It is a rare thing for a touring package to bridge a wide swathe of rock sub-genres without feeling seriously contrived. Yet on August 8, high above Silicon Valley at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Cheap Trick and ZZ Top proved how music connects across subcultures.
Even several decades on, Cheap Trick remain a foundational benchmark. While taking the stage in the opening support slot for ZZ Top, the Rockford legends carry a cross-genre relevance that few 1970s arena acts can match. They’ve always been a chameleon band. Metal fans appreciate their driving rhythm section, punk purists admire their speed and sarcasm, power pop aficionados worship their quirky melodic hooks, and AOR radio embraced their biggest arena anthems. Very few groups in the canon of rock ’n’ roll can span that full spectrum without losing their core identity.
Opening with the relentless one-two punch of “Hello There” and “Come On, Come On,” Cheap Trick tore into their set with a sense of urgency and vigor. The band’s live appeal has always relied on a loose, unpredictable energy. There is a glorious, intentional looseness to their attack that keeps every night feeling dangerous. That edge was fully visible as Rick Nielsen tore through his iconic multi-neck guitars while Robin Zander’s vocals cut through the mountain air with verve.
Adding extra depth to the stage mix was Robin Taylor Zander, Robin’s son. Rather than relying on hidden backing tracks or piped-in harmonies like so many touring veterans do today, Cheap Trick keep it strictly authentic, relying on real familial ties with father and son singing side-by-side. Tucking a deep-cut rarity like “High Roller” into a tight support set alongside classic covers like Fats Domino’s “Ain’t That a Shame” showcased their ongoing refusal to run on autopilot as a nostalgia act.
The primary drawback of their performance was only its somewhat short duration. Rolling through the foundational standards like “I Want You to Want Me,” “Surrender,” “Dream Police,” and closing on “Clock Strikes Ten” and “Goodnight,” the band departed without an encore. For long-time fans accustomed to hearing the classic punk-tinged fury of “Auf Wiedersehen” as a final blowout, its absence was noticed.
When headliners ZZ Top took the stage, they brought a very different angle to the showmanship, defined by syncopated grooves, matching instruments, and a tightly controlled visual presentation.
Hailing from Texas, ZZ Top occupies a unique space in music history. While undeniably rooted in the deep South, they have always stood light-years away from Southern rock clichés. Instead, they built a career on surrealism, flamboyant imagery, hot-rod culture, and a genuine appreciation for left-of-center musical styles.
Part of what makes ZZ Top so fascinating is mainman Billy Gibbons’ long-standing love for post-punk and experimental music. Gibbons has frequently cited his admiration for groups like Devo, The B-52’s, and the minimalist synth-wave movement of the late 1970s and early 1980s, an influence that directly informed the dirty electronic synthesis of their multi-platinum Eliminator era.
That subtle punk pedigree extends to the current lineup as well. Longtime bass tech-turned-full-time bassist Elwood Francis brings his own punk background to the stage (having served time in The Mighty Skullhead and others), filling the shoes of the late Dusty Hill with reverence and a gritty, monstrous low end.
The Saratoga date showcased the resilience of Gibbons and co., even with session drummer Michael Monahan stepping in behind the kit for Frank Beard, who was sidelined by an illness that forced the cancellation of their Hollywood Bowl show just days earlier. Monahan drove punchy grooves on classics like “Got Me Under Pressure,” “Waitin’ for the Bus,” “Pearl Necklace,” and “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide,” giving the set an extra shot of energy. And all was enhanced by the lights, the colorful sets, and those wicked, uncanny guitars and basses the band employs.
Between Gibbons’ sharp, bluesy riffs, Francis’ heavy basslines, and a hit-packed stretch featuring “Cheap Sunglasses” and the ‘80s new wave-ish megahits “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “Sharp Dressed Man,” and “Legs,” ZZ Top showed why they are still a huge live draw. In the end, Cheap Trick provided the raw power-pop adrenaline, while ZZ Top delivered full-blown sensory overload.
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