April 18, 2023

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Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, Cheap Trick made their annual appearance to northeastern Ohio this past Sunday.  This time they played to a nearly sold-out MGM crowd.

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The boys from Rockford, Illinois are defying father time.  Not only do the guys look fantastic, but Robin Zander's voice has never sounded better and the band is as tight as ever.

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When you see Cheap Trick there are always a few things you know that are going to happen.  One, Rick Nielsen is going to throw out handfuls of guitar picks and he will also change guitars after almost every song. Two, you know that they will play their big hits at the end of the show. 

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The fun thing for all Cheap Trick fans is you never know what they are going to play throughout the concert until the end.  

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The Northfield Park setlist was filled with so many hits and deep cuts that I'm sure that everyone left the show happy.

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After starting the show with their typical "Hello There," the band launched into "Just Got Back" from the album All Shook Up and then went into "She's Tight" from One on One.  On the later, Nielsen broke out his guitar called Uncle Dick, which is a double neck guitar that looks like him.  I haven't seen him play this guitar in a few years.

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All era's of the band were performed on Sunday night.  The band even broke out two songs from their debut album, "He's A Whore" and "Taxman, Mr. Thief."

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The fans were treated to the At Budokan version of "Ain't That A Shame" and the slow burn of "Heaven Tonight."

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Tom Peterson got to show off his skills on his 12 string bass before taking over lead vocals on "I Know What I Want."

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Towards the end of the set, Robin Zander stood center stage with his acoustic guitar and went into the familiar chords of the band's only number one hit, "The Flame."

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The show ended with their classics, "I Want You To Want Me," "Surrender," "Dream Police" and "Goodnight."

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Review and photos by Greg Drugan

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