Cheap Trick in the heartland

Out where the west was won... well, ok, not nearly that far west... but west of the big shouldered metropolis, out where the the corn is not even planted much less ready to rise in muddy fields, there arose Cheap Trick. I saw them Saturday at the NIU Convocation Center (that being a place where people convoke) and they put on a rockin' good show.

To see Cheap Trick is to see bits and pieces of the last thirty years or so of my musical life. When I first saw an ad for their first record some time in 1977 I didn't know what to make of them. The ad was split up into four sections spread out over four separate pages. Each section gave a brief biography of a band member and I distinctly remember thinking the bit about Bun E. Carlos being from Venezuela, or some such place, was a bit of hooey. "Carlos" looked goofy, as did the ball cap wearing Rick Nielsen. The other two guys were pretty, with hair like Stevie Nicks. They seemed a little cartoonish, a little jokey. I was amused and intrigued. And the music itself was in my wheelhouse, power pop songs, driven by guitar, with melodies evoking the Who and the Beatles, and chords (especially in a song like "He's a Whore") that sounded punk. Suicide was mentioned in "Downed" from the second album. All these elements seemed to matter to the teen boy I was.

But whatever. Who cares about sentimentality now in the 21st-century? Their music, at least some of it, has stood the test of time, and they're still making Cd's with good rocking power pop. Just listen to their last CD "Rockford" and you'll understand that.

They put on a good show, loud, almost too loud and distorted (are they trying to cover up some weaknesses?), distractedly entertaining the crowd of townies and city slickers (you know, the people from the big city of Rockford).

Nielsen, wearing a lumpy black suit with a black bow tie and looking like a gas station attendant from 1950, prowls around the stage, jumping, posing like a geeky guitar god or just acting the goof. He's the heart and soul of the band and just looking at him puts a smile on my face. He is a sight to behold, a rock and roll entertainer of the sort that hardly exists amongst younger acts.

Robin Zander still is in good voice after all these years and, physically speaking, can still get away with wearing tight leather pants and a sleeveless t-shirt. Very rock n roll, Robin. Tom Peterson is a good bassist and kind of fun to watch as he seems a little spacey. He has a smile and a far away look in his eye through most of the show. Maybe he's just happy. The aforementioned Bun E. Carlos is what he always was, a steady, unflashy drummer.

I don't know that these guys have been given their rightful due in the rock music world. Granted, there were some bad musical decisions along the way; too much radio friendly pop in the '80s and they seemed to fall off the edge of the earth through most of the '90s. But even in the down times there was occasional greatness. 1983's "Next Position Please," produced by Todd Rundgren, is an underrated classic. All along, they were road warriors, and when they did the theme song for "That '70s Show, " Cheap Trick came a little more into the light again.

The Trick as a live act can be a little frustrating as they can seem distracted at moments. But all in all they are a great live band. They have fun on stage and the audience has fun too. Opening act Joan Jett joined them on stage during the encore to sing back up on "Surrender." She looked like she was having fun. Cheap Trick do not take themselves too seriously. They get it. It's rock n roll, not nuclear science.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts opened up for Cheap Trick. She is another road warrior, maybe just a warrior in general. She's been around for at least thirty years now, something I don't think most people realize. Jett looks pretty damn good for someone who's been in this profession for so long (take a long look at Keith Richards as an example of someone who doesn't look so good).

Jett and her band (all men, some quite young) rocked the house with newer songs like "A.C.D.C." and old classics of hers like "I Love Rock and Roll" as well a classic that wasn't hers originally, "Crimson and Clover." Jett's version is better than the original. She owns it now. She also puts a really cool spin on the theme from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Jett's music has a great punk rock sensibility and she herself seems to have an undefeatable spirit that shines brightly in her onstage presence. She's a joy to watch and made me feel younger, but for a moment or two.

In case you want to celebrate in some way, April 1st is Cheap Trick Day in Illinois. No, really, it is. This year and for ever more. Maybe you can honor the day by putting on "Surrender" and jumping around your living room and singing along. Just make sure nobody's watching.