A free Cheap Trick concert scheduled for Central Park in New York on Saturday afternoon has been moved to the city's Roseland Ballroom. The band was going to be recreating their top selling "Live at the Budakon" release in the park to celebrate the record's 20th anniversary.
A management spokesperson said officials became concerned about the number of phone calls pouring into the park offices inquiring about the event. The initial solution was to move the show to another area of Central Park, but that idea was scrapped as well, again due to anticipated problems with staffing and security.
Last August saw country star Garth Brooks stage a free concert that drew over a quarter of a million people. Other concerts by Simon & Garfunkel, Elton John and Diana Ross have also drawn hundreds of thousands of fans to the area.
The Roseland Ballroom holds 3,200 people. It remains a free event with a first come-first served policy. The Tories and Todd Rundgren remain on the bill. The doors open at 4:00 pm.
In other Cheap Trick news, the long-awaited tribute album, Cheap Shots, might finally see the light of day this August after a two-year wait. A Cheap Trick website reports that plans are underway to release the record on one of the Sony labels. The news could not be immediately confirmed by management. Artists include Cockpit, formed specifically for the record by Hole's Erik Erlandson with Redd Kross' Steve McDonald and the Posies' Ken Stringfellow. Also onboard should be The Posies, Everclear, the Refreshments and the Nixons among others. At least one of the artists on the record didn't wait, however. The track "I'll Be With You Tonight" by 22 Jacks and Joey Ramone also appears on 22 Jacks' just released new CD, "Overserved."
Cheap Shots is not to be confused with another tribute album out next week, "Stiff Competition" with artists including Enuff Z'Nuff and Gilby Clarke.
Another release tentatively set for August is a solo track by Robin Zander. The song "Automatic Soup" was recorded for the independent film "First Love, Last