MUSIC Cheap Trick: cool with casinos

The band will be at Mountaineer Race Track this week.
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
Early in a phone interview with Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen, he relates a story that describes the stigma once associated with playing a concert at a casino.
Booked to open for classic rockers Kansas in Las Vegas, the quartet's name didn't appear on the marquee because it was looked upon as a demeaning step down to be performing in the city known for lounge singers, the Rat Pack and Siegfried and Roy.
Since that time, Vegas, like every other casino across North America, has made an effort to attract the rock concert crowd. The hope is that the cash not spent on band merchandise or beer will end up in a slot machine or used at the gaming tables.
"It's not your mother and father's bingo parlor anymore," said Nielsen. "That's where a lot of people go; especially since 9/11, people are staying closer to home. Certain people that wouldn't go to shows normally or travel far, it's all in one.
"It's why they have big-name entertainers at theme parks. Isn't the theme park enough? Yeah, but if you can have more reasons to go to a destination, it's good for them."
At Mountaineer
That's why Cheap Trick -- keepers of the pop rock flame for three decades since two guys who looked like rock stars joined up with two guys who presented an image akin to high school math teachers and proceeded to craft a catalog of British Invasion-derived chestnuts -- arrives for a show Thursday at the Harv at Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort.
The quartet's stop there falls between its dates opening for Aerosmith during that band's current tour.
When asked how that tour's going, Nielsen answers in a manner that's as compact as his writing style. "Great! They play well. We play well. Audiences get to see two good bands."
Right now, the band finds itself promoting two releases -- one that offers a nod to its past, the other a strong affirmation that the group has a future.
Released last month, "The Essential Cheap Trick" represents the Cliffs Notes version of the band's nearly two dozen releases. The double-disc set begins with a track from its self-titled 1977 debut and presents highlights that include "I Want You to Want Me" from its breakthrough release, "At Budokan," to its No. 1 hit, "The Flame," and much more.
It's a positive
While some artists view the idea of a career-spanning compilation as a killer to their catalog sales, Nielsen sees "Essential" as nothing but a positive.
"I think it's a good start for fans. It's a good way to hear lots of music. I get in the car and my daughter or my wife'll lay out 10 CDs, jumping through this or that. It's kind of fun to hear 'em not the way you originally heard 'em."
The album ends with "Scent of a Woman," which happens to be the opening number on Cheap Trick's latest studio effort, "Special One." The new album stays true to the band's aesthetic of making energetic rock 'n' roll that's crafted from the mold set decades ago by The Beatles.
Recording on its own Cheap Trick Unlimited label allows Nielsen and his longtime bandmates -- Robin Zander, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos -- the ability to write and record their music minus any interference by record company executives.