Cheap Trick at The House of Blues: A review

“The dream police, they live inside of my head / The dream police, they come to me in my bed / The dream police, they're coming to arrest me, oh no.” Cheap Trick (CT) graced the stage last night at the House of Blues in Boston, giving the sold-out crowd seventy five minutes of pure rock and roll showmanship. Their charismatic energy was infectious, while their expertise of music made it all look effortless. Only a few minutes in to the set, it was obvious why they their music has remained relevant over three decades. There is a certain caliber of show that comes from a band that has been touring with its original members for 30 years. Although somewhat under-rated, Cheap Trick has helped shape and influence the sound of music today and these veterans of the industry have definitely made their stamp on popular culture. First time CT show attendee, Ryan Williams, from Bedford, described them perfectly as “everyone’s third favorite band.”

Guitar hero Rick Nielsen, in his signature bow tie and baseball hat, showed off a small sampling of his custom guitar collection, raising each one up above his head, like an offering to the music gods. His microphone stand was stocked from top to bottom with guitar picks, and he showered the crowd with these colorful little keepsakes throughout the set. During a break between songs, Nielsen pointed out a few special guests in the room: Timothy B. Schmit from the Eagles and Joey Kramer of Aerosmith. He also reminded Boston that our very own WBCN was the first radio station to air their music here in the states. Rest in peace, WBCN.

Front and center was Lorena Anderson, who fell in love with the band at first sight – or first listen, if you will. Since then, she’s been to forty three Cheap Trick concerts and traveled close to 900 miles from Myrtle Beach for the show in Boston last night. She said, “Until people see them live, they just don’t understand how awesome they are. They really put on a good show, and they’re really nice to their fans too.” When asked if a particular show stood out from the rest, she recalled a triple header, where Cheap Trick performed in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver during a three day period. “They [Cheap Trick] were having so much fun, and playing all kinds of stuff they wouldn’t normally play.”

Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), held the microphone out over the audience so they could sing along to the chorus of ‘Voices.’ Bun E. Carlos powered through the set, a master behind the drums, while band mate Tom Petersson rocked out on his 12-string electric bass. Admiring this checkerboard patterned powerhouse, was a large group of married couples from Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. Rick Pierro, Chris Dall and George Blaisdell reminisced of simpler times, like the summer of ’81. The guys boasted, claiming to have every Cheap Trick album on eight-track, while their wives, at the time, were still in grade school, during the band’s greatest popularity. One of them proudly owned up to their bootleg copy of Live at Budokan yelling, “I lost my virginity to ‘Surrender!’” Didn’t we all?

Cheap Trick has a number of tour dates coming up. Check out their website for the most current tour schedule. Also, be on the look out for their environmentally conscious commercial with Audi, during this year’s Superbowl – the green police.

Opening support for Cheap Trick in Boston:  Dear Leader