"Thanks for coming tonight," guitarist Rick Nielsen said to the capacity crowd at The Troubadour on Wednesday (8/5).
"We had no idea we would be here, but we're happy we're here," he continued, wearing a black cap, red cowboy shirt, and holding a gold Les Paul. "We wish the Hollywood Bowl the best, but this is better."
The 500 lucky ticket holders cheered in agreement.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees from Rockford, Illinois had been scheduled to be about five miles north east of the Troubadour on Wednesday.
The band was to open for ZZ Top at the Hollywood Bowl but something suddenly came up.
“The ZZ Top tour has unforeseen personnel matters that have forced the band to cancel its appearance at the Los Angeles landmark,” ZZ Top announced in statement on Tuesday in a message on their Instagram.
“Insurmountable obstacles require canceling our Hollywood Bowl performance,” the only remaining member of the trio currently touring with the group, Billy Gibbons said in the statement. “Friends, fans and followers of ZZ Top are the best in the business and the band is counting on everyone to bear with us for this brief interruption.”
Quicker than you could say, "Hello there ladies and gentlemen. Hello there ladies and gents," Cheap Trick announced their last minute booking at the West Hollywood mainstay.
It was their first time playing the intimate club whose rock history spans back to Elton John’s US debut in 1970, James Taylor and Carole King’s landmark pairing the same year, and Guns N’ Roses’ industry showcase in 1986 that led to their Geffen deal, as well as the Guns N’ Roses surprise reunion with Slash and Duff McKagan in 2016.
It's not like the band hasn't played the Sunset Strip, which the Troub is often associated with even though it's almost a mile away.
In their 53 years of rock, Cheap Trick had played the now-shuttered House of Blues 17 times, the world famous Whisky a Go Go seven times, and The Roxy twice. Back in the day they even played The Starwood a couple of times. But never the Troubadour and its balcony, often reserved for VIPs and special guests.
"I got some friends in the balcony, I'd like to say hello," Nielsen announced as a woman in the back repeatedly yelled "Ghost Town." She wanted them to play the sweet ballad from their 1988 smash Lap of Luxury.
"Ghost Town," she said louder than necessary any time a moment of silence appeared.
"I'll be naked after the show," the 77 year-old guitar hero said, trying his best to ignore her and get the audience to laugh, which worked.
When it died down she sang "play 'Ghost Town' nakeeeeeeed."
Rick then introduced the band, which was good because there are some unfamiliar faces.
Near to the fans hearts were Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) and Tom Petersson (12-string bass, backing vocals); but behind the drumkit sat Rick's son Daxx; and on the far right of the stage was Robin's son, Robin Taylor Zander on rhythm guitar.
The chain-smoking drummer who looks like a CPA, Bun E. Carlos, stopped playing with the band in 2010, but remains a partner in the group as well as the band's archivist and keeper of the setlists.
Despite the fact "Ghost Town" was not played on Wednesday, Cheap Trick performed in Los Angeles as a part of their All Washed Up Tour. And that is the important thing.
LA is an abundant music town with multitudes of clubs and venues rich with history and incredible acoustics. They could have probably filled up a room much larger, like the Hollywood Palladium or the Wiltern in Koreatown, but it's nice they played a spot they'd never rocked before.
As cool as the Bowl would have been, knocking out a full set in the tiny Santa Monica Blvd. club is even cooler.
Cheap Trick will be out west for the rest of this month before heading east in September wrapping it all up in Michigan in November.
Get tix on their website.
All Washed Up Tour
8/08 The Mountain Winery, Saratoga, CA
8/09 Fruityard Amphitheatre, Modesto, CA
8/11 Marymoor Park Concerts, Redmond, WA
8/13 Bi-Mart Amphitheater, Central Point, OR
8/15 Town of Castle Rock Summer Concert Series, Castle Rock, CO
8/18 Sandy Amphitheater, Sandy, UT
8/21 Isleta Resort & Casino, Albuquerque, NM
8/23 Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, AZ
8/29 Northwest Art & Air Festival, Albany, OR
9/02 Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days, Walla Walla, WA
9/10 RiverEdge Park, Aurora, IL
9/11 Warner Vineyards, Paw Paw, MI
9/15 The Paramount, Huntington, NY
9/16 Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom, Hampton Beach, NH
9/18 Twin River Events Center, Lincoln, RI
9/19 Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ
9/21 Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA
9/22 The Palace Theatre, Greensburg, PA
9/24 Bourbon & Beyond 2026, Louisville, KY
10/03 The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, The Woodlands, TX
10/04 The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, Irving, TX
10/08 Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville, TN
10/09 Vystar Pavilion, Port Wentworth, GA
11/05 Clyde Theatre, Fort Wayne, IN
11/08 The Sylvee, Madison, WI
11/11 Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO
11/12 The Factory, St. Louis, MO
11/14 Capitol Theatre, Davenport, IA
11/15 The Astro, La Vista, NE
11/18 Landmark Credit Union Live, Milwaukee, WI
11/19 Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH
11/21 Northfield Park Racino, Northfield, OH
11/22 Sound Board Theater, Detroit, MI
