Plans for, or the overriding theme for, the Billion Dollar Babies tour really took shape during the latter part of 1972 when Michael Bennett (West Side Story, The Follies) was hired to choreography a production called "Alice At The Palace". Hot off the heels of an album heavily influenced by Broadway (School's Out), the plan was to do Broadway type production at one venue, New York City's Palace Theate. But when plans fell through due to union contracts, or excessive ticket demand - it really depends on what you are reading - what would have been a first in rock and roll for this type of production died an early death. But not entirely. Undeterred, the band soldiered on and it was decided to do a full scale traveling tour, taking its inspiration from Broadway and lathering the production in theatrical excess.
Joe Gannon designed the large opulent set which featured an Egyptian statue overlooking the set, strategically placed behind Neal Smith's drum set. There was a raised area on the stage, with steps on either side leading up to the second level, then on into a hollow metal framed entrance littered with statues and manikins - like a gateway to heaven, or would that be hell? The chrome looking set was glitzy and excessive, screaming money. But then Alice would grace the stage dressed in a white leotard which looked like it had never been washed - it was torn and stained - stomping around the stage with thigh high leopard skin boots. The Billion Dollar Babies tour was the mother of all tours. The stage was excessive, the violence perpetrated by Alice was excessive, and the show was sexually excessive. It was all about excess, and there hasn't been a tour like it since.
Baby dolls were put to death at the sword wielding hands of Alice. Alice simulated oral sex with manikins, even captured his own spittle which had travelled down between the breasts of a silver manikin body. Cleaned the dancing teeth in particularly erotic fashion after being drilled by a mad dentist (The Amazing Randy). And finally, beheaded on a guillotine only to return to the stage so he and the band could beat the crap out of a Nixon impersonator. What more could you want, seriously?
What is often forgotten and overlooked about the Alice Cooper group
is just how popular they were. Billion Dollar Babies saw the group at
the height of their success, the tour was on the back of a No. 1 album
and a top ten single. The band didn't take this lightly, instead of
taking a break from constant touring for the past 5 years they hit the
road - hard. In a little over three months the band had played about 60
dates across the US, traveling from city to city in a private jet. The
Billion Dollar Babies tour was the highest grossing tour to hit the
stage up to this point