Hollywood Vampires presented with plaque for Wembley show
Rock supergroup Hollywood Vampires – comprising rock legends Joe Perry and Alice Cooper and actor Johnny Depp – have been presented with an award plaque to mark their first ever headline show at the SSE Arena Wembley on 20 June.
The gig in question saw the band make their way through their collective works as well as a catalogue of classic rock covers, all gratefully received by a rapturous audience. On top of this, fans also got to see The Darkness and The Damned supporting the main act.
Whilst last week’s gig was the first time Hollywood Vampires have performed at Wembley, the same can’t be said for Cooper himself. With this latest gig, Cooper has played the venue a total of thirteen times and is the only artist to have played the venue every decade since the 1970s.
Last week’s gig was the first time Hollywood Vampires have performed at Wembley
The awards, presented by SSE Arena Wembley’s vice president and general manager John Drury and operations director Sharon Smith, also celebrated those who worked behind the scenes of the headline gig. Hollywood Vampires management team members Shep Gordon, Paul Geary and Steve Wood, as well as Steve Homer of AEG Presents and Neil Warnock of UTA, were also all presented with the commemorative plaques.
The history of the Hollywood Vampires is even more star-studded than its current line-up. Looking back to the 1970s, the original Hollywood Vampires were patrons of the Rainbow Bar & Grill on LA’s Sunset Strip. They included the likes of Keith Moon, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson and just about any other rock star who found themselves passing through at the time.
In 2015, Cooper and his long-time friend Depp decided to reignite the spirit of the Vampires. Since then, the band has played gigs and festivals and has worked with stars including Sir Paul McCartney and Dave Grohl in the recording studio.
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Paco “heading in the right direction” with new tours
Independent German promoter Paco Agency is gearing up for its biggest summer yet with new tours by King Crimson, Nickelback and Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp’s supergroup Hollywood Vampires.
Nickelback will play six dates in Germany in May and June 2018 as part of their Feed the Machine tour, while Hollywood Vampires will play five shows throughout June. King Crimson’s Uncertain Times tour, meanwhile, includes five German dates in June and July.
It is the first time Munich-based Paco, whose previous tours include Status Quo, Magnum, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Chicago and Elvis Costello, has worked with the three bands.
Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger says: “We can’t wait to get back and play for all the amazing people of Europe. The shows are always some of our most memorable and the energy that our European friends bring every night is positively infectious. This is, by far and away, our biggest and best production to date, and we’re ready for one hell of a party.”
“We’ve proven ourselves many times over the years and it just shows that hard work really does pay off”
Assistant promoter Jenny Brandl tells IQ the new tours represent a turning point for Paco. “We’ve had the pleasure of working with amazing artists such as Status Quo, Alice Cooper and many more over the years, but it’s always a great experience and an honour to be chosen for artists you’ve never worked with,” she comments.
“With Nickelback, Hollywood Vampires and King Crimson we’ve reached an even higher level of professionalism and are definitely heading in the right direction for the future. We took a shot and seized the opportunity and it worked out for us and we’re beyond happy about it.
“We’ve proven ourselves many times over the years and it just shows that hard work really does pay off.”
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