Nonsensor.

The final day of CityFest on Sunday was ridiculously hot. But we spent a lot of it in the shade of the stage or VIP tent with our backstage passes for the kings of power pop, Cheap Trick. How awesome is that? I don't always care to see bands I like at free festival-type shows because they invariably half-ass it, but I get the feeling that Rick Nielsen always seems to half-ass it in his own special way.

He was chattier than most rock stars on stage though, whipping out joke after (sometimes funny) joke and changing guitars every song –sometimes in the middle of a song. He wore a suit jacket the whole time, while Robin Zander pranced around amiably in leather pants. How these somewhat aging rockers didn't drop dead is beyond me, but it was interesting to note the similarities between the once-pretty-boy Zander's pants and his face. Here's a pic with Nielsen's (arguably) most obnoxious guitar:



Big bummer? We got there late and missed "Big Eyes," but caught "Surrender," "Dream Police" and the second "Hello There." Bigger bummer? It was a "family" show so they were barred from playing "He's A Whore," one of my all-time favorites.