Disappointed
by Mugsy on 9/23/25Blue Note Summer Sessions - NapaRating: 2 out of 5The Meritage Resort venue was very nice. It was cozy with good acoustics. Unfortunately, Cheap Trick was a disappointment. They appeared to be in a rush and were just going through the motions. There was little interaction between the band members. Each stood their ground and barely moved. It is clear 70 year old lead singer, Robin Zander, voice has weakened significantly. The concert was a perfect example of "Vocal Masking"where the band drowned out Zander's deficiencies. Occasionally you could hear Zander being off key and struggling to hit higher notes. Lead guitarist and band leader, Richard Nielson looked cool as can be in his signature red / black western motif shirt. He used a unique collection of specialized guitars. Mr. Nielson is also showing his age (77) and can barely move on stage. On one occasion he seemed to have a disagreement with his technician and wasn't happy with his guitar. He started to hit on a tall honey blonde and stopped when she yelled "I'm Married!"Mr. Zander was wearing a straw top hat pulled down where you could barely see his eyes. It didn't matter much because he seems to have the personality of a pine cone. He didn't say much to the crowd, often turned his back on the audience, never smiling, and just moved from one song to another. As I said, you could barely hear his vocals.
Regardless, the small crowd (poor ticket sales) seemed to be having a good time. When you are paying over $1,000 per night for a Meritage Resort hotel room + ticket + food and drink, you kinda want to make your own good time to justify the expenditure. FYI. Wine was sold in categories of red, white or blush. A small measured cup cost $19. Old hippies lit up and the sickening scent of mary jane was prevalent. Parking was remarkably good and efficient.
The bottom line is, Cheap Trick should call it a day and hang up their spurs. Perhaps they remain on the road to pay for their ex-wives? I would like to see a good band at the Meritage. Outside of the outrageous costs, it's a good venue.