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| Cheap Trick at The Ridgefield Playhouse - photo by John V |
Cheap Trick strode onto the stage at The Ridgefield Playhouse on November 1, and proceeded to give the audience an hour & a half of full throttle rock & roll: it was an electrifying show. The band can always be counted on to provide fans with an excellent performance, and this evening was no exception. Lead singer Robin Zander was in fine voice, and guitarist Rick Nielsen was as exuberant as ever, running around the stage, and tossing off his solos with wild abandon. Tom Petersson contributed his usual superb playing on the 12-string bass, and even took a turn on lead vocals for a wonderful cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Waiting For The Man.” Since the departure of drummer & founding member Bun E. Carlos in 2010, Nielsen’s son Daxx has been behind the kit for the group, and he provided solid & thundering support during the show.
The set list featured songs stretching across the group’s long career, from crowd-pleasing classics such as “She’s Tight” and “Baby Loves To Rock” to the “hits” like “I Want You To Want Me” and the ubiquitous power ballad “The Flame.” The band also treated us to a couple of tunes from their most recent album, Bang, Zoom, Crazy, Hello, which was released in April. Nielsen featured his usual assortment of custom guitars throughout the show, and tossed scores of picks into the audience at regular intervals. The Illinois-based band also kept the audience updated on the score of the World Series game being televised that night, as the (now World Champion) Chicago Cubs were playing during the evening. Of course, almost all of the fans in the near sellout crowd were on their feet for the entire concert, singing along & having a great time. You don’t sit down at a Cheap Trick show.
After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015, and releasing their latest album, the band shows no signs of slowing down after 33 years. I’ve seen them numerous times, and they sound as good now as they did back in the 70s & 80s. They rocked The Ridgefield Playhouse (a fantastic venue to see a show, by the way) and left us wanting more! They're true road warriors and rock & roll icons. If you haven’t seen Cheap Trick before, get out there and attend a show. If you have seen the band, but haven't gone to one of the group's concerts in a while, it’s time to go see this awesome band again. Cheap Trick continues to perform regularly, and they’re currently scheduled to be on tour through June of 2017. Here’s a link to their official site: https://www.cheaptrick.com.
Set list:
Hello There
Elo Kiddies
California Man (The Move cover)
On Top of the World
In The Street (Big Star cover: That 70s Show theme)
If You Want My Love
Baby Loves to Rock
Ain't That a Shame (Fats Domino cover)
She's Tight
When I Wake Up Tomorrow
No Direction Home
Waitin' for the Man (Velvet Underground cover: Lead
Vocals by Tom)
The Flame
I Want You to Want Me
Dream Police
Encore:
Never Had A Lot to Lose
Surrender
Goodnight
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