Alice Cooper has announced that guitarist Nita Strauss will be rejoining his band for the upcoming “Welcome To Our Nightmare” shows in Las Vegas.
The announcement details the return of Strauss for a series of performances with illusionist Criss Angel, alongside the release of new video footage from earlier shows.
“Iconic rocker Alice Cooper and legendary illusionist Criss Angel have just released an exclusive video clip from their recent ‘Welcome To Our Nightmare’ shows – the first-ever visuals made available,” the announcement read. “Cooper has also revealed that Nita Strauss will be rejoining his band for the upcoming ‘Welcome To Our Nightmare’ shows in Las Vegas with Criss on November 27-28 and December 4-5 at the Criss Angel Theatre at Planet Hollywood.”
The post went on to provide context on the collaboration and Strauss’s background with the tour.
“The ‘Welcome To Our Nightmare’ shows are a historic and innovative creative collaboration combining Alice’s legendary rock’n roll hits and Criss Angel’s award-winning mastery of magic, and played to sold-out crowds at Planet Hollywood’s Criss Angel Theatre for several weekends earlier this year,” it continued. “Strauss, who joined Alice in 2014, last appeared with him in Las Vegas March 6-8, before taking a leave of absence to have a baby earlier this year. Anna Cara, who has been filling in for Nita throughout 2026, will continue with Alice on his ‘Alice’s Attic’ tour September 17-22 and October 27-November 21.”
Alice Cooper also commented directly on the decision to add the November and December dates.
“We added the November and December shows after the March, April and May shows sold out so quickly, so that more of our fans could experience this very special show that Criss and I created,” Cooper said. “Nita opened our 2026 touring season in Las Vegas back in March and is now returning to close out 2026 with us there, and we’re really looking forward to welcoming the Hurricane back onto the stage.”
Cooper also spoke about both guitarists’ contributions to the band this year.
“Bringing Nita back after she took a break to start a family is the perfect way to wrap up 2026,” Cooper continued. “We couldn’t believe our luck when we confirmed Anna Cara to fill in for her for all of our shows across North America and Europe this year. Anna has been a true asset to the tour and she’s now part of the family. Who could ask for anything more than to have these two amazing musicians in the Cooper family?”
Strauss is set to return to the stage in Las Vegas this November, closing out a busy touring year for the Alice Cooper band.
The residency’s rapid sellouts explain much of the momentum behind the expanded fall run. “Welcome To Our Nightmare” first opened on March 6 at the Criss Angel Theatre inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The initial three shows sold out quickly, pushing Cooper and Angel to add further dates throughout the spring.
Anna Cara’s rise within the Cooper camp has been just as swift. The 22-year-old guitarist from Newcastle, England, stepped into the touring lineup this year. She brought prior experience playing alongside Marc Storace of Krokus and Cooper’s own longtime guitarist, Tommy Henriksen – connections that helped smooth her transition into one of rock’s most demanding stage shows.
Cara’s role has extended well beyond a handful of Vegas dates. She has anchored the guitar section across Cooper’s full 2026 touring commitments in North America and Europe, working alongside fellow guitarists Ryan Roxie and Henriksen, bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel.
That current lineup includes Cooper on vocals, Roxie and Henriksen on guitar, Cara filling Strauss’s spot, Garric on bass and Sobel on drums. This group has carried the band through a packed year of shows, making Cara’s transition off the Vegas stage in November less an ending than a shift back to the “Alice’s Attic” tour dates already on the books for the fall.
Strauss is now confirmed for the November 27-28 and December 4-5 performances. The “Welcome To Our Nightmare” run appears set to close out 2026 with the same guitarist who helped open it, bringing the year full circle for Cooper’s Las Vegas collaboration with Criss Angel.
