When Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame earlier this month, 17 year old Bloomington High School junior Bridget Lantz was thrilled for her father Doug, a huge fan of the band since he was a teen. Doug pulled out a mitt full of Cheap Trick albums from his collection to play for Bridget. The two spent the better part of an hour swapping stories about the band and interpreting song lyrics.
As they listened to the multi-million seller "Live at Budokan," Bridget noted she's the same age her father was when Budokan was first released. Doug thought he was a couple years older, and said he became acquainted with the band during their Midwest tours.
"I would watch them every Wednesday in Champaign (IL) at a little place called "Chances Are." It was fantastic to be that close to a band that you knew was going to make it big. They hadn't made it big yet, but you could tell they were going to make it."
When Bridget asked her father to elaborate, Doug said it was the band's stage presence that tipped him off.
“Bun E. Carlos was the drummer and had the ever present cigarette in his mouth and had those huge drumsticks. Robin Zander would be dressed in all white suits and was an elegant looking man. And Rick Nielsen would bop around with his guitar. You just knew this wasn't an every Wednesday night band you could watch for two bucks.”
He also argued the band’s celebrity was helped by a dig by Rolling Stone Magazine.
"And on-stage, they would even say, 'We'd like to thank Rolling Stone Magazine for naming us the worst rock band of the year.' It was kind of comical, but it certainly got them a lot of attention."
Last year Bridget and her father traveled to Cleveland to take in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony that included Green Day, her favorite band. Now, one of her father's favorite bands is being inducted, and Bridget told Doug she was impressed with how the band credited their hometown during their induction speech.
"You could tell how thankful they were to their fans, and how they emphasized their Rockford roots."
Toward the end of listening to a number of songs, Doug said he appreciated how music bridges their age and generational differences.
"Bridget, I enjoy listening to music with you so much. We listen to music together, we go to concerts together. We've gone to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. One thing that keeps us tied together is rock and roll and our turntable, because we play music and listen to it together."
Bridget agreed.
"I think it beautiful because you were there when Cheap Trick first came out. Now you're passing it on to a different generation, and in the future I will pass it on to my kids. And parents who were there when rock & roll was at its height, they're sharing it with their children."
