Remember When Alice Cooper’s Former Guitarist Almost Set Their Audience on Fire?

As pioneers of the shock rock subgenre, Alice Cooper (and Alice Cooper’s former guitarist) regularly pushed the boundaries of what their on-stage antics could be. Some of the drama was an illusion, like the time that the media started running a fake story about frontman Cooper drinking the blood of a chicken. Frank Zappa would be the one who suggested Cooper go along with the story.

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Other stories of the band’s raucous live performances were entirely true, like Cooper wrapping a snake around his neck or pretending to hang himself. And during Cooper’s 1986-87 “The Nightmare Returns” tour, the band added “almost setting the audience on fire” to their list of wild stunts.

Finding The Perfect Guitar For Alice Cooper’s Tour

Normally, a guitarist might pick out a guitar because of its versatility, playing feel, or general tone. But when you’re in Alice Cooper’s band, sometimes you have to pick out a guitar because of how shockingly abnormal it is. Such was the case for Cooper’s former lead guitar player, Kane Roberts, who helped usher in the band’s more metal-centric era in the late 1980s. Roberts had a commanding stage presence, thanks to his tall stature, big muscles, and Rambo-like outfit of black leather tank tops and armbands.

Just before the band embarked on their “The Nightmare Returns” tour, the band’s manager, Shep Gordon, received a call from someone who had a guitar they were looking to give the band. The owner was a young budding luthier (or arms producer, technically) who built a guitar unlike anything Roberts had ever seen: an electric guitar that doubled as a flamethrower.

“I looked at it and went, ‘This thing’s ridiculous,’” Roberts recalled in an interview with Guitar Player. “The kid was an army brat, so he’d been around weapons his whole life. He followed his dad around from base to base, and he built this insane guitar. That guitar played amazing. That’s one of the things that shocked me. He just put together this incredible instrument.”

The Night The Guitarist Almost Set The Audience On Fire

Kane Roberts was so taken with the electric guitar-slash-flamethrower that he added it to his arsenal for Alice Cooper’s 1986 to 1987 tour. The guitar, which was capable of shooting flames around ten feet, was the perfect addition to Roberts’ already tough stage persona. And in the context of Alice Cooper’s shock rock shows, it was an even more perfect fit. But Roberts soon came to find the trick didn’t always go off without a hitch.

“It became a bit part of the show,” Roberts said. “It was crazy, but it ended up being my signature thing. I was a total Kramer guy, but that guitar didn’t feel heavy compared to them once it was strapped on. I gave it a primo setup, and it was perfect for me. At the end of my solo, I had to flick a switch to make it shoot flames. I had to do it at the appropriate time and, hopefully, away from the audience. We were at a theater, and it didn’t shoot flames the night before.”

“So,” he continued, “I did the dumbest thing. I looked back at the drummer and ended up pointing it at the audience. When I turned around, the flames were shooting into and out over the crowd. I wasn’t paying attention.” Luckily, everyone made it out of the show unscathed. But the band certainly put the “shock” in shock rock that night.

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