All stars set for Alice Cooper benefit gig

Alice Cooper has lined up an all-star cast of friends for his sixth annual charity concert in Phoenix. The Christmas Pudding show at the Dodge Theatre takes place December 16th, and the bill includes Cooper with members of the original Alice Cooper band, Stephen Stills, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, and Styx singer-guitarist Tommy Shaw and Night Ranger singer-bassist Jack Blades with their Shaw Blades project. The show will also have performances by Jeff Keith and Troy Luccketta from Tesla, original Chicago drummer Danny Seraphine with his California Transit Authority covers band, and American Idol contestant Ace Young with his group. Proceeds from the show go to Cooper's Solid Rock Foundation, which helps young people deal with situations including gangs, drugs, and guns.

Cooper told us that he likes to keep things loose for the people who come out to perform: "I try to keep the Christmas Pudding like a party. I just go, 'Whaddya you guys wanna play?' I never sit down and say, 'We want you to play duh-duh-duh.' And then they say, 'Well, let's play blah-blah-blah,' and I go, 'OK!' And then I go to my band and say 'Whadda we wanna play?'"