Cheap Trick said hello and goodbye at once Wednesday (10/1) when they returned to the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, the same arena that put them on the rock ‘n’ roll map nearly half a century ago.
The Rockford, IL legends opened with “Hello There,” closed with “Goodnight,” and filled the set with a hefty amount of hits in between, in an evening that was both a victory lap but also a thank you to the city and venue that catapulted the quartet’s career, thanks to the live album that was recorded in the stadium originally built for Olympic judo wrestling.
In what many believe will be their final Japanese concert, part of the band’s ongoing Farewell Tour, Robin Zander, 72, sang and played rhythm guitar with his usual ease; while Rick Nielsen, 77, provided the comedic relief and pick flicking.
Tom Petersson, 75, provided the low end; and Daxx Nielsen, 44, filled in on drums for Bun E. Carlos, the band’s founding drummer, who hasn’t toured with the group since 2010.
read more at: Setlist.fm
