Watch Alice Cooper Cover Nirvana at 2026 Tour Kickoff

Alice Cooper launched his Alice’s Attic spring 2026 tour on Tuesday at San Antonio’s Majestic Theatre, delivering a spirited, career-spanning performance that was light on small talk but heavy on macabre theatrics and musical pyrotechnics.

The Godfather of Shock Rock also threw in a cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” after soft-launching it earlier this week at Coopstock 2026.

You can see the set list and fan-shot video from the performance below.

READ MORE: Top 10 Alice Cooper Songs

What Did Alice Cooper Play at 2026 Tour Kickoff?

Fresh off a handful of collaborative Las Vegas shows with illusionist Criss Angel, Cooper reverted largely to the set list he played on his 2025 co-headlining tour with Judas Priest. He opened with the 1981 Special Forces deep cut “Who Do You Think We Are,” followed by the Trash album cut “Spark in the Dark.”

The singer paid special attention to his pop-metal phase, playing three songs apiece off Trash and its 1991 follow-up Hey Stoopid. But he also played plenty of ’70s classics, including “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” “Muscle of Love” and “I’m Eighteen.”

Cooper was in fine voice during a tender rendition of “Only Women Bleed,” sharing the stage with his wife and dancer Sheryl Cooper. The hit ballad ended with the singer mock-stabbing his wife to death, but Sheryl quickly got her revenge as her husband was led to the guillotine. She released the rope suspending the blade and brandished Cooper’s severed head after the deed was done.

Guitarist Anna Cara Dazzles at Alice Cooper 2026 Tour Kickoff

Besides the addition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (and a set-closing performance of “Under My Wheels”), the other major difference between Cooper’s 2025 and 2026 tour dates is the recent enlistment of guitarist Anna Cara, who’s filling in for Nita Strauss while she’s on maternity leave.

Strauss handpicked Cara, and it’s easy to see why. The 22-year-old guitarist played with precision and panache, deftly alternating between blues-rock licks and soaring whammy bar squeals, fleshing out the three-pronged guitar attack alongside mainstays Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen.

Cara fit seamlessly into Cooper’s ridiculously well-oiled machine. At 78 years old, he still delivers one of rock’s most exhilarating live spectacles — and he shows no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Watch Alice Cooper Cover Nirvana’s ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ at 2026 Tour Kickoff

Watch Alice Cooper Play ‘House of Fire’ at 2026 Tour Kickoff

Watch Alice Cooper Play ‘School’s Out’ at 2026 Tour Kickoff

Alice Cooper — April 14, 2026, San Antonio Set List

“Hello, Hooray” (intro only)1. Who Do You Think We Are” (shortened)2. “Spark in the Dark”3. “No More Mr. Nice Guy”4. “House of Fire”5. “Billion Dollar Babies”6. “I’m Eighteen”7. “Muscle of Love”8. “Feed My Frankenstein”9. “Dirty Diamonds”10. “Caught in a Dream”11. “Hey Stoopid”12. “Dangerous Tonight”13 “Poison”14. Anna Cara guitar solo15. “Brutal Planet”16. “Ballad of Dwight Fry”17. “Cold Ethyl”18. “Only Women Bleed”19. “Second Coming”20. “Going Home”21. “School’s Out / Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2″22. “Smells Like Teen Spirit”23. “Under My Wheels”