Cheap Trick

Pop Evil, Cheap Trick & Poison put on an absolutely amazing show but I am completely disenchanted with the promoters, venue and ticket sellers.

I purchased 200 level seats in row L @ $135/ticket for my wife and I via an American Express Presale, months in advance of the show.

While waiting for the gates to open at Ontario Place/Budweiser Stage, the usual assortment of scalpers were hanging around the front gates when we heard one of them offering half-price tickets to the show. I pulled out my phone and checked Live Nation and Ticketmaster's web sites to find that they were offering, amongst others, tickets two rows in front of our seats for $83.75. These were not resale tickets, and there were several of them.

To make matters worse, while standing in line at one of the food trucks, I overheard several people saying how fortunate they were that their $20 lawn tickets had been upgraded for FREE and yup....they were sitting two rows in front of us when the show started.

Apparently the show had not sold well, so the venue decided to close the lawn area and give everyone with $20 lawn tickets a free upgrade. Lucky for them, but what about those of us who paid full price for the tickets months in advance? Should we not have been offered a partial refund, or at the very least a gift certificate?

I understand that Labatt's and Live Nation (who also happens to own Ticketmaster) own the venue which was recently renamed from Molson Amphitheatre to Budweiser Stage and this was certainly not our first trip to this venue, but it was our first trip to the venue under it's new name.

As I said when I started this, we LOVED the show he bands put on, but if the promoters/venue/ticket sellers are going to continue this practice of shafting those of us who purchase tickets early, we will definitely thing twice before buying tickets to other shows.

We've typically attend 3-5 shows each summer and have definitely noticed a drop in attendance at most shows over the last couple of years. Despite the fact that music lovers will pay dearly to see their favourite bands, there comes a point where there are only so many dollars to go around. I realize that many bands demand higher compensation when touring, but perhaps the drop in attendance is directly related to the ticket prices for shows of late.
There have been several shows that we would love to have seen, but not even folks like us who have been life-long fans of certain bands can't afford $200-$300 for a ticket to see a band who's last hit record was 20-30 years ago.
If the venue's aren't selling out, maybe the ticket prices are too high......

Cheap Trick is my wife's all time favourite band and we've seen them every year for the past 20 years when they've passed through town, but for the price we paid this year, and then to find out that had we waited until the last minute, or purchased the cheap lawn seats and gotten a free upgrade to better seats, we definitely feel cheated this year and will almost certainly take our chances by waiting until the day of, or buying cheap lawn seats if they come through town again next year. Who knows, we may actually end up with better seats than someone else who shows their support for a band by buying tickets early...

Cheap Trick released their most influential material while I was still wearing diapers and learning to crawl. I’m pretty sure Peter Frampton peaked before I was even conceived. So I wasn’t anxiously waiting for tickets to go on sale for the double billing at Red Rocks. With the number of shows at my favorite venue multiplying every year, I have to be careful not to overdo it. I love that place, but it’s not worth taking out a second mortgage for. But like every year since I’ve moved to Colorado, there are always a couple random shows that I find myself attending at the last minute. Last year it was REO Speedwagon and Chicago, the year before that it was Fun. and Tegan and Sara, and the year before that it was Counting Crows. This year it was Cheap Trick and Peter Frampton. Whenever I’m having a spectacularly shitty day, it always makes me feel better knowing that I live 10 minutes away from one my favorite places on Earth. So it was that I found myself in the Upper North lot yesterday evening, enjoying a cold Dale’s while the dark clouds crawled over the Rocks to the North, announcing their arrival with a small lightning show before spitting in the face of the forecasters who predicted a dry night. Having proved their point, they made their exit right around the time I purchased a 7th row ticket for less than half price – committing myself to seeing two acts that I really didn’t know beyond their classic hits.

When the yellow jackets came around, breaking people’s hearts with news of Frampton’s illness and inability to perform, it did nothing to affect my decision to attend the show. I understood the frustration of the fans who loaded into their cars and drove away with disappointment painted across their faces, but it didn’t matter to me. In fact, I was much more familiar with Cheap Trick than Peter Frampton, so other than feel bad for the guy for being sick, it did nothing to affect my mood as I cracked another beer. -

The rain had come and gone in a flash, leaving behind one of the first truly nice nights of the season. Knowing Cheap Trick would come on later now that they were the headliner, I was able to spend more time outside the venue…enjoying less expensive food and drinks, and an incredible sky, from the comfort of a half deserted lot. I didn’t make my way to my seat until 8:15pm – just in time for the announcement that the people in the upper GA section were free to move down to the Reserved spots vacated by the Frampton fans who opted for a refund. The show started a few minutes later… - See more at: http://ilistensoyoudonthaveto.com/2015/06/17/cheap-trick-red-rocks-06-16-15/#sthash.F1EG7F5G.dpuf

