Heaven Tonight: Cheap Trick Deliver The Goods At ACL Taping

First things first -- the band’s lovable drummer Bun E. Carlos was missing from the lineup but guitarist Rick Neilsen’s son Daxx Neilsen did a reasonably solid job in his place. The other original members were all in top form; Rick himself was especially energetic, cantering around the stage in usual fashion, switching guitars often, and tossing out guitar picks into the audience regularly. The set-list featured a host of songs off The Latest including “Miracle,” “Miss Tomorrow,” “Closer,” and “When The Lights Are Out” (a Slade cover). There was room for another cover, “In The Street,” a Big Star original previously recorded by Cheap Trick for That ‘70s Show, and a timely tribute to Alex Chilton who passed away due to a heart attack the previous day. Besides the homage to Chilton, the loudest cheers of the show were understandably reserved for Cheap Trick classics like “If You Want My Love,” “I Want You To Want Me,” “Heaven Tonight,” “Surrender,” and “Voices.” The band closed out the riveting performance with two songs off 1979’s Dream Police -- the anthemic title track and “Gonna Raise Hell.” Sure there were a handful of missing favorites but one look at the smiling, content faces all around assured us that the powerpop legends had satisfied those in attendance.