Cheap Trick Live In New York

I still can’t get over how great Cheap Trick were the other night.

Playing to a packed house at the Capitol Theatre in New York, the band tore through an energizing and dynamic set, demonstrating that even though they have decades of rock and roll under their musical belts, they remain one of the most vital bands on the planet.

Singer Robin Zander was in fine form, his voice untouched by time and still able to make the sharp vocal turns on numbers like “Tonight It’s You” and “Come On Come On.” Meanwhile, guitarist Rick Nielsen made it clear that he’s still one of the greatest guitar players around, playing idiosyncratic and original licks that gave each number edge and bite.

The band brought onstage a superfan from Japan named Junko, who was seeing Cheap Trick for the 200th time.

At the end of the night Jesse Malin, who opened the show, joined the band for a rousing version of “Surrender.”

I first shot Cheap Trick at a private party in 2009, which was my first foray into rock and roll photography, so being able to shoot them again had personal significance for me.

The setlist looked like this:

Hello There

Come On Come On

Big Eyes

Lookout

California Man

Tonight It’s You

If You Want My Love

On Top of the World

Borderline

Baby Loves to Rock

Daddy Should Have Stayed in High School