Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick and Pat Benatar + Neil Giraldo will be teaming up for a run of US concert dates this summer, in what should prove to be a can't miss evening.

Dave Grohl has assembled Sound City Players, an all-star group that will perform in support of his self-financed directorial debut, 'Sound City,' a documentary about the famed recording complex in California. The lineup of Sound City Players musicians is diverse, eclectic and impressive, and it includes his former Nirvana bandmate Krist Novoselic, classic rocker John Fogerty, Cheap Trick guitarist

With a cachet like Cheap Trick has, it's not frequent that they open for other bands, but the group just signed on for another leg of dates supporting Aerosmith and that suggests that camaraderie has eclipsed billing in terms of importance for the veteran rockers.

While Cheap Trick's original drummer hasn't been seen on the road with the band in a couple of years, he insists he's still very much a part of the band. So Bun E. Carlos was shocked when he wasn't included when his band was invited to record a song for the next 'A Very Special Christmas.'

Cheap Trick‘s Rick Nielsen isn’t ready to be relegated to relic status just yet. Still, fans will be happy to know that the man, his legendary band — and yes, all those guitars — are the subject of a special exhibit at the Burpee Museum Of Natural History, located in the band’s hometown of Rockford, Ill.

Elton John‘s concert in the English seaside resort town of Blackpool was cut short Monday (June 16) due to safety concerns. Two hours into his concert at the Blackpool Tower Headland — the first ever at the new outdoor arena — he was informed by police that the strong winds could pose a threat to the stage. The audience evacuated and no one was hurt.

Cheap Trick fans: get ready to ring in 2012 with total rock action!  Tonight — that’s Dec 31, 2011 (aka New Year’s Eve) —  GFL-TV and Jannus Live are offering up a live webcast of the band’s concert in Tampa Bay, Fla. Transmission begins at 10PM ET.

We knew Cheap Trick rocked hard, we didn't know it was enough to make the stage collapse. While it was actually severe weather that destroyed the stage Sunday night at a Bluesfest in Ottawa, we think the band should stick to the first story.