NEPA Scene Staff

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick return to Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Nov. 12

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick return to Penn’s Peak in Jim Thorpe on Nov. 12
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From a press release:

After stopping in Jim Thorpe last year, it has been announced that legendary Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Cheap Trick will return to Penn’s Peak on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m.

Tickets, which are $40 in advance or $45 the day of the show, go on sale this Friday, May 19 at 10 a.m. at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn’s Peak box office (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe), and Roadies Restaurant and Bar (325 Maury Rd., Jim Thorpe). Penn’s Peak box office and Roadies Restaurant ticket sales are walk-up only; no phone orders.

Cheap Trick is part of the very fiber of American music, inspiring and delighting generations with their unique union of massive melodies and razor blade riffs and their own special brand of mischievous wit and maximum rock ‘n’ roll. Frontlined since 1974 by Robin Zander (vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), and Tom Petersson (bass guitar), the Rockford, Illinois-born band is set to impact another era with their 18th studio album, “We’re All Alright,” which will be released on Friday, June 16.

Cheap Trick are an indisputable institution, beloved for their instantly identifiable, hugely influential, powerhouse pop rock. The constant core of the band remains one of a kind – three guys, four chords, and tunes that will last in perpetuity, from “He’s a Whore,” “California Man,” and “Dream Police” to “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me,” and the worldwide No. 1 hit single “The Flame.”

“The songs are why everybody knows Cheap Trick,” drummer Daxx Nielsen says. “We have some good songs. ‘I Want You To Want Me’ has been around for 40 years, but people still love it. And even if you’re sick of it, it’s over in three minutes! The songs are still relevant; they still have the right words and the right emotion to move 99 percent of all humans.”

All three original members cite Nielsen as the most significant contemporary influence on Cheap Trick’s current creativity. A musical polymath who has played with artists spanning Dick Dale to Brandi Carlisle, the younger Nielsen was the obvious choice when the seemingly irreplaceable Bun E. Carlos retired from active touring and recording with the band he co-founded. Daxx’s innate virtuosity and spirited musicianship were propulsive in more ways than the usual, inspiring fresh energy while also keeping the band in touch with its roots.

“Daxx is so talented,” Petersson says. “He’s so into it, he can play all of our songs on any instrument. We’ll pull something from our back catalog and he’ll tell us how the bridge goes.”

“We have to recall stuff,” Rick says. “Daxx remembers.”

After more than half a decade away from the studio, Cheap Trick released “Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello,” their 17th studio collection and first in more than five years, in 2016.

“We start something and the songs take on a life of their own,” Petersson says. “There’s a lot of back and forth. It’s not like one person had to think of everything for 40 years straight. I think that keeps us in top form.”

Fast approaching their fifth decade, Cheap Trick is among the most active and successful in music history, with more than 5,000 performances, featured appearances on over 20 movie soundtracks, over 40 international gold and platinum certifications, myriad awards and industry honors, and total record sales well in excess of 20 million. “Bang, Zoom, Crazy… Hello” arrived just as the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a long overdue honor that confirms their incredible influence while simultaneously acknowledging the millions upon millions of Cheap Trick fans around the planet.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Nielsen says. “It wasn’t some goal we were trying to achieve – it’s kind of out of the blue. It means a lot to a lot of people.”

“People are so overwhelmed by it,” Petersson says. “They come up to me at the grocery store or at the bank, saying congratulations, that’s the greatest thing ever. It really means a lot to our fans.”

“I don’t ever see us quitting,” Zander notes. “We’re not cut out for sitting around and watching TV.”

“This is what we do,” Petersson says. “We’re very proud of this record; we have no problem going around the world playing songs from it. We’re going to do that anyway. That’s what we do.”

“We’re not a nostalgia band,” Nielsen adds. “We never stopped making records, we never stopped touring. We’ve had ups, we’ve had super lows, but we kept at it and I think people appreciate that. Sometimes, I think we’re just too dumb to quit. We just keep going.”