Budokan: It Was 30 Years Ago Today...

Cheap Trick's trip to Budokan really was like the Beatles invading New York for the first time.

The new DVD/CD set captures it all- finally! The video of the concert- the concert- was only shown once- on Japanese TV and never here in the US.

It was worth the wait. I know the list price of $49.99 is steep and you probably already have the Budokan CD but I found it for under $30 by scanning my favorite online retailers (deepdiscount.com had the best price when I got it 2 weeks ago- with free shipping, too, but has since raised their price; amazon.com may be better now).

What is amazing on the DVD is seeing the band- now- comment on that show. Here they had been playing clubs of a couple hundred to maybe 1000 in the states at the time, and now they played a sold-out show in a foreign country to 14,000 screaming fans who knew the words- by heart- to almost every song they played. The fans' energy fed the band and it went back and forth.

The amazing 5.1 surround sound was mixed by master rock producer Jack Douglas, who (sort of) discovered the band shortly after he started working with Aerosmith.

The surprising thing is the raw power and intensity of the show. Ever seen the Ramones live? Almost that kind of intensity- but much more accomplished musicianship.

I have seen Cheap Trick 9 times now- but I did not get to do so "back in the day" so this DVD is a special treat. They still rock well- Rick Nielsen is still one of the most entertaining guitarists to see and Robin Zander still sings well (unlike some peers whose voices have withered with age...Roger Daltrey immediately comes to mind) but they were hungry back then- and so charged up from the crowd, it made for an incredible show.

Find it for under $30 and enjoy.