This review of Cheap Trick performing Sgt. Pepper’s at Paris Las Vegas on 6/22 and 6/23 was originally posted on the Cheap Trick message boards…been a fun summer so far!
Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick
I got back from my Las Vegas trip with my two daughters Friday night (6/25). What a great adventure. We started out driving the 760 miles from Denver/Boulder to Vegas early Monday morning as planned, but as I came down Vail pass, my car shimmied more than a belly dancer at a Middle-Eastern restaurant. We frantically looked for a place to repair my brakes. God bless Google. There was a Big O’ Tire a mile away, and I begged the guy to get me out of there as quickly as possible. Within 2 hours, we were back on I-70 and on our way to Vegas baby with a minivan that could now stop on a dime without shakin’, rattlin’, or rollin’.
Made it by 7pm Vegas time, and after a bite to eat and checking into the hotel, the girls wanted to check out the Fremont Experience. I drove right past it, and by the time we found the light spectacular, Queen’s “We Will Rock You” was blaring. We only stayed about 10 minutes cause my 9-yr-old stated she was exhausted and wanted some zzzzz. So back to Bally’s we went. We stayed there since it was less expensive than Paris (I wasn’t positive we were going, so I didn’t book until last Thursday. Rates went up as the arrival date got closer). Bally’s is also connected to Paris, so we didn’t have to walk outside in the hotter than Hades weather to get to the shows. (I complained about the oppressive hot and humid Florida weather in my Orland HOB review, but it had to be well over 100 degrees in Vegas. Why can’t Cheap Trick do Vegas in March when it’s a balmy 70 degrees?)
The girls spent a few hours Tuesday morning at Circus Circus Adventuredome game/ride arena, and we checked out Bellagio’s gardens. Next time we go to Vegas they want to stay at the Bellagio…when I win the lottery I told them. I needed to win the lottery to buy three full-price seats for Tuesday night’s show and just couldn’t justify it. I thought the girls would enjoy seeing Sgt. Pepper and I had a ticket for me for Wednesday night, but nothing for Tuesday. Luckily, I was able to get three 4th row center tix (near Rick’s side) for $100 total. Three different people contacted me that they had 4th row seats to sell for $30 to $35 a piece, so if you’re considering going but price is an issue, you should be able to get good seats at a reasonable cost via Craigslist.
My daughters had experienced their first Trick concert at the HOB in Orlando a few weeks ago, and they inquired if they would have to stand again. When I told them we had actual seats, they were curious if they were soft comfy seats, or like the hard chairs they have in their school cafetorium. Needless to say they were delighted for the Paris seats were very plush (just in case you were wondering. 
) After the show they said their favorite part was the confetti of paper hearts, but even more exciting was the fact that they could sit at a concert. I think they believed all rock concerts were standing room only, so now they think this whole rock ‘n’ roll thing is pretty cool if you can sit and enjoy it.
Speaking of seats, the show Wednesday looked maybe 3/4′s full. Tuesday might have had more people, but I don’t think by very much. There were seats in the first row that were empty on Tuesday, and Wed. night there had to be at least a half-dozen totally empty rows in the back of the house. I’d hoped that the show would be more of a draw; signs for the concert were all around Paris/Bally’s, and Rick/Robin/Tom are on the cover of the Las Vegas magazine in the hotel rooms. But I do think the steep prices and other competing shows in town are keeping some folks from seeing Sgt. Peppers, which is a shame because this version with “Trick only” is such a great experience.
Enjoyed the Hollywood Bowl and Hilton concerts, but this show definitely feels more cohesive without the guest artists. It just seems more fluid. Robin Zander deftly weaves his vocal magic through every Beatles song, and the rest of the guys looked to be really enjoying themselves. They seemed more relaxed…except when Rick finishes “Surrender” and then has to segue into playing the piano/singing lead for “World’s Greatest Lover.” He needs another minute to come down from his adrenaline rush and switch gears for the gentleness of “WGL.”
