Today and tonight we celebrate and dance to the music of Cheap Trick and the immortal Django!
This week was the birthday of Robin Zander (born January 23, 1953), lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the band Cheap Trick, considered to be America’s Beatles. Their music is amazing, beautiful, and rocks as hard as any music ever has! Great writing, great playing, and great stage performances, so what’s not to like? Tonight’s show will be somewhat short, but it will feature some of their greatest!
We’ll begin with one of their biggest hits! Live on The Midnight Special television show, here’s Robin and Cheap Trick performing “Surrender”
From Rockpalast in 1983, another live performance of “Surrender.” From that same show, “She’s Tight” and “Voices.” We’ll close this Rockpalast show with “I Can’t Take It”
Here’s some very early historical performance footage from 1978. “Hello There”
Live at the 1979 Reading Festival, “Clock Strikes Ten” From the same Festival, “Surrender”
From Oz television in 1979, Cheap Trick cranking out one of their most surrealistic tunes, “Dream Police”
From the legendary 1979 Buddokan concert, “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Clock Strikes Ten,” which we’ll follow with “Need Your Love” and “ELO Kiddies.”
From 1980 in Providence RI, a twofer! “Hello There” and “Clock Strikes Ten”
Here’s a great live performance in Daytona in 1988 of “Dream Police.” And from that same 1988 concert, three big ones! “The Flame,” “I Want You To Want Me” and “Ain’t That A Shame”
From 1988, the official music video for “Ghost Town.”
From the Astrodome in 1989, their electrifying “Clock Strikes Ten” followed by a kicking live performance of two oldies, “Ain’t That A Shame” and “Don’t Be Cruel.”
Speaking of Elvis, here Robin and the band are joined by the legend himself, Mister James Burton! “Don’t Be Cruel”
A few entire concerts!
First, a 54 minute show from 1979, Cheap Trick at Rockpalast - 1979
Next, an entire 1 hour 35 minute show! From 1983, Cheap Trick at Rockpalast - 1983
Our third show is 1 hour 18 minutes. From 2001, Cheap Trick in New York – 2001
For our closer, a short set at Coney Island in 2011! Cheap Trick at Coney Island
For our first encore, live in Pennsylvania in February 2020, we have an hour and 35 of Cheap Trick Live at the Palace Theater in Greenberg PA
For the second encore, from 2021 in Montclair, NJ, an hour and a half of Cheap Trick in Live at the Welmont Theater – November 2021 This one cranks from the first note!
From May 2021, the guys NAIL this exclusive on Howard Stern! It takes something to pull this off, and they did it. For your enjoyment, "Gimme Some Truth" (In case you didn't know, John had Rick play on Double Fantasy - that's how much respect there was. He also said he should have used him in "Cold Turkey," but that's another story.)
Our finale demonstrates why they were/are known as “America’s Beatles.” They absolutely nail every one!
Cheap Trick giving us a great live performance of “She’s Leaving Home”
Live at the Waldorf Astoria, Cheap Trick at their best giving us two Beatles classics! This is one great performance! “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and “A Day in the Life”
To finish our last encore, a treat! They performed the entire Sgt. Pepper's album in this incredible show they put on DVD! This is all 50 minutes of Cheap Trick – Sgt. Pepper Live
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It was also the birthday of one of the greatest jazz guitarists in history, Django Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953). He created "hot jazz" guitar, and with violinist Stephane Grappelli, "one of the most original bands in the history of recorded jazz." He damaged his body in a fire and was left with three "working fingers" on one hand, which is why they gave him his nickname. For your late night stylin', some classics from the hot jazz guitar of Django Reinhardt.
This year I found a real treat! This clip is film footage of Django and Stephane live in 1939 performing “Jattendrai Swing”
From 1937 at Den Haag, Django Reinhardt live at Den Haag
Awesome film footage of the greatest! For your enjoyment, 8+ minutes of Django Reinhardt, Louie Armstrong, and Sidney Bichet - La Route Du Bonheur 1952
Here’s just under two minutes of film from 1945 showing just how great he was! Django Reinhardt live
Now for his studio work and some live audio-only performances!
One of his most famous, with Stephane Grappelli accompanying! “Minor Swing”
Live in 1937 with the Quintette duf Hot Club de France, here’s “Minor Swing” and from the same gig, “The Sheik of Araby”
Also from 1937, “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “St. Louis Blues”
From 1938 with Benny Carter, “I’m Coming Virginia” and “Farewell Blues”
From 1940, “Blues”
Also from 1940 “Boogie Woogie Part 1” and “Boogie Woogie Part 2”
We’ll close this part of the show with the beautiful “Nuages”
Now for several albums with all the music you could ever want!
For our first encore, courtesy of Past Perfect, a one hour 11 album with 24 of his best! Django Reinhardt & Stephane Grappelli - I Got Rhythm
For our second encore, here’s 16 clips of The Definitive Django
Here’s a 4 minute mini-documentary called Three Fingered Lightning
I found it again! Here’s an excellent 45 minute documentary on his life, featuring some great live performance footage, called The Genius of Django Reinhardt
© Copyright 2025 Robert Wilkinson
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