Alice Cooper And Criss Angel Turn Las Vegas Into a Living Nightmare With New Show "WELCOME TO OUR NIGHTMARE" [REVIEW]

Written by: Lancelot Dodge

What do you get when shock rock icon Alice Cooper and magician extraordinaire Criss Angel join forces? You get a theatrical extravaganza of music and magic that is like nothing you have seen before.

This collaboration between Cooper and Angel is a new limited engagement show titled Welcome To Our Nightmare, which started off originally as just a three-day event (March 6th–8th). But after selling out almost instantly, the duo added five more show dates (April 3rd and 4th, and May 21st–23rd). The limited engagement shows are being held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, inside Criss Angel’s theater.

 Here is the announcement trailer for the event, which now only has the final three days remaining, so grab tickets now.

OUR REVIEW

I was lucky enough to attend the opening show on March 6th, 2026. The show is a ninety-minute revolutionary new concert spectacle of magic, music, and mayhem.

It blends the music and performances of Alice Cooper and his band on stage while Criss Angel performs his magic. The show is a phone and camera-free experience, with guests required to place their phones in a locked pouch to help create a more immersive feeling, and it really takes you back to the old-school days of going to shows with no cell phones. You can actually let loose and have a fun time without seeing a million phones in the air trying to record everything.

From the moment you walk into the theater, you get to see some of Criss Angel’s items from throughout his years performing magic while waiting to be let into the main auditorium, along with a small gift shop. Once the doors open, you are ushered into the auditorium, where every seat feels like a great viewpoint, which is a huge plus.

While guests are being seated and getting ready for the start of the show, a ringmaster-type performer steps out to welcome everyone and introduces himself as the ringmaster of the nightmare circus about to be unleashed. During this time, while he is talking and letting guests settle in, they bring out Alice Cooper’s original “Ballad of Dwight Fry” straightjacket on wires, giving a few lucky guests the chance to be called onstage to pose in it before the show begins. Soon after, the lights begin to dim, and you hear a distorted voice of Alice Cooper welcoming everyone to the nightmare, before Cooper, the band, and Angel storm the stage to kick things off with “Bed of Nails” off 1989’s Trash.

During the ninety-minute set, Cooper and the band perform a killer lineup of classic hits including “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “School’s Out,” “Poison,” and “Billion Dollar Babies,” along with a few deeper cuts. Three of these are live debuts: “Cold Machines” off 2000’s Brutal Planet, “I Am Made of You” off 2011’s Welcome 2 My Nightmare, and “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” off 1976’s Alice Cooper Goes to Hell.

Some songs have not been played live in years, like “You and Me” off 1977’s Lace & Whisky (first time live since 1978), all while Angel performs his mystifying illusions. The magic acts and songs are choreographed together extremely well and complement each other perfectly. For example, during a killer rendition of “Bed of Nails,” Angel is placed on a literal bed of nails while Cooper smashes a cinder block on him as part of the act.

Alice Cooper’s band consists of Chuck Garric on bass guitar, Glen Sobel on drums, Nita Strauss on guitar (currently on maternity leave, with Anna Cara filling in), Tommy Henriksen on guitar, and Ryan Roxie on guitar, all delivering roaring performances and staying in top form. Meanwhile, Criss Angel elevates the show with incredible illusions, from the ladder walk to sawing one of his assistants in half during “Only Women Bleed” off 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare. It is wild to see these magic acts seamlessly woven into songs many of us have grown up with, especially during “Ballad of Dwight Fry,” where Angel performs a straightjacket escape while hanging upside down above the audience as Cooper escapes his own.

FINAL WORD

Everything about the show works, from the set design to the acrobats, magician assistants, and all the performers who help bring this twisted nightmare to life. This is definitely a show that, whether you have seen Cooper before or not, you should try to catch during one of the final three dates (for now at least) with Criss Angel and experience the nightmare for yourself.

Besides the three final shows with Criss Angel (May 21st–23rd), Alice and the band are also on tour playing select dates. Check out the link below to see if Cooper will be playing near you: https://alicecooper.com/tour/

Alice Cooper will also be appearing at Monsterpalooza in Pasadena, CA (May 29th–31st), where fans can purchase photos and autographs: https://www.monsterpalooza.com/guests