Rock legends

Toss Sixties pop, heavy metal, punk and a healthy dose of New Wave into a blender, turn it up high, remove the top and, in the mayhem, you’ll find Cheap Trick.

Nominees for the 2016 Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Cheap Trick – guitarist Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson, lead guitarist Rick Nielsen (who is as well known for his zany outfits as his five-necked guitar) and drummer Daxx Nielsen – play Cypress Bayou Casino in Charenton Saturday, Nov. 28.

Cheap Trick bulleted to fame in 1977 … in Japan.

True workhorses, the boys have been one of rock’s hardest-working bands from their outset. Cheap Trick’s self-titled album, an Epic release, sold well in the U.S., but didn’t chart. No worry, the band gained attention stateside opening for the Kinks, Kiss, Santana, AC/DC and Queen. The Queen tour included a Japan stop, which is where Cheap Trick learned they were nearly bigger than the Beatles.

In an interview with Huffington Post, Rick Nielsen equated the ensuing mayhem to the Fab Four’s arrival in New York City.

Japan loved Cheap Trick, even celebrating the band in comic books. Concerts sold out in as little as two hours. Rick Nielsen described the frenzy as sheer “pandemonium.”

That fan love and Cheap Trick’s high intensity stage show were captured on vinyl during two live Tokyo concerts. The result, “Live at Budokan” and, later, “Live at Budokan II”, remain among the band’s top sellers.

And, upon returning to the States, equally enthusiastic fans greeted the band. By Budokan’s live release – the band’s third album – Cheap Trick was in high demand globally. The album peaked at No. 3 on U.S. charts, remaining there for a year, and selling more than 3 million copies. It remains one of the all-time best-selling live recordings available.

Cheap Trick cranked out classics – “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” “The Flame,” “Dream Police,” “Hello There,” “Southern Girls,” “Heaven Tonight” and others. Covers of “Ain’t That a Shame” and “Don’t Be Cruel” proved they could handily take rock to the next level, too.

The high-octane Budokan version of “I Want You to Want Me” would become Cheap Trick’s first No. 1 tune, and a longtime anthem at concerts to this day.

Cheap Trick is also on the eve of dropping it’s first CD since the 2009 release of “The Latest,” according to bassist Petersson. He told the Macomb Daily the newest work is “vintage Cheap Trick,” returning to the power pop-meets-hard rock-meets-punk sound that first grabbed listeners by the collar and shook them.

And the band continues to tour nonstop. To date, Cheap Trick has sold more than 20 million records, accrued 29 movie soundtracks and 40 gold and platinum recording awards. The band also wrote the theme to Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report.”

And waits on word from the Hall of Fame.

“I thought I’d probably be dead before we were nominated,” Zander told pop music/culture critic Jay Cridlin of the Tampa Bay Times. “But it is an honor and a privilege, and I really am flabbergasted. I’m very humbled by it. It’s rare that anybody gets in the Hall of Fame, and to be nominated is good enough for me.”

Cheap Trick became eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2002. This is the band’s first time to be nominated.

.. we’ve been around, and we’ve stayed around, and we go out and people still enjoy listening to us, and we still sell a lot of tickets, so what do I got to complain about? Nothing.”

Tickets for Cheap Trick’s St. Mary show are $50 to $65, and are available at Ticket-master.

Rock legends Cheap Trick are famous for “I want you to want me.” The band is coming to Cypress Bayou Casino on Nov. 28 in Charenton.

COURTESY