When one thinks of Rock Music from the 70’s, one normally thinks of Prog, Hard Rock or Punk. There’s nothing wrong with that, they’re iconic genres that have given the world some truly spectacular and influential music. And Prog. But a truly underrated seam of 70’s rock may be just as influential as three listed above with a fraction of the fame, it was harnessed by Weezer on The Blue Album to basically create the last twenty years of American Alt. Rock and it’s called Power-pop. The Knack, The Cars and Elvis Costello all fell under the term but Cheap Trick were the undisputed kings, with their breakthrough record Cheap Trick At Budokan going triple platinum, and tracks like the immortal Surrender and I Want You To Want Me becoming standards of the day. Like any band that were truly built to last they have only got better with time and experience, so a Cheap Trick concert may not be the event it would have been in their heyday, but it might be an even better concert than ever before. Being the cult band they are today means that every show contains their biggest hits as well as deep cuts for the long-time fans, with something truly for everyone in every show. The truly special thing about Cheap Trick however, is that even after a couple of line-up changes in the 80’s, the four founding members of the band are still playing together after forming in 1973. Not only is it all the more special to watch the guys who actually wrote I’ll Be With You Tonight performing it rather than a bunch of hired hands, it also means that after forty-one years of performing together, no-one knows the men onstage musically anywhere near as well as each other. That chemistry, that telepathy, is almost palpable every time they take the stage. They’re a better band than they ever were, and they were already good enough for Alice Cooper, of all people, to call them “America’s House Band”. High praise richly deserved, for four of the true founding fathers of alternative rock, and if you have any time for it whatsoever, you owe it to yourself to pay your respects as soon as possible. You’ll also see lead guitarist Rick Nielsen playing a five necked guitar. Sold yet? Good!

As strange bands like Tom Petty, Neil Young, The Cars, Black Sabbath (but not Ozzy) or even Def Leppard (the last 20 years), Cheap Trick will always remain as my top 3.
No matter the years, decades and centuries that pass and as long as rock music and society evolve, the podium is already full of legends, and for a long time.
Everything was played 20-30 years ago and the myths are already basic hymns: the cheap trick or the bowie are, in fact, more than old records; they are DNA.
But not the DNA of 50-year-old parents, it is also the DNA of modern culture that is the basis of everything today and still forms a youthful life even if they do not listen to rock.

BUT PRECISELY THESE DNA BANDS ARE IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY FOR THE FANS BUT ALSO FOR ALL THIS PEOPLE THAT THINK THEY DO NOT KNOW THE CHEAP TRICK "BUT YOU AND I KNOW YOU KNOW MANY SONGS" is just the kind of concerts we should see sometime.

I do not understand WHY you never travel to Europe (except London and 2 feasts)

I do not want to see you at 4PM with drunk people. Understand not to come every year. but I've been waiting 15 or 20 years.

It is not an angry written letter. It's SHOCKeD.
Why LAS VEGAS ??? Do they really know "history" as a concept while playing Caroline with only minor chords? ;) We have places in BCN that you will love. Without garages Nice places, good fans, the best food, just for a day.

Thanks for letting us write some thoughts
Salut des de Barcelona :)

I've seen Cheap Trick live 7 times (2 last year) and will try to get them as many times feasable w/in reason. They ALWAYS electrify the crowd withe sheer power of their rock'n'roll. they are one of the best live acts just on that merit alone. I saw them alone at Lima and later in the year billed with ZZ Top. both times it was terrific. ZZ Top were even better last year than when I first saw them in 2018. Whether with or without another act, when Cheap Trick gets on stage you know it's party time. Guaranteed to please. That Cheap Tick magic works fine, every time!!!!

I'm sorry to say, but Cheap Trick was not all that guys...The Warfield in San Fran is an awful venue and perhaps it would help to have a nice opening band as well but...they were awful (both bands!). I wanted to be taken back to the 1970-1980's but it turned out to be just noise and we left...sorry to the reviewers but I think you were to h--h to realize what you were listening to! I even tried closing my eyes to take me back, it just made me want to leave and go to sleep...love their music but its time to retire boys. At least you got paid, we walked out!

The show was everything I hoped it would be. Good energy, blast from the past, we will retire together. ZZ Top was over the top as well. It's just sad to see with the amount of people there, very few were even alive. I guess a lot of them were to old or too afraid to express themselves.
Though I couldn't stop moving to the fabulous sounds of both Cheap Trick and ZZ Top. What a great night, heck even the weather was the best for a night time concert.

One of the BEST live bands to see...anytime, anywhere!! I have seen them at least 15 times in both large and small venues and they never disappoint. Last night's show at the Riverfront in Peoria, IL was probably the best I have ever seen them. Robin Zander's voice is as amazing as it was the first time I heard it live in East Troy, WI in 1979. If you ever get the chance to see them, don't miss it!!!

OMFG it was totally kickass and the meet n greet and aftershow back stage party is still effecting me 231pm the day after and I'm still half hammered and hung over like a MOFO.

BUT it was a top notch show and was more that one could expect

I would have to give the concert 5+ Stars not just because I am a loyal longtime fan of Cheap Trick but because the concert was that good as always.

I've seen Cheap Trick so many times and never ONCE have they ever disappointed! They are one of the best bands around. I've seen them at Disneyland, Magic Mountain, House of Blues, Ventura Theatre, and the Coach House over the yhears and they have always been nothing short of AWESOME! These guys are one of the most underrated bands of today.