Watch Cheap Trick Play ‘Dream Police’ at First Post-Pandemic Concert
Cheap Trick played their first post-pandemic concert on Saturday evening at the Foxwoods Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
Their set mixed classics like “Surrender,” “Voices,” and “I Want You To Want Me” with deeper cuts like “Come On, Come On” and “Stop This Game,” plus selections from their new LP In Another World, including “Boys & Girls & Rock N Roll” and “The Summer Looks Good on You.”
Bassist Tom Petersson sat out the show since he is recovering from open-heart surgery. He was replaced by Robin Taylor Zander, son of frontman Robin Zander. Zander has played rhythm guitar at many Cheap Trick shows over the years, and he also performs acoustic shows with his father when the band is inactive. Rick Nielsen’s son Daxx has been Cheap Trick’s drummer ever since they parted ways with Bun E. Carlos in 2010, meaning their lineup at the Foxwoods show was 50% second-generation Cheap Trick.
Last month, Petersson spoke to the Detroit radio station WRIF about his heart surgery. “I was in good shape, and it was something they discovered unexpectedly,” he said. “I didn’t have any symptoms. But it was the kind of thing where without knowing about it, you would just all of a sudden suddenly drop dead. I was, like, ‘OK. I’m in. Open-heart surgery? Sounds good to me.’”
The procedure left him very rattled. “It’s a lot of psychological stuff that you don’t hear about or think about — post-traumatic stress,” he said. “And it’s scary. It’s kind of like being in an auto accident — you’re not thinking of it that much at the time, and later you look back on it and you think, ‘Holy shit. That was close.’”
Cheap Trick return to the road on July 2nd for a show in Fort Dodge, Iowa. They have scattered 2021 dates on the books through November 18th when they play in Monterrey, Mexico. Next summer, they are opening up for Rod Stewart at North American amphitheaters.
