By Gerry Gittelson > Staff Writer

The theme was sobriety for musicians, but it was still quite a rock n’ roll party Friday at the fourth annual MusiCares benefit concert honoring Alice Cooper and Slash at the Music Box in Hollywood.

Cooper and Slash received awards for their contributions to MusiCares, a local organization devoted to helping addicts and alcoholics in the music industry in the recovery process.

Cooper and Slash kept their acceptance speeches short, instead preferring to make their points on stage, as Slash jammed with an all-star ensemble featuring a revolving door of singers that included Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington, then Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler to the roaring approval of a sold-out crowd. Tyler sounded in fine form jamming his way through “Mama Kin,” one of Aerosmith’s early hits.

Then it was Cooper’s turn, and the shock rocker turned in a blistering 20-minute set that didn’t include his usual props such as
a guillotine or a large snake but proved nonetheless that rock is alive and well, even if you’re 60 years old – and in Cooper’s case,
26 years sober.

“We rocked the house,” said Keri Kelli, one of Cooper’s guitar players.

Before Slash performed, Tyler presented the former Guns N’ Roses guitarist and admitted heroin addict and alcoholic with a medallion celebrating two years of sobriety.

“This whole thing is pretty surreal,” Slash said. “It hasn’t really sunk in. I came to this event two years ago and I was loaded, so the
whole thing has come full circle. It’s a real honor to be here.”

gerry.gittelson@dailynews.com