Cheap Trick
Opening Act: ROOKIE
presented by Drusky Entertainment & Kirschner Concerts
Sunday, February 9, 2020 at 8 PM
$59, $69, $79 ($6 additional per ticket day of show)
Meet & Greet Package – $279
-One premium reserved ticket located in the first 10 rows
-Exclusive preshow meet & greet with Cheap Trick
-Personal photograph with Cheap Trick
-Specially designed Cheap Trick drumhead
-Cheap Trick Dream Police patch
-Cheap Trick dice set
-Cheap Trick lighter
-Official meet & greet laminate
-Very limited availability
VIP Tour Package – $179
-One premium reserved ticket
-Specially designed Cheap Trick drumhead
-Cheap Trick Dream Police patch
-Cheap Trick dice set
Cheap Trick lighter
-Commemorative tour laminate
-Limited availability
Cheap Trick is part of the very fiber of American music, inspiring and delighting generations with their unique union of massive melodies and razorblade riffs, their own special brand of mischievous wit and maximum rock ‘n’ roll. Frontlined since 1974 by Robin Zander (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), and Tom Petersson (bass guitar), the Rockford, IL-born Rock and Roll Hall of Famers are as vital today as ever, having released three spectacular records in the last three years — BANG ZOOM CRAZY…HELLO (2016), WE’RE ALL ALRIGHT! (2017) and CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS (2017) – and toured relentlessly to packed audiences around the world (four decades/5,000+ shows).
Cheap Trick is an indisputable American institution, beloved for their instantly identifiable, hugely influential, brand of pop-rock ‘n’ roll. The band – Robin Zander (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), Tom Petersson (bass guitar), and Daxx Nielsen (drums) – are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from “He’s A Whore,” “California Man,” and “Dream Police” to “Surrender and “I Want You To Want Me.”
2016 saw Cheap Trick’s long-awaited induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The induction honored both the band and the pioneering sound that has earned them total record sales well in excess of 20 million, featured appearances and more than 40 international gold and platinum certifications. Cheap Trick closed the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony with a show-stealing performance of “Surrender,” “Dream Police,” and “I Want You To Want Me,” prompting Rolling Stone to rave, “Their smoking three-song set (was) played to perfection, with Zander hitting all the notes he hit at Budokan back in 1978.”
2017’s WE’RE ALL ALRIGHT! was yet another undisputed triumph for the band as the album’s first single, “Long Time Coming,” enjoyed an unprecedented run of 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Mediabase Classic Rock chart and, received loud applause from the press following its release, with Paste flat out raving, “Having been an active band for more than four decades, Cheap Trick continues to be a model of freakish consistency…Quick, think of any other American rock band formed in ’70s who is still putting out albums in the modern era that not only don’t embarrass the band but repeatedly revitalize their career. The list starts and stops with one name: Cheap Trick. They’re not going anywhere, so you might as well start listening.”
“The energy levels are astounding,” shouted Classic Rock, “with producer Julian Raymond extracting a sonic attack that makes Rick Nielsen, Robin Zander, Tom Petersson and Daxx Nielsen sound like they’ve been locked in an industrial hangar with a bunch of AK-47s.
“If 2016’s terrific BANG ZOOM CRAZY…HELLO was a long-awaited comeback after a seven-year lapse, then this year’s rapid follow-up shows that was no anomaly,” declared American Songwriter. “Few acts inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as Cheap Trick deservedly was in 2016, are cranking out music as fresh, honest, energized and explosive as these guys have released in the past two years. And if this recent burst in activity keeps going, they will be the poster boys for how aging rock and rollers can stay relevant without selling out or trying to be hip…Long Live Cheap Trick.”
“I don’t ever see us quitting,” Zander says. “We’re not cut out for sitting around and watching TV.”
“We’re not a nostalgia band,” Nielsen says. “We never stopped making records, we never stopped touring. We’ve had ups, we’ve had super lows, but we kept at it and I think people appreciate that. Sometimes I think we’re just too dumb to quit. We just keep going.”
ROOKIE
Having cut their teeth around the Chicago scene performing in acts such as Yoko and the Oh No’s and Gal Gun, guitarist/vocalist Max Loebman, guitarist Dimitri Panoutsos, guitarist Christopher Devlin, drummer/vocalist Joe Bordenaro, bassist Kevin Decker, and keys player Justin Bell joined forces to form ROOKIE in 2017. Animated by a spirit of collaboration and reverence to guitar-centric pop, ROOKIE harnesses a sound that echoes the canon of no-frills rock acts of the 70s while avoiding any accusation of being derivative. With no singular
songwriter at the helm, ROOKIE’s aesthetic is anchored by the contributions of each of its members, a testament to their status as veteran musicians in Chicago’s increasingly influential
indie rock ecosystem.
Following the premiere of the band’s debut single, “One Way Ticket,” by VICE’s Noisey in 2018, ROOKIE took to Treehouse Studios in Chicago to record “I Can’t Have You But I Want You,” a
power-pop anthem that represents the band’s penchant for infectious hooks and made-for-radio vocal harmonies. After the release of these singles, the band began work on their
much-anticipated debut LP, which was tracked and mixed at Treehouse Studios as well as a home-recording rig under the direction of guitarist Chris Devlin. Much of the album was recorded
live to tape, capturing the band’s ability to deliver performances that are both inspired and precise. From swirls of guitar feedback and an air raid siren to down tempo tracks, the record
promises an eclectic mix of moods and genres, ranging from roots-rock on the pedal-steel laden “Sunglasses” to the James Gang-meets-Chicago (the band featuring Terry Kath and,
subconsciously or not, ROOKIE’s hometown) instrumental of “Introduction II,” which blasts off Side B of the album. While the six-piece invokes homage throughout their debut, it manages to
be ambitious in its own right, offering listeners a contemporary spin on a classic aesthetic that would have sounded right at home during the heyday of AM radio.
After over a year of steadily building their fanbase through raucous — and often sold-out — performances at some of Chicago’s premier rock clubs supporting nationally-known acts like
Twin Peaks and King Tuff, explosive house shows and appearances at local festivals like Goose Island’s Block Party (where the band was slotted as direct support for Jenny Lewis),
ROOKIE released a cover of Tears for Fears’ “Head Over Heels” on Bloodshot Records’ 25th Anniversary compilation, Too Late To Pray: Defiant Chicago Roots. In addition to ROOKIE’s
contribution, the collection featured an impressive range of acts with ties to Chicago to celebrate the stalwart indie label’s silver anniversary, including Brendan Kelly and The Wandering Birds,
Kelly Hogan, Robbie Fulks, Jon Langford’s Hillbilly Lovechild, The Handsome Family, and others. To celebrate the compilation’s release, ROOKIE headlined a sold-out show at Workshop
4200, where Chicago’s only vinyl pressing plant, Smashed Plastic, is located. Since its release, Too Late To Pray has received mentions from Greg Kot of The Chicago Tribune, No
Depression, and Rocking Magpie. ROOKIE’s debut LP is scheduled for release in the spring of 2020. Tour dates across the US being planned to support the record, which will include appearances at South by Southwest in Austin, TX, Treefort Music Fest in Boise, ID, and Shaky Knees in Atlanta, GA.
To order by phone, call the Box Office at 724-836-8000
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