Written By Caine Blackthorn
Some supergroups arrive with a thunderclap of famous names, make one record, play a handful of expensive shows and quietly evaporate. Hollywood Vampires 2026 apparently missed that memo.
More than a decade after Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry and Tommy Henriksen turned a legendary Hollywood drinking club into one of rock’s strangest modern supergroups, the Vampires are still very much alive. In fact, 2026 is turning into something of a resurrection year.
A new documentary, Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires, will make its world premiere September 18 as the opening-night feature of the 42nd Boston Film Festival at the Boch Center Wang Theatre.
Directed by Emmy Award winner Daniel E. Catullo III, the film traces the band from its unlikely beginnings through rehearsals, recording sessions and increasingly enormous performances around the world.
And this isn’t simply a documentary about four famous people deciding it might be fun to start a band.
According to the Vampires themselves, the heart of Unleashed Spirits is the friendship that developed between musicians coming from wildly different corners of fame and finding common ground in music. When they’re onstage, the celebrity résumés effectively get checked at the door. They’re bandmates.
That may explain why Hollywood Vampires have lasted considerably longer than anyone might have expected.
With a documentary, new live album and European tour underway, Hollywood Vampires 2026 activity looks less like nostalgia and more like another chapter in the band’s increasingly improbable career.
Hollywood Vampires 2026: New Documentary, Live Album and More
The Hollywood Vampires name goes back to Alice Cooper’s infamous 1970s drinking club, whose orbit included rock royalty such as John Lennon and Keith Moon.
Decades later, Cooper resurrected the name for something considerably more productive.
Hollywood Vampires released their self-titled debut in 2015 as a tribute to fallen rock friends and heroes. The record assembled an almost ridiculous guest list including Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Slash, Joe Walsh, Brian Johnson, Robby Krieger and Perry Farrell. But 2019’s Rise changed the equation.
Rather than relying primarily on tributes, the Vampires leaned heavily into original material and started establishing an identity beyond the famous names printed on the marquee. Even their covers became distinctly theirs, including Johnny Depp taking lead vocals on David Bowie’s “Heroes.”
What could easily have remained an all-star side project had begun behaving suspiciously like a real band. And they’re still doing it.
Hollywood Vampires released At Montreux Jazz Festival on August 14 through earMUSIC, capturing their 2018 appearance at the legendary Swiss festival. Across 19 tracks, the live album moves between Vampires originals and material associated with Motörhead, David Bowie, The Who, AC/DC, Aerosmith and The Doors.
The album subsequently landed at No. 77 on the UK Official Albums Chart, giving the Vampires another chart appearance eight years after the performance itself was recorded.
THE VAMPIRES MAY NOT BE FINISHED IN THE STUDIO EITHER
Then comes the part that should make Hollywood Vampires fans particularly interested.
A third studio album appears to be a matter of when, rather than whether anyone wants to make one.
Asked recently about the possibility, Cooper said he couldn’t imagine there not being another Hollywood Vampires record, although coordinating four extremely busy lives remains the obvious obstacle.
And Alice being Alice, he identified one particular scheduling problem: getting Johnny Depp out of his “forty-four-room castle.”
Joe Perry offered another revealing glimpse into the arrangement. Depp’s acting world may not always love losing him for months at a time, but when it’s time for him to pick up the guitar and become a Vampire again, music wins. That says something important about this band.
Johnny Depp could spend the rest of his life being introduced as “actor Johnny Depp who also plays guitar.” Alice Cooper and Joe Perry certainly don’t need another entry on their résumés. Tommy Henriksen already occupies a universe of writing, producing and performing.
Nobody particularly needs Hollywood Vampires. They keep coming back because they apparently want Hollywood Vampires. And maybe that’s why the whole improbable contraption works.
There is no shortage of pedigree here, but underneath the celebrity mythology is something refreshingly uncomplicated: four guys who genuinely enjoy making loud rock music together. What started as a salute to rock’s ghosts has acquired a life of its own.
Now Hollywood Vampires 2026 have two studio albums, a new 19-track live record, another European run, a feature-length documentary about their history and every indication that another studio record remains somewhere in their future.
For a band named after the dead, Hollywood Vampires are proving remarkably difficult to kill.
Order Hollywood Vampires
At Montreux Jazz Festival Here
Track Listing
1.I Want My Now
2.Raise the Dead
3.I Got a Line on You
4.7 and 7 Is
5.My Dead Drunk Friends
6.Five to One / Break on Through
7.The Jack
8.Ace of Spades
9.Baba O’Riley
10.As Bad as I Am
11.The Boogieman Surprise
12.I’m Eighteen
13.Combination
14.People Who Died
15.Sweet Emotion
16.Welcome to Bushwackers
17.Heroes
18.Train Kept A-Rollin’
19.School’s Out
Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires premieres September 18 at the Boston Film Festival, followed by a scheduled Q&A featuring Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Tommy Henriksen and director Daniel E. Catullo III.
JOIN The Hollywood Vampires for the WORLD PREMIERE of Unleashed Spirits: The Rise of the Hollywood Vampires at the 42nd Annual Boston Film Festival at the Boch Center Wang Theater, Friday September 18!
Hollywood Vampires 2026 Tour Dates
- Sep 1, 2026 – Milano, Italy @ Parco della Musica di Milano
- Sep 2, 2026 – Este, Italy @ Castello Carrarese
- Sep 3, 2026 – Zagreb, Croatia @ Arena Zagreb (Venue updated from Pula)
- Sep 5, 2026 – St. Pölten, Austria @ VAZ St. Pölten
- Sep 6, 2026 – Prague, Czechia @ Sportovní hala Fortuna
- Sep 8, 2026 – Budapest, Hungary @ Papp László Budapest Sportaréna
- Sep 10, 2026 – Łódź, Poland @ Atlas Arena [1, 2]
Official ticket links, VIP upgrades, and potential future date additions can be monitored directly through the official Hollywood Vampires Tour Page. [1]
About The Author
Caine Blackthorn writes music news, trending topics, commentary, and feature pieces for Metal Lair with a focus on the shifting culture surrounding rock and heavy metal. From rising ticket prices and touring collapse to legacy artists, industry absurdity, and the changing soul of live music, his work blends sharp observation with the grit, humor, and frustration of the scene itself. Whether covering modern chaos or metal history, Caine approaches heavy music as something lived through, not simply reported on.
Read More From This Author:
The New Wave of Metalheads: How Gen Z Fell in Love With Heavy Metal
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