One of the biggest surprises for me was “Within You Without You.” It’s one of my favorite songs from the Hollywood Bowl/Hilton shows because the Indian ensemble was amazing. Satnam Singh Ramgotra is such a skilled tabla player, and I thought he was the cohesive glue for the ensemble, but he wasn’t a part of the Paris shows. Though the guy who filled in for him did a commendable job, Ramgotra plays on a different level. The array of sounds that a skilled player can bring out of this drum is mind blowing. I took several tabla lessons from my acupuncturist a few years ago, and he told me that to become a master tabla player is a lifelong commitment. My commitment lasted about six weeks, just long enough to learn that the tabla is an incredibly challenging instrument to play.
That said, Tom’s vocals were exquisite on this song. I don’t consider him a strong lead singer, but since the lyrics aren’t sung in a traditional manner, this suited his vocal style. I could be wrong, but he seems to me to be the Trickster most likely to resonate with Indian spirituality and music, so this seemed a really good fit. The segment was a great contribution to overall show in my opinion. I give Mr. Petersson kudos for taking this raga, which is so sonically different to the rest of the Sgt. Pepper’s album, and bringing it to life.
Robin does several wardrobe changes including switching into black leather pants and a black shirt and hat for several songs. It’s nice to see him without sunglasses/hat and how he really connected with the audience both nights. At one point Tuesday night during “All You Need Is Love,” it dawned on me that I could hear his voice but he wasn’t on stage. I was like, “Where’d he go? Backstage to change outfits again?” As Claire (budokanasana) remarked in her review, he went down the aisles and connected with the audience but the paper heart deluge made it nearly impossible to see anyone more than a few feet away. Interestingly, he didn’t go into the audience on Wednesday for some reason, but instead, Zandergal (Allie) got a loving handshake from Z. I was seated in the row behind Allie that night, and how awesome is it to have Z sing “All You Need Is Love,” look in your eyes and and grab yer hand. Wish I’d known it was coming Allie or I would have gotten a picture for you. The two seats in front of me were empty, so it would have been a great shot.
There were other amusing moments. Tuesday night, I kept noticing that Rick’s legs were moving rapidly, and from where I was sitting, it looked as if he had a rapid nervous twitch. I later realized there was a fan at his feet and it was simply blowing the pant-leg material which made him look as though he was doing the “Man, I gotta go to the bathroom” dance. Rick’s Beatles sneakers were way cool and Daxx looked quite dapper Wed. night in a stylish jacket (Daxx did an excellent job on drums.) In the past it seemed Robin’s white pants were just leather, but Wed night I realized they are actually iridescent and sparkle like a hologram…kinda like that jacket he wears at the end, only much more subtler.
Rick was throwing picks at someone behind me on Tuesday night. He kept moving his fingers in a way that implied the person was texting (at least that’s what it seemed like he was pantomiming to my eyes). A few of his picks fell short and landed in my daughter’s lap. Now she’s got a blue one to go with her “gone through the wash” red/orange pick from Orlando.
Before the Wednesday night show, I chatted with the older couple next to me. They had received comp tickets and the woman had never seen the band before. She was wearing a tasteful lower-cut blouse, and toward the end of the show, Rick tossed her a pick, but he was a gentleman and didn’t try to nail her. He did some hand gestures so that she got the hint that he was trying to get it down her blouse. When she realized what he had tried to do, she had that familiar stunned look of surprise, then she laughed. I think she had a really good time.
It was great to see Allie again (and meet her husband) and meet Claire and her mom. Claire got to press the flesh with Robin on Tuesday as he passed her during “All You Need Is Love.” I wish I could have seen it because I knew where she was standing, but the plethora of hearts made it impossible to see across the room. I’m so glad Claire’s mom had the chance to see the show. I took my 81 yr old mom to see her first rock concert with Billy Joel and Elton John a few months ago, and she had a blast. Mommies Alright, and she doesn’t seem so weird anymore now that she digs this thing called rock ‘n’ roll.