By snoadmin
The roaring sounds of race cars speeding along the tracks were not the only roars at the Long Beach Grand Prix on Saturday.
Thanks to Cheap Trick, the crowd made loud noises of its own while the band headlined the Tecate Light Rock-N-Roar Concert that evening after the races.
The concert was open to anyone who bought a ticket for the Grand Prix. Young and old attendees, including diehard fans wearing Cheap Trick shirts, secured spots at the outdoor setup in front of the Terrace Theater. Many arrived two hours early to see the band up close in front of the stage or to lie out on the grass farther away.
As the sun disappeared behind the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, Cheap Trick’s version of the “Transformers” theme song blared through the speakers, then the band walked onstage to a chorus of cheers that rivaled those who watched the races earlier.
Lead guitarist, Rick Nielsen, was the most entertaining. He made the crowd go wild by briefly holding out his arms during solos and cupping his hand behind his ear to make the audience cheer louder. His best moment was when he brought out his two most noteworthy instruments: his five-neck electric and box guitars.
Bassist Tom Petersson stood out with a glittery orange eight-string bass and had his own solo during the encore performances.
Even with all of these shining moments, interaction with the audience was the band’s highlight. Lead singer Robin Zander strutted over to the people at the sides of the stage and made eye contact while fans snapped photos. Nielsen and Petersson frequently walked to the edge of the stage to get close to the crowd.
The band performed every hit and then some. The popular song “I Want You to Want Me,” along with new ones from the latest album, including “Miss Tomorrow” and “Sick Man of Europe,” were played early in the set.
Other hits were saved for the very end. “Surrender” was the last song, which led to the crowd’s screams for an encore. Sure enough, the band returned to play the ballad “The Flame,” “Dream Police” and “Gonna Raise Hell,” all of which the audience sang along to.
Instead of a typical rainfall of confetti for the grand finale, Nielsen showered the front of the crowd with guitar picks that read the band’s name on them. Some people were lucky enough to catch one while others bent down and searched frantically for picks on the ground.
Once the chaos died down, the crowd resumed to cheering during the band’s fourth and final encore song, the hit “Hello There.” Zander altered some of the lyrics to say, “Good night now ladies and gents/It’s the end of the show” instead of, “Hello there ladies and gents/Are you ready to rock?” When Cheap Trick finished, the crowd went wild while the band took its final bow.
Overall, the band gave a great performance with amazing vocals, guitar riffs and showmanship. Cheap Trick kept the crowd’s energy level high after a long day at the races.
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