Every year, Cheap Trick comes to town, and every year, Joejung and I try to figure out whether or not we are going to go. First we get all excited about the show. Then one or the other of us comes up with something better to do. This year it was both of us who didn't think we could make it. Of course, an hour before the show, Joejung and I were in the car, headed for Cheap Trick. We tried to get The New Guy to go, but he passed due to the fact that he was never all that big on Cheap Trick. And, "Now that I have seen Chubby Checker, I don't need to go to every show just in case."
Joejung and I always think of skipping it because we know the show by heart. We started going to Cheap Trick shows in 1995, and the set list has not changed all that much in seven years. (The Pirate was thinking of going to see Cheap Trick, but figured that if he missed it, he could just play their Greatest Hits CD really loud the next day and get the same effect. That's very true.)
The set list never changes very much, but there are several things that draw us to the show every time. We have a Cheap Trick Checklist that we need to run through, because there are certain things that are always of interest to us.
The Cheap Trick Checklist:
It was an outdoor show, so I wasn't very excited, because it was the day after my ill-fated trip to see Journey. But no tornado cropped up, so Cheap Trick went on as scheduled. We got there late, because it was me and Joejung, but Cheap Trick went on late too! Just as we set foot onto the festival grounds, the band was introduced. And by festival grounds, I mean the two St. Paul streets that had been blocked off and filled with portable restrooms and tents with, I don't know, food or something. I didn't pay attention, since I was not there for the magic of Capitol Days. I was there for the magic of a free Cheap Trick show.
And glory be! They had shuffled the set list around! It was the exact same songs in a completely different order! And they sounded great. Last time we saw them, it was in a club last March. Man, Robin Zander was not having it that night. We thought he was punching a time clock offstage. Seriously. This year, he was relaxed and smiling and he appeared to be having a good time. Finally! I always get all sad when he looks like he is having a bad day at work.
Know how much fun Robin Zander was having? He actually talked to us! We, the audience, were treated to Robin Zander speaking. That never happens! He is the singer, but he is by no means the frontman. Rick Nielsen takes care of 100% of the crowd banter and crowd participation. While Rick is talking, Robin lurks near the amplifiers, giving the overall impression of, "Sure am glad I'm not talking to the crowd. Hope I have time to finish my cigarette." But this time he spoke! And his singing sounded wonderful. His voice was better than ever! Well, better than it has been in the last several years.
They did something new at this show that I found a little disturbing. They pulled a bunch of little kids up on stage. That is a cheap trick by Cheap Trick. Rick asked them their names, blah, blah, and gave them all shirts. But then he announced, "If you keep breeding them, we'll keep entertaining them!" Okay, that was kind of funny. I don't know if I appreciated sitting through all the cutesyness to get to the punchline, but at least there was a punchline.
Speaking of Rick's banter, I never, ever get tired of Rick Nielsen's introduction of Robin Zander. He always introduces him as, "my very favorite singer." And I always believe him. He just drips with sweater-clad sincerity. Although he wasn't wearing a sweater this time. We couldn't quite figure out what he was wearing. We thought it was either pleather or velour. We couldn't tell! We had to creep through the crowd toward the stage in an effort to figure it out. (We had to do the same thing at the Blondie show to check on Debbie Harry's outfit. Outdoor Festivals in St. Paul + Joejung + me=going on fabric patrol.)
So the show was just a great time, but then came the encore. Aack! The Flame! They are playing The Flame! I don't like The Flame! And from what I have heard, neither do they. For years they didn't play it. And all of a sudden, they do again. I just don't dig it. Last year, due to circumstances beyond my control, (evil boss at the record store), I had to work on my birthday and miss the State Fair Cheap Trick show. When I got off work at two in the morning, I had a message from Joejung. "The Flame! You are so glad you missed the show! They are playing The Flame!" That was the basic message, with more ranting, of course. This year, during The Flame, I happened to check my phone and I had a text message. It was from Joejung and just read, "Sorry." Ha! That made it all better.
And then I had another Blondie show moment. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what the second encore was going to be. They had already played Ain't That A Shame, Surrender, and I Want You To Want Me. What was left? "Dream Police," said Joejung. Another ten points for Joejung! Our second outdoor show in a row where he correctly guessed the encore!
So, all in all, they put on the exact same show that they always do. But the one thing we always forget when we think about not going is that the show is always good. Sure, it's always the same show, but we always have a good time, and that's what counts. And when they come to town next year, we will have forgotten again. And with any luck, an hour before the show, we'll decide to see them again.