ROCK LEGENDS HITTING TOWN

Cheap Trick vs. George Thorogood

Two veteran bands hitting town in the next week would seem as different as soda pop and whiskey. But Cheap Trick and George Thorogood & the Destroyers have more in common than you’d think.

There’s longevity, for one. Both bands have made it through almost five decades with very little membership changeover.

Cheap Trick had to sub in a couple of different bassists during Tom Petersson’s hiatus through a sizable chunk of the ’80s, but until drummer Bun E. Carlos was unceremoniously ejected in 2010, the band has maintained a very consistent lineup since coming together in 1973. Thorogood has been playing with most of the same members since roughly the same time period, bringing in guitarist Jim Suhler and saxophonist Buddy Leach in 1999 and 2003 respectively.

Thorogood has stayed true to his hard boogying brand of fuzz blues through a career that has unabashedly hinged on retro singles with the words “bad” and “drinkin’” in the title, while Cheap Trick have moved between variations on power-pop and arena rock. Both have stayed the course, ignoring trends, sticking to what they do best, and both have been rewarded with devout fan bases.

It took Cheap Trick a few years to get there. It was only with the release of their fourth album, 1979’s Live at Budokan, that the four-piece from Rockford, Ill. managed to crack the American charts. Recorded in Japan, the album went triple platinum in the U.S., making them superstars with a terrific version of the single I Want You to Want Me.

Dream Police was up next in the same year, with the title track making a respectable chart showing. For 1980’s All Shook Up, they brought in Beatles producer George Martin, opting for experimentation over recycling old formulas. Bassist Tom Petersson left for a solo career, and at this point the band’s commercial fortunes began to wane. The next year’s One on One did well enough, but the next three albums saw the band sliding down the charts, a fall stalled by their 1988 comeback Lap of Luxury and Petersson’s return. Their 10th release saw Cheap Trick’s artistic fortunes hit their nadir, even as they enjoyed their biggest hit, The Flame.

Since then they’ve had more ups and downs, but now hold a wellearned position as rock legends. The original band made its last stand with 2009’s The Latest, an under-the-radar gem, and the final appearance by drummer Bun E. Carlos, who was ousted in 2010. It was eventually announced that Neilsen’s son Daxx would take over on the skins. Carlos responded with a lawsuit, though everything was eventually settled out-of-court, with the drummer continuing to hold a business interest in the band.

In the midst of all this, Cheap Trick have just released a new album, Bang, Zoom, Crazy ... Hello. They are now ensconced in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

George Thorogood & the Destroyers don’t have a new record to flog this time around, and why should they? The Delaware natives would probably be the first to admit that they’ve been plowing the same musical field for decades. The highlights of their loud roadhouse boogie were achieved in the early ’80s, when Thorogood took over from the Blues Brothers as MTV-friendly representations of the blues. Bad to the Bone and I Drink Alone will likely stand as the slide guitarist’s twin peaks of macho, juke-joint boasts. Need a few more to go with that? Why not add Born to be Bad and If You Don’t Start Drinking (I’m Going to Leave) to the list.

A half-century later and he’s running much the same musical game, with Bad to the Bone leased out as a money-maker to any number of commercial ventures. He still plays it live, and happily leers like a champ while he sings it. Thorogood tours like his blues heroes, staying out on the road most of the year and showing up like clockwork in most cities, recording when he likes. You can’t knock it, really — you know exactly what you’re getting with George Thorogood & the Destroyers, and if past concerts are any indication, the one in Edmonton will be a more rocking experience than you might expect.

Here are a few other interesting facts about both Cheap Trick and George Thorogood:

GEORGE THOROGOOD

Badly wants to be: Sometimes John Lee Hooker, other times Chuck Berry. Proof: Covered quite a number of Berry songs and even wrote one that he dedicated to the rock ’n’ roll icon called Back to Wentzville. Thorogood and the Destroyers tried to deliver a copy of the album it was on, 1982’s Bad to the Bone, to Berry’s home in Wentzville, but the old rocker refused to see them. Lyrical fixations: Drinking (I Drink Alone; One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer), girls (I Really Like Girls), veiled sexual metaphors (My Dog Can’t Bark; Tip On In.) Unlikely sports trivia: When starting out as a solo performer, Thorogood was fielding hits of another kind as second baseman with the semi-pro Delaware Destroyers. Hometown love: In 2012, Delaware Today magazine listed Thorogood among the 50 most Influential Delawareans of the Past 50 Years. Most horrifying use of his most famous song: Bad to the Bone in Alvin and the Chipmunks. Merchandising efforts: You would think by now Thorogood would have his own brand of beer or bourbon, but disappointingly this is not so. He does sell licence plates. Comic book trivia: Famed underground comic artist Peter Bagge supplied the artwork for the 1993 album Haircut.

CHEAP TRICK

Badly wants to be: The Beatles Proof: Covered a few Fab Four songs in their early days, and eventually hit the point where they decided to perform and record the entire Sgt. Pepper album live in 2009. Lyrical fixations: Mom and dad’s sex life (Surrender), paranoia (Dream Police), veiled sexual metaphors (Good Girls Go to Heaven, Bad Girls Go Everywhere; Ride the Pony). Unlikely sports trivia: Rick Nielsen designed a 2003 logo for the American Hockey League’s Rockford Roadhogs home jersey, called “I Want You To Want This Jersey.” Hometown love: In 2007, the Illinois General Assembly declared April 1 to be Cheap Trick Day in the band’s home state. Most horrifying use of their most famous song: Surrender was used in Eddie Murphy’s Daddy Day Care. Merchandising efforts: Former drummer Bun E. Carlos has his own brand of coffee, Bun E. Blend. Comic book trivia: Cheap Trick: Busted Vol. 1 is considered one of the worst comics that Marvel ever released.