Review: Two legendary classic rock acts delight fans in decidedly different ways
The two acts are from opposite ends of the classic rock spectrum: one specializes in polished top 40 material, while the other produces scrappy guitar-driven songs.
They do, however, have one thing in common: the ability to put broad smiles on thousands of people’s faces.
Rod Stewart and Cheap Trick emphasized that point on Tuesday (Aug. 8) during a fun combo concert that drew 10,000 fans to Mountain View’s Shoreline Amphitheatre.
Cheap Trick took the stage first, performing a 13-song set of satisfyingly rough-around-the-edges power pop and classic rock.
The band was firing on all cylinders, led by founding members Rick Nielsen on guitar and Tom Petersson on bass, as well as longtime vocalist Robin Zander. Rick’s son, Daxx Nielsen, provided the beat, having taken over on the kit for Cheap Trick’s legendary original drummer, Bun E. Carlos, in 2010. Robin Taylor Zander, another band member’s offspring, played rhythm guitar and sang lead vocals on a solid rendition of “Downed” (from Cheap Trick’s classic 1977 album, “In Color”).
Two of the most memorable moments occurred fairly early in the set, and they were both cover songs. The first was the Rockford, Illinois band’s powerful rendition of “California Man,” which comes from Jeff Lynne’s pre-ELO band, The Move, though this song was written by Roy Wood, not Lynne. Cheap Trick made this song their own, ironically by mixing in a riff from another Move song on 1978’s “Heaven Tonight.”
The quintet then proceeded to perform its most well-known cover, “Ain’t That a Shame,” a charged-up take on the soulful ’50s classic that its original vocalist, Fats Domino, reportedly adored. The Cheap Trick version is still one of the best updates of an early rock song, ranking just a notch or two below ELO’s reimagining of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven.”
People were grinning from ear to ear and singing along loudly as the band entered greatest hits territory. “The Flame” undoubtedly brought back memories of countless high school dances, memories quickly replaced by thoughts of turning original vinyl (and 8-track tape) editions of “At Budokan” all the way up as the band powered through “I Want You To Want Me” and “Surrender” at Shoreline.
After beginning their set with “Hello There,” Cheap Trick ended the musical arc by bidding fans farewell in two languages: “Auf Wiedersehen” and “Goodnight.”
Following a brief intermission, Stewart began his roughly two-hour set with the first of many covers of the night, belting out Robert Palmer’s iconic ’80s hit “Addicted to Love.”
“We’ve gotten off to a fine start tonight,” the 78-year-old Londoner said to the audience. “Were Cheap Trick not incredible?”
Stewart, who has sold over 120 million albums since the 1960s, also sounded fantastic as he moved through well-crafted pop gems like “You Wear It Well,” “Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me),” “Young Turks,” and “Forever Young.”
He had the support of a fantastic 11-piece band, which included six female dancers/singers/multi-instrumentalists. Those ladies routinely stole the show in a good way, playing everything from mandolin and banjo to violin and harp. They also sang lead vocals on two covers, Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman” and Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade,” while keeping up with Stewart’s many wardrobe changes and contributing plenty of dance moves.
Exceptionally impressive.
Fans greeted each new release — “The First Cut Is the Deepest,” “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim),” “Maggie May,” and others — like old friends.
Stewart changed her outfit again about halfway through the 22-song set, this time wearing all blue and yellow.
“I have changed my outfit to the colors of the Ukrainian flag,” he said, dedicating his anti-war song “Rhythm of My Heart” to the people of that war-torn country.
Stewart closed out the main set with a series of fan favorites, the best of which was “The Killing of Georgie, Part I,” which the Shoreline audience was fortunate to hear because the star doesn’t include it on all of his tour stops.
When he returned to the stage, he belted out a passionate encore of “Stay With Me.” The audience clearly wished they could.
Cheap Trick setlist:
- “Hello There”
- “Hot Love”
- “Southern Girls”
- “California Man”
- “Ain’t That a Shame”
- “Downed”
- “I Know What I Want”
- “The Flame”
- “I Want You To Want Me”
- “Surrender”
- “Dream Police”
- “Auf Wiedersehen”
- “Goodnight”
Rod Stewart setlist:
- “Addicted to Love”
- “You Wear It Well”
- “Ooh La La”
- “Tonight I’m Yours (Don’t Hurt Me)”
- “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?”
- “Young Turks”
- “Forever Young”
- “The First Cut Is the Deepest”
- “You’re in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)”
- “Maggie May”
- “I’d Rather Go Blind”
- “Downtown Train”
- “Rhythm of My Heart”
- “I’m Every Woman”
- “Tonight’s The Night”
- “Have I Told You Lately”
- “Lady Marmalade”
- “The Killing of Georgie, Part I”
- “Some Guys Have All the Luck”
- “It Takes Two”
- “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”
Encore:
- “Stay With Me”
