Cheap Trick
October 08, 2014
Tennessee Theater
Knoxville, Tennessee

In my late teens, I clearly remember rocking out to Cheap Trick on the radio, with tunes like “Surrender,” “I Want You To Want Me,” and “Ain’t That A Shame” dominating the airwaves.

It was all those memories from my youth that I was thrilled to catch this legendary band at the legendary and incredibly beautiful Tennessee Theater. I love catching shows there because of the acoustics and ambience. To see Cheap Trick perform on its historic stage made it all the more memorable.

Blasting right out of the chute with, “Hello There,” the crowd was on their feet until the last note of the “Gonna Raise Hell” (the last song of their encore).  Hard. Steady. Relentless. Cheap Trick gave the crowd everything they wanted and more.

Fan favorites like “Come On,” “Hot Love,” and “I Can’t Take It” followed the opener.  When Rick Nielsen introduced “Go To Heaven Tonight,” he informed the crowd that it was THE favorite of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, which sent everyone into one of the most enthusiastic applauses of the entire evening.

There was a slightly inebriated gentleman a few seats down from me who, after every song, said in varying tones of his voice, “I Want You To

Want Me,” in a sad attempt to replicate Robin Zander’s immortalized phrase from the band’s live album. I was praying under my breath, “For

the love of Budokan, would you guys play it so the guy will shut up?”  They did during the last eighth of the show.

Throughout the show, Nielsen changed guitars, showing off pieces of his unique, historic collection. Equally as unique and intriguing was Tom Petersson’s twelve string bass. As the band was about to slide into “Surrender,” Nielsen throughout a signed, vinyl copy of the bands legendary “Cheap Trick At Budokan”.  Between all four members of the band, the show was an incredible night to remember.

If you were a teen in the seventies and have never seen Cheap Trick perform live, you really do need to catch these guys. You’ll never forget it!