Concert Review
Cheap Trick
OLG Stage at Fallsview
Fallsview Casino Resort
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Saturday May 27, 2023
Review: Joseph Suto
We capped off our week with our fourth show in four nights with Cheap Trick. Saturday night the band returned to the Fallsview Casino Resort at OLG Stage and put on a stellar show. The band had last played here at the Avalon Theatre in 2019. This band has clearly set themselves apart from all of their contemporaries as they played not only their greatest hits but also a wide choice of premium seldom-played gems. It was one of the most anticipated shows at OLG to date.
Taking the stage at 8:05. The band tore into their customary “Hello There” before ripping into the classic “Just Got Back”. Vocalist Robin Zander is a freak of nature as he sounds just as good today as he did in the 70’s. Other highlights included an energized “I Want You To Want Me” and bassist Tom Peterson’s “I Know What I Want”. Robin Taylor Zander, Robin’s son took the vocal spotlight for the band’s time-honored classic “Downed”. The band’s live sound is so full and rich since adding Zander’s son to the touring lineup, not that guitarist Rick Nielsen needed any assistance as they played live with one guitarist for a very long time. Drummer Daxx Nielsen is perhaps the most underrated member of the band. He had big shoes to fill when original drummer Bun E. Carlos left and has done quite an admirable job ever since taking over as the band’s drummer.
Cheap Trick is very worthy of their Rock and Roll Hall induction. Where one may question why some artists are in the Hall and others are not, there is no doubt the influence of the band and the way they go about their business that they are deservedly where they belong. The one aspect I admire the band for is how they seem to never play the same set twice. A classic example is the past two nights they still played their hits but swapped out 10 songs. Who does that these days? Tonight’s set actually featured eight songs from their first two albums.
The energy the band still puts into their live show is very infectious. These guys simply enjoy playing live and it doesn’t matter if they are headlining an arena or being a support act on a bill, they clearly give 110% each and every show. The band has gotten where they are today by all the hard work they put into their craft. They have four studio albums that went platinum yet their biggest selling album is the Live At Budokan. Anyone who has yet to see the band live, please add it to your bucket list as you will feel very incomplete if you never see one of the greatest live bands ever.
Set List
Hello There
Just Got Back
Hot Love
Big Eyes
California Man
Ballad of TV Violence
Ain’t That A Shame
Wrong All Along
Taxman
Boys & Girls & Rock ‘n Roll
High Roller
Downed
I Know What I Want
The Flame
I Want You to Want Me
Dream Police
Encore
Surrender
Clock Strikes Ten
Goodnight
