And no, I haven't always felt this way. Sitting in the balcony of the Moore Theater last Tuesday, just prior to the show, I was pretty skeptical. Cheap Trick is a band who've been together since 1972, whose debut album came out when I was nine. It's hard to keep anything fresh and viable for 27 years, especially a high-energy, arena-rock outfit. Few bands pull it off with any semblance of grace or integrity, and most don't even bother, unless they're greedy, deluded, and/or broke. Really, all I expected from Cheap Trick was a stale, mildly amusing rehash of Budokan-era hits, and lots of pandering to crowd nostalgia.
Wrong. From the opening drum beat of "I Want You to Want Me" to the manic appeal of "Dream Police," Cheap Trick displayed the sort of confidence, generosity, and humorous bravado that has become an all-too-rare commodity in the world of rock. The band was all smiles and swagger. This was no self-parodying group of has-beens cashing in. Cheap Trick were aggressive without being obnoxious, and fun without being silly. They played loud and clear, and the crowd went nuts.
Robin Zander's voice, in particular, was magnificent. He's lost none of his awesome range over the years. If anything, his singing has become even more powerful--one of the best pure voices in rock, a real treasure. Guitarist Rick Nielsen--in baseball hat, shades, and braided beard--bounced around the stage like an antic freak, hamming it up, flicking innumerable Cheap Trick guitar picks into the audience, and playing about 15 different wacky axes (including the famous five-necked wonder) over the course of the evening.
As I left the Moore, it occurred to me that I'd just seen one of those "big" rock concerts, like the kind I saw while in high school. What's more, I'd had tons of fun--shameless, anonymous, real fun. It was all about the music, and it was perfect. God bless Cheap Trick.
