A band that was the blueprint for “power pop” outfits to follow is coming to Costa Mesa.
The rock band Cheap Trick first got together in 1973 in Rockford Illinois, with Bun E. Carlos, Tom Petersson, and Rick Nielsen as the founding members, and Robin Zander serving as lead vocalist. Zander, Petersson, and Nielsen are still with the outfit. Their work, which combined elements of punk rock, hard rock, and guitar pop, laid the foundation for the power pop acts that followed.
The band released their self-titled debut album in 1977, and broke through into the mainstream in the United States two years later, when they released their album “At Budokan,” which went triple-Platinum. That same year a single, “I Want You to Want Me,” made it into the Top 10. Their best-selling album, “Dream Police,” dropped in 1979, and climbed to No. 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Despite lineup changes, Cheap Trick has continued to tour and record, releasing their latest album, “In Another World,” in 2021. The band has worldwide album sales of over 20 million, and has performed live over 5,000 times. A review says:
“After rocking fans for nearly 50 years with 10,000s of shows in their wake, Cheap Trick remains strong, as they delivered what people came for, a great rocking time.”
Cheap Trick will be at the Pacific Amphitheatre on August 7. When concerts like this are scheduled, organizers can work with poster printing to create great advertisements for the event.
