I didn't want to risk not getting in. My friends and I hit the club around 8:00 or so.

Though I was supposed to be going backstage and meeting The Replacements that day, when I arrived, all that was left for me was a pair of general tickets. This, of course, was quite disappointing, but at least I was getting into the show. I guess we didn't need to get there quite so early because getting in was a breeze. Unfortunately, with the "festival" now inside a club, there was no way to avoid the other bands (the aforementioned "shitty" ones). Now I had to sit through Switchfoot, Taking Back Sunday, and The Descendents. (Note: before anyone freaks out an tells me those bands aren't shitty, let me just say that you weren't there. They were shitty. And I used to like the Descendents! But I was not in any mood to see them that night.) It was brutal.

Tommy Stinson, Paul Westerberg, and Dave Minehan from The Replacements

The Replacements finally hit the stage around 11:30 or so and delivered what was probably the best performance by them that I have ever seen. Better than when I saw them in the late 80s/early 90s. The band was so energetic and excited to be playing, and that excitement was infectious. The entire crowd was jumping up and down, dancing, and singing along the entire night. 

The set list featured some serious rarities! They pulled out songs that haven't been played since, probably, 1983. They played "White and Lazy" from the Replacements Stink EP, for fuck's sake! At one point in the night, Paul Westerberg threw a yellow legal pad and a pen into the crowd and told us to write down requests. I have never seen any band do that before. 

After a couple of songs, Tommy shed his teletubby costume and threw it into the crowd

The Replacements performed for nearly two hours, and I loved every minute of it. I did have to deal with some seriously drunk people in my vicinity, but even those assholes couldn't keep me from having a good time. This was an amazing show. I hope the crowd appreciated what they got. I know I did. To see the entire set list, go here.

Paul singing "I Want You Back" by Jackson 5

Here is about a minute to so of The Replacements performing "If Only You Were Lonely" from the show. I shot it with my phone, so don't expect much.

Free Orenda Fink Show + Podcast Posts Monday!!

Omaha readers: Orenda Fink will be performing songs from her new album, Blue Dream, tomorrow night (September 5) at the Saddle Creek Shop (721 N. 14th St). She will begin around 7 pm.

Remember, Orenda is my guest on the next episode of The Dark Stuff Podcast. Part one of her interview will be posted Monday, September 8. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss it!

The Afghan Whigs at Waiting Room Wrap-Up

 

So, I saw The Afghan Whigs last night, and the photo above should explain why I have no pictures of the band performing. I am really conflicted about bands requesting that people not take their photos during a concert. Technically, Afghan Whigs did not ban photography at the show. It was more of a polite suggestion. Lead singer Greg Dulli did yell at someone who was using a flash (which any idiot should know that you don't do), but that was completely understandable. After the first few songs, he then asked everyone to put away their phones and just enjoy the concert. 

I get it. Artists don't like poor quality (or really any quality) videos of their shows being posted on youtube. Also, I could imagine how annoying it would be to look out into the crowd and see a bunch of folks watching the show through their cell phones. But that is sort of the way of the world these days. I don't film shows precisely because I don't want to spend the whole concert looking through the lens of my phone. However, I do like taking a few pictures as personal mementos of the show. And, of course, I like posting them on Instagram and on this very site. An outright photo ban is lame, but a strong suggestion from an artist that they'd prefer if you didn't spend the whole night on your phone is acceptable. Either way, I didn't want to get up close and take pictures because I worried Dulli might yell at me! 

Instead, I stayed toward the back of The Waiting Room and just listened. A few quick thoughts on the show: the band sounded great. Greg Dulli's voice was in good form, and he was able to belt out the classics and the new stuff with equal intensity. Outside of Dulli, and maybe the bass player, I don't think anyone else on stage had ever been a member of Afghan Whigs prior to this current tour. That was a little weird, but they sounded great, so I guess I don't care. My last observation would be that by the end of the set, I was kind of getting bored. I'm not a musician, so maybe I am off base, but it seems to me that most every Afghan Whigs song is in the same key or something. They all started sounding the same after an hour or so. I've never noticed this before, but last night, I was definitely feeling that.

If Afghan Whigs comes to your town, I would recommend you go. Maybe you were a bigger fan of the band back in the day than I was. I always liked them, had a few records, but they were never one of "my bands." You know?

UPDATE: Hear Nebraska has a lengthier review and some actual photographs here.

Deer Tick / The Weeks TONIGHT at Waiting Room

Deer Tick (above) and The Weeks (below)

I've been looking forward to tonight's show at Waiting Room ever since it was announced a few months ago. Deer Tick is one of the best rock bands to emerge in the last decade or so, and were great the two previous time I saw them perform. I've never seen The Weeks, but have been playing them on my radio show for a couple of years, and am looking forward to their live show.

Here are videos from both bands:

   

 Maybe I'll see you tonight. Tickets are still available at $17.