Former ALICE COOPER guitarist Nita Strauss played her first full live show with Demi Lovato last night (Saturday, August 13) at the Grandstand at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, Illinois. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.
Shortly after the performance, Nita took to her Twitter to share a short clip of the gig and she wrote in an accompanying message: “Had a blast on opening night with @ddlovato !”
Nita made her live debut with Demi on July 14 with a performance of Lovato‘s new single, “Substance” on ABC‘s Emmy Award-winning late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”.
Nita‘s new gig was first reported as a rumor on July 11 on the Metal Sludge web site.
Lovato has just hit the road in support of her eighth studio album, “Holy Fvck”, which will be released on August 19 via Island Records. The LP’s first single, “Skin Of My Teeth”, was made available in June.
The follow-up to last year’s “Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over”, “Holy Fvck” is reportedly a departure from Lovato‘s typical pop aesthetic and features a more punk-rock-flavored sound.
Lovato implied that “Holy Fvck” would usher in a new era for her after she posted a photo in January along with the caption, “A funeral for my pop music.” She later told Rolling Stone that fans can expect to hear some “heaviness” in her new sound.
“It’s a new era reminiscent of my first era,” she said. “I’m ever-evolving, ever-changing. I’d like to put the rest of my music behind me and start fresh in this new era for this next album — but I do that every album cycle.”
Lovato recently announced a fall tour in support of “Holy Fvck” featuring special guests DEAD SARA and ROYAL & THE SERPENT. The trek will launch September 22 in Wheatland, California and through November 6 in Irving, Texas. Prior to that, Demi will make an appearance at the Iowa State Fair on August 14. She also has a seven-date South American tour scheduled for late August and early September.
On July 11, Nita announced that she would sit out Cooper‘s fall 2022 tour. She has also scrapped the festival dates her solo band had planned for the rest of the year. The 35-year-old said in a statement that her “touring year” was “still VERY full” and revealed that she was “on a flight straight into the next adventure,” adding cryptically that she would “be on stage again much sooner than you think.”
A couple of Nita‘s Cooper bandmates commented on her post, with guitarist Ryan Roxie writing: “No words — just notes… and lord knows we harmonized a lot of them over the years… nothing but love and respect.” Drummer Glen Sobel added: “You’re super pro and prepared no matter what the situation. We’re gonna miss you but we’re also proud to be associated with Hurricane.”
Strauss had been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker’s former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.
Last October, Nita shared “Dead Inside”, her first new solo music since the release of her debut album, 2018’s “Controlled Chaos”. The track is her first-ever solo collaboration with a vocalist, David Draiman, frontman of Grammy-nominated rock icons DISTURBED.
Nita released “Controlled Chaos” to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it “a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt”, and Guitar World stating “‘Controlled Chaos’ is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss‘s many strengths”.
As well as performing with Cooper, Nita has also played with R&B star Jermaine Jackson, early MTV darlings FEMME FATALE, video game supergroup CRITICAL HIT and popular tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS.
In April 2020, Nita launched “Rock Guitar Fundamentals” — a three-module online guitar teaching program suitable for learners of all levels. The course is available at www.iwanttoplayguitar.com.
Nita‘s solo live show is mostly instrumental in nature, combining originals with covers.