For nine nights in September, the world's most under-appreciated band Cheap Trick will be doing a special engagement at The Las Vegas Hilton where they will perform The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album in its entirety, accompanied by several additional musicians and an orchestra.
As a rabid lifelong fan of both acts, i plan on hitting one of the shows. If I could do all nine, believe me I would. But the economy being what it is, I like my home and don't want to lose it to sleeping in a bus station if I can help it.
For anyone who can't or won't part with the bread for a ticket, I highly recommend the new DVD of the show that was filmed last year in New York. Fans of either The Fabs or CT will not be disappointed. Since I plan on hitting the show in a couple weeks, I will save a more detailed review until that time.
The DVD looks like it was shot at a very swanky expensive ballroom with tables of people as opposed to seats or general admission. The crowd is very receptive and the band pulls off what would seem like a daunting task reproducing an album that, by 1967 standards, was never meant to be reproduced live.
Vocalist Robin Zander is possibly the only person alive that can sound like John Lennon AND Paul McCartney when he sings. Getting to hear his work on "She's Leaving Home" on this DVD is worth the purchase itself. Guitarist Rick Nielsen, drummer Bun E. Carlos and bassist Tom Petersson just cruise through the songs effortlessly as if they'd been rehearsing them for years. The chemistry of this band after 33 years together is still nothing short of brilliant.
A couple of songs have vocal duties by Ian Ball of Gomez, who has a very Liverpudlian flavor to his singing, and Joan Osbourne, who, I have to admit, I like more now than back when she was all over the radio with "One Of Us" fifteen years ago. I underestimated the soulfulness in her voice. The whole DVD ends with a very spirited stab at the Golden Slumbers medley off Abbey Road, which gives everyone on stage a chance to shine.
As I said, I'll do a more thorough write-up after the live show, I just thought I would spread the word about this nice little ditty to anyone shopping for a proper Beatles tribute without all the fake accents and bad wigs.
There is no high quality footage of the DVD uploaded yet but here is CT doing Magical Mystery Tour from, I believe, Japan in 1992. Great version....
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