Picture this: it’s 1967 in downtown Los Angeles at the hippest club in town. A new band has rolled in sporting black eye make-up as they produce some of the loudest sounds you’ve ever heard, not to mention the wild theatrics. As some shocked club-goers pile out of the venue in awe, you and a decent crowd stick around, eager for more. That’s the power of Alice Cooper.

Five decades later and the now-solo rock legend has yet to slow down. In fact, since the late ‘60s, there have been only five sporadic years during which Cooper didn’t take advantage of his live skills, making him one of the most consistent active performers around.

And yes, he’s still very much “alive” today as he takes in the joy of a 72nd year.

Now, let’s fast forward fifteen years from our 1967 vision. Exactly thirty-eight years to the day, Alice Cooper celebrated his 34th birthday with a 14-song set in Northern France.

In the thick of his somewhat recent break from the original Alice Cooper band, the larger-than-life frontman took center stage to perform a mix of solo and group originals, including tracks off of his most recent album at the time, Special Forces (1981).

Boasting the same name as the album, the 1982 European tour brought Cooper and company across France and the UK for a total of eighteen dates over the course of almost a month. And while the lineup has seen seemingly nonstop changes since Cooper’s original break in 1974, the Special Forces run featured a band that was original to the year.

With Cooper leading the way on vocals (and theatrics), the rest of the 1982 band consisted of Danny Johnson (guitar), Erik Scott (bass), Mike Pinera (guitar), Craig Krampf (drums) and Duane Hitchings (keyboards).

Opening the show with the hit “Who Do You Think We Are” off of Special Forces, Cooper set an unrealistic solo precedent that would be shattered just three songs later with a performance of the Alice Cooper band’s 1971 hit “I’m Eighteen.”

Check out this performance of "I'm Eighteen" below as it was originally recorded for French TV during Cooper's European trek on the 1982 Special Forces tour!

Moving on with the original Alice Cooper trend, the show continued with more early ‘70s hits like “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Under My Wheels” and “Generation Landslide,” which hasn’t been played a single time live since the last date of the 1982 tour. Talk about a deep cut.

Of course, while he was sure to include a healthy number of Alice Cooper band hits, Cooper couldn’t help but pull out a few more of his solo tunes beforehand. Featuring a handful of newer tracks at the time, the set touched on songs like “Go to Hell,” “Cold Ethyl” “Only Women Bleed” and “Clones (We’re All),” before ultimately coming to a close with a second performance of “Who Do You Think We Are.”

That's right. As if fans didn’t already realize that this was an Alice Cooper show, the stage guru gave them one final personality check with an encore performance of the opening hit. And that wasn’t even the actual encore.

Just as we know it today, it wouldn’t be a true Alice Cooper show without an official encore featuring none other than the artist’s greatest hit and most-played song of all time “School’s Out.”

See the full setlist from Cooper's historic 1982 birthday show here!

Although the tour was a major success considering this was only Cooper’s second solo trek across Europe, he wouldn’t see the road again for nearly four years as the legendary performer eventually dove head first into an open battle with addiction.

But alas, the rock icon would come out on the other side, and by 1986, was back where he belonged— on stage. Luckily for us, he’s rarely left it since, and today we celebrate 72 hard-fought years by one of the most famous rock performers to ever grace the planet.

Happy Birthday to the great Alice Cooper. Here’s to countless more unexpected theatrics and a voice that will never be overshadowed (even by his own eye shadow).

Check out a full list of Alice Cooper's upcoming 2020 Ol' Black Eyes Is Back Tour dates below and see LiveNation for ticketing information!

Alice Cooper's Ol' Black Eyes Is Back Tour Dates:

02/08 – Perth, AU @ Perth Arena
02/11 – Hindmarsh, AU @ Adelaide Entertainment Centre
02/14 – Melbourne, AU @ Rod Laver Arena
02/15 – Sydney, AU @ Qudos Bank Arena
02/18 – Boondall, AU @ Brisbane Entertainment Centre
02/20 – Auckland, NZ @ The Trusts Arena
02/22 – Christchurch, NZ @ Horncastle Arena
04/01 – Peterbrorough, ON @ Memorial Centre
04/03 – Grand Rapids, MI @ DeVos Music Hall
04/05 – Appleton, WI @ Fox Performing Arts Center
04/07 – Omaha, NE @ Orpheum Theatre
04/08 – Davenport, IA @ Adler Theatre
04/10 – Grand Forks, ND @ Alerus Center
04/11 – Winnipeg, MB @ Centennial Concert Hall
04/13 – Regina, SK @ Conexus Arts Centre
04/15 – Edmonton, AB @ Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
04/16 – Prince George, BC @ CN Centre
04/18 – Abbotsford, BC @ Abbotsford Centre
04/19 – Penticton, BC @ South Okanagan Events Centre
04/20 – Seattle, WA @ McCaw Hall
04/22 – Portland, OR @ Keller Auditorium