The sun is out and summer has definitely arrived although on the calendar, it's still spring. Our local hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, are deep in the throes of a tight playoff race. In keeping with the recent tradition of providing live music out in the Plaza area of the St Pete Times Forum after a game commences, the good folks associated with the Lightning stepped up their game and treated us to a Saturday afternoon matinee performance by Rockford, Illinois' favorite sons, Cheap Trick. And boy, the house was rockin'...
Following up a dramatic come-from-behind win (which, incidentally, tied up the best of seven game series with the Boston Bruins), the mood was already one of elation and euphoria by the time Cheap Trick took the stage outside the arena. At 4:30pm sharp, the band appeared on the stage and proceeded to do what they've done so masterfully since the mid-1970's: ROCK.
The team couldn't have picked a better act to capture the vibe of the victory and give the boisterous fans a chance to pump their fists and sing along as they filed out of the forum. Donning a Lightning jersey with his name emblazoned across the back, lead singer Robin Zander belted out his powerful growl as raucously as ever. One of the greatest singers of the era whose vocal ability is just as impressive as ever, Zander, a Bay area resident, looked genuinely pleased to be onstage. Was Robin happy that his local team grabbed the victory? Was he happy to be playing in front of a crowd that was already riled up and didn't need any encouraging? Whatever the reason(s), the Trick frontman seemed glad to be leading the massive crowd into rock 'n' roll hysterics as he and the band powered their way through some of their most energetic material.
