A lot of the people they grew up with became doctors, lawyers, concrete contractors, and more. That’s what Cheap Trick is all about. “We just try to have a good time and make people happy,” Nielsen said.

“Rick’s guitar playing is like nobody else’s,” Zander said. “His solos are like classical music.”

The band formed in Rockford, Illinois, in 1966, when Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson were still in junior high school.

“It was the era of the Beatles and the British Invasion,” Nielsen said. “We wanted to be in a band, too.”

Moreno Valley will be one of the last stops on their tour. Zander said the band loves playing Southern California because “the weather is so nice and the crowds are great.”… Read the rest