ALICE VS. STEVIE A Contrast in Rock By Tom Lordan It is said that performers are only as good as the audience they play for. Two types of music are fast developing among our generation. The first is basic rock and roll with an accent on the three or four chord rhythms. When accentuated through banks of amplifiers this becomes a heart-beat of an audience, sometimes monotonous but always driving. Usually after a short time span the music becomes more sound than recognizable tunes. There is, how- ever, one substantial breakaway from this norm. Alice Cooper came to Philly on Saturday, Jan- uary 15th with amazing theatrical and musical im- pact. Playing to an audience mostly geared for the sound of the Osmond Brothers, they managed to get trenemdous results. The whole concert was built to a traumatic entrance by the two local radio stations, who supposedly were hosting Alice Cooper Day. The major portion of the groups performance re- volves around gags and theatrics coupled with per- fect timing. Alice, a-supposed closet queen, strut- ted about on stage in the well-patterned Mick Jagger form. In every song it was evident that he was in complete control of the group. The climax of the performance was when Alice began throwing a doll about on stage in wild and frenzied excitement. Picking up a hatchet he began hacking the doll into shattered pieces. This was culminated by drop kicking the doll into the crowd. The lights were extinguished and cries of ‘‘murder- er’’ and ‘‘killer’’ were screamed by performers and audience. He was then led to a waiting scaffold by torch- bearing members of the group. The execution was perfectly timed and beautifully handled. The sight of the baby killer dangling by a rope was eerie and grotesquely frightning. After long interludes of lightning and thunder claps, Alice in white top hat and tails, returned to the stage with his now familiar feminine swagger. They ended the performance with ‘‘Under My Wheels,”’ one of the better cuts from their new release. prompt- ly titled ‘‘Killer.”’ " The Spectrum theater opened their doors to a mild mannered quiet group of people, who came to hear ‘““true’’ music. Traffic, lead by Stevie Winwood, has emerged through a series of traumatic change into one of the best precision rock and roll groups of the past few years. After a series of egotrips by Win- Continued on Next Page Readers Theatre Presents "Catch-22' By Anne McGeehan In May, ‘‘Reader’s Theatre’’ will present the contenporary play ‘‘Catch-22.”’ Under the direction of Samuel Edelman, Speech Instructor, and student director, Ann Cope, the play will be presented in an orally interpretive form. The play features students Shelley Mayernick, Anne McGeehan, Tom Surynt, Fran Hoffman, Larry Conway, Barry Rosenberg, Gary Tupper, and teachers Edelman and Arthur Martindale. Excerpts of ‘‘Catch-22’° will be presented on Block Weekend at the Student/Faculty Talent Show. The play will be presented in its entirety Saturday, May 20. It is hopeful that all will attend “‘Catch-22"’, to to enjoy an excellent performance. Mar y Sol: Final Festival? By Carl Vairo Woodstock was the height of the festival fad, Altamont started the decline, and unless everyone can overlook inconveniences, Mar Y Sol might be the last. Mar Y Sol, sea and sun, The First International Puerto Rico Pop Festival, was held April 1, 2, and 3rd on an abandoned daily farm near the Puerto Rican town of Vega Baja, 40 miles west of San Juan. The $152 package deal included camping facilities, transportation to and from the festival, and admission to the three day concert. Transportation from the airport to the festival site was provided a few days before the festival began. However, on Wednesday, March 29, a Supe- rior Court judge in San Juan issued an order stop- ping the festival. Although the court case was won by the festival promoters, the free bus transportation was abandoned, leaving thousands stranded at the airport. The camping facilities consisted of one water facet, which was to provide water for 40,000 people, showers, and portable toilets. The water was almost undrinkable and the toilets were not cleaned the entire nine days that I was there. The food was supplied by private citizens who ran concession stands. The food wasn’t bad but the prices were - outrageous. They took advantage of the fact that the nearest town was eight miles away. ~ Continued on Next Page
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers