It’s hard to believe that 40 years on any band could sound this good. The magnetism of Robin Zander, the charisma of Rick Nielsen, the thundering 12 string bass of Tom Petersson, and the bombastic drums of Nielsen’s son Daxx continue to bring their legendary brand of rock ‘n’ roll to the masses. This time around it was to a full house at the Warfield Theater in downtown San Francisco.
I have seen Cheap Trick live more than a dozen times now and they never cease to live up to the announcement that precedes this legendary quartet taking the stage, “The Best Fucking Rock Band You’ve Ever Seen.” This time though was different as it was the first time I was allowed to photograph one of my all-time favorite bands. 
It was amazing to see the man of one thousand voices, Mr. Robin Zander decked out in his black leather Dream Police uniform. His voice sounds amazing as well. He’s still got the power and plenty of range to hit all the notes in all the right places—while still enjoying every last bit of leading such an epic band. Rick Nielsen’s personality remains bigger than his collection of oddball guitars and his quick wit and connection with the audience is second to none. 
Tom Petersson laid the foundation and locked in the groove with the 12-string bass he pioneered back in the late ’70s. The band is now supported by the rhythms of Nielsen’s son, Daxx who was flawless as well. Petersson took over lead vocals for an ultra-hip version of the Velvet Underground classic, “I’m Waiting for the Man” while Zander took a seat on the side of the stage backing up with his acoustic. 
The set list that evening was a bit of a surprise to me as it was filled with Cheap Trick classics, a few rarities, but surprisingly missing many of the polished power-pop anthems of the ’80s such as “Tonight It’s You,” “If You Want my Love,” “I Can’t Take It,” and of course the monster ballad hit, “The Flame.” Although I recognize the band’s legendary status was achieved from the earlier material, these songs stuck with me because that’s when I discovered the band—and then I went back to the classics. 
Highlights from the show included stellar versions of “Elo Kiddies”, “California Man”, “Big Eyes” and the standard opening and closing of “Hello There” and “Goodnight”. It was really interesting though to see the band play tracks from the under-celebrated Next Position Please, All Shook Up, and One on One. 
Bottom line: Cheap Trick are the American version of The Beatles, a national treasure, and a live show that every music fan on the planet should experience at least once in their lives. There’s easily enough energy and showmanship in these guys for a least another cool decade of rock n roll. Check out high res photos from the show here.
