Cheap Trick still knows how to get fans up and on their feet and proved it last night at the Theatre at Westbury. From the minute they took the stage, you heard the screams of fans as if they were still 17 years old.
He was joined on stage by the ever animated Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson, two of the original founding members of the band. On drums was Daxx Nielsen (Rick's son) and on guitar/keyboards was Robin Taylor (son of Robin Zander).
Robin Zander can still hit those notes and his vocals sound as good as ever. He donned different hats throughout the night but never missed a beat.
They performed about 18 songs in total with no encore, just straight through to the end.
The setlist included some of their hits like The Flame, Surrender, Dream Police and If You Want My Love.
Rick came out with his signature guitars and entertained the crowd as usual, tossing picks into the audience from time to time. They kept screaming for more, so he reached into a box, grabbed what seemed like 100 picks and tossed them into the air, over and over again. There were picks all over the place.
The audience seemed to know every word to every song and sang along from the start of the night. Cheap Trick put on a great show for their fans, some of which were there with their kids, who are now fans.
Opening for Cheap Trick was Aaron Lee Tasjan. I have to admit I had never heard of him before last night, but I'll never forget him. Not only is his a talented musician, but he's funny, in an off-beat kind of way. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance and he's the perfect example of why I sit through opening acts.