Cheap Trick
The King Center for the Performing Arts • Melbourne, Florida • March 9, 2026
by Christopher Long
The pre-recorded intro has been a longstanding staple of their celebrated live shows: “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls. Please welcome to the stage, the best fucking rock band you’ve ever seen. Cheap Trick!” This crisp and confident preamble is particularly noteworthy because the sweet female voice sounds like it could be that of my former Sunday School teacher. But it’s also incredibly accurate. Why? Well…
Rock and roll, at its authentic apex, should be unapologetic, dangerous, and loose, which sums up Cheap Trick perfectly. Hailing from the Land of Lincoln, the power pop-rock combo is legendary — their timeless sing-along hits are iconic, and their musicianship is impeccable. But it could be argued that it’s their consistent, unapologetic, dangerous looseness that’s actually made them “the best fucking rock band you’ve ever seen.”
Now well into their 70s, the band’s founding fathers, crazed guitarist Rick Nielsen, Einstein bassist Tom Petersson, and golden god frontman Robin Zander, recently brought their signature style swagger to Melbourne, Florida’s King Center stage, much to the approval (and delight) of the SRO crowd of 2,000. And while there might not be quite as much spring in their step as there was back in the days of yore, Cheap Trick still “brought” it, and they did it without backing tracks or laptops. GASP!
Over the last decade or so, the live Cheap Trick unit has become a family affair. Displaying Schwarzenegger-like musical strength, longtime drummer Daxx Nielsen (Rick’s boy) and guitarist / vocalist Robin Taylor Zander (Robin Sr.’s boy) provided significant heavy lifting throughout the 82-minute set — earning every nickel’s worth of their allowance money.
Although the band is currently on tour supporting their recently released 21st album, All Washed Up (read Christopher Long’s Review on Ink 19), tonight’s set list was a career-spanning, meat-and-potatoes cavalcade. The factory-fresh “Twelve Gates” burned as brightly as “The Flame,” however, many of their road-tested staples packed equal springtime punch. The 1977 go-to “Come On, Come On” revealed a fresh “Please Please Me” secret surprise, while Zander Jr. commandeered the mic to put the classic “Downed” over his knee, and then paddled it like a (very) naughty schoolgirl. And yes, the show oozed hits galore, with “I Want You to Want Me,” “Dream Police,” and “Surrender” bringing the adoring audience to their feet, repeatedly.
In sum, after 50 years, Cheap Trick still looked great, sounded great, and delivered the goods — leaving 13 quarts of sweat behind on stage in the process. “The best fucking rock band you’ve ever seen,” indeed.
Cheap Trick Set List, March 9, 2026
01. Hello There
02. Just Got Back
03. Come On, Come On
04. California Man
05. Twelve Gates
06. Ain’t That Shame
07. She’s Tight
08. High Roller
09. Need Your Love
10. Downed
11. I Know What I Want
12. The Flame
13. I Want You to Want Me
14. Dream Police
15. Surrender
16. Auf Wiedersehen
17. Good Night
Featured photo is by Christopher Long.
