Cheap Trick: Manchester Academy Nov. 11th 2010

I've attached the video of Cheap Trick's 'I Want You To Want Me' from the Budokan Hall in Tokyo above.  I first heard Cheap Trick in the late 1970s at the time of the classic 'Live at the Budokan' album.  'I Want You To Want Me' was being played on Radio 1, and got into the charts.  I remember buying it as a 7-inch vinyl single with 'Clock Strikes Ten' on the B-side.  This was an exciting time for me as I was an 11 or 12-year-old schoolboy just discovering Rock music:  Deep Purple; Rainbow; Blue Oyster Cult; Black Sabbath; Uriah Heep; Rush; Triumph; Pat Travers; Kansas; Styx; Blackfoot etc. 

However, for one reason or another, I'd never got to see Cheap Trick over the years.  Sometimes, it would be kind of absurd.  For example, I remember Motley Crue (who are not my cup of tea) touring in about 1985 and selling out quite fast, then some time after announcing that Cheap Trick would be the 'special guests' for the tour. 

Well, many years later, 2010 to be precise, I had to visit Papertown (Bury) for five days in November, and checked to see what concerts were on in Manchester on the Internet.  To my immediate excitement, Cheap Trick were playing at the Manchester Academy 2 on November 11th.  Two days before the concert, I went to the box office, but as I'd expected, it was sold out. However, this time I was going seeing them come what may.

At about 6pm on November 11th 2010, I was heading tunnel-visioned towards Manchester Academy with 35-pound in my pocket which I was prepared to pay the touts for a 17-pound-fifty ticket (the rest of my money was in my wallet).  In reality, it went exactly as I'd expected, they wanted 50-quid, I got them down to 35, but then they wouldn't budge.  I could've waited longer to see if they got desperate, but I didn't want to risk it.  As it was, the touts weren't that bad.

After this, I went for a wonderful couple of pints of Timothy Taylor in the local Sand Bar (a bar from heaven full of Real Ale and German lager/wheat beer on draught), then went in and enjoyed Cheap Trick.  Of course, I wasn't disappointed.  Here's Cheap Trick doing 'Surrender' from the concert (put on Youtube by a good kind soul).  Hope you enjoy it!