While the scene last night may have been hundreds of well-to-do Manhattan forty-somethings lining up outside of the upscale John Varvatos boutique, Cheap Trick rocked the joint with the same urgency as the hundreds of punk bands who performed on this very spot back when it was still called CBGB's.
It was an odd sight, so many graying heads pressed together inside the postage-stamp-sized boutique watching a band that has spent the better part of their career playing to stadium-sized crowds bring that same intensity to a room of 300.
Despite the fact that its three remaining original members are all in their late 50's or early 60's, Cheap Trick continues to be a revelation onstage. While the scissor kicks aren't nearly as high as they were back in '78, Rick Nielsen still pours himself into being the quintessential showman, a non-stop flurry of activity and between-song banter that defined this great American treasure just as much as Robin Zander's soaring wail, which remains largely intact despite the passage of time and endless touring.
While we certainly appreciate seeing original drummer Bun E Carlos around town these days, we still miss seeing him behind the skins. Rick's son Daxx is filling in admirably, obviously well-schooled in the "Bun E. Style of Drumming" from childhood. You get the sense that the Carlos legacy is in good hands and that the injection of youth into the line-up has brought a certain energy to the proceedings that those in attendance could feel in their gut with each kick of the bass drum.
If anyone even remotely associated with the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame was in attendance last night, perhaps a correction will be made to the glaring mistake that is Cheap Trick's current absence from the Hall.
Set List:
"Hello There"
"Come On, Come On"
"ELO Kiddies"
"Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace"
"Big Eyes"
"Lookout"
"Downed"
"Can't Hold On"
"Oh Caroline"
"Surrender"
"Auf Wiedersehen"
"Need Your Love"
"High Roller"
"Southern Girls"
"I Want You to Want Me"
"California Man"
"Goodnight"
"Ain't That a Shame"
"Clock Strikes Ten"