Nov 8 2013– It was close to 11:30 PM on Friday night and I was sitting home rather then checking out one of the best local tributes, My Other Brother Alice(MOBA). I had planned on going but the venue lighting has been so bad on my 2 previous visits I was boycotting the venue this time around. I wanted to know what I was missing so I logged into Facebook and messaged a friend who I knew was going despite the venue. He let me know that one of the guitar players from MOBA had brought in a few additional lights so that they were not playing in the dark. That was all I needed to hear. Within 10 minutes I had my camera packed up and was out the door and on my way to Michael’s Bar and Grill located on Young Street in Halifax. I arrived just as the opening act 2 Minutes to Maiden was finishing up, so I didn’t miss any of the headliner MOBA.
Dana Boulton has been portraying the character of Alice Cooper now for over a decade, and when the band takes to the stage they start with the classic Hello Hooray. Boulton is not on the stage during the intro but right on cue his voice rips out of the PA. After quickly scanning the club I discover Boultom standing on one of the tables behind me. Boulton is dressed in black pants, a bloodied white shirt, a black leather jacket and a tattered black leather top hat that has obviously been through years of MOBA shows. Immediately it was obvious from the ear to ear grin, that Boulton was going to be in fine form. His portrayal of Alice appears to completely consume him as he steps down off the table and works his way through the revved up audience at Michaels to get to the stage.
When MOBA got to the mega hits like No More Mister Nice Guy and Billion Dollar Babies, the audience were totally into things singing along with Boulton as he shared the microphone with members of the audience.
Musically, MOBA is made up of a select group of seasoned local players. Chris Zinck and Tym Deal share the guitar duties, Jason Young is the bass player, Paul Nickerson is the drummer and Dana Boulton becomes Alice. It’s unfortunate that these guys only get together for a handful shows each year. We love MOBA, and it’s so easy to get absorbed by a good live show when everyone on stage is not only talented but are obviously having fun.
Setlist:
- Hello Hooray
- Go To Hell
- No More Mister Nice Guy
- Billion Dollar Babies
- Luney Tune
- Be My Lover
- I Love The Dead / Cold Ethyl
- Muscle Of Love
- Caught In A Dream
- Long Way To Go
- You Drive Me Nervous
- Dead Babies
- I’m Eighteen
- Desperado
- Halo Of Flies (execution)
- Under My Wheels
- Elected
- School’s Out
As you can see their setlist was filled with all the songs that Alice Cooper fans like myself grew up listening to. If you are in the Maritimes and see My Other Brother Alice listed on the sign outside a club you better get your ass in gear and get in there before it sells out. This band ranks at or very near the top of my personal list of favorite local tribute shows. There is one local tribute I have yet to see which is Dirty Deeds (AC/DC tribute). People tell me they are the best tribute to AC/DC, but unless I get to see their show I can only speculate.
Verdict: 5/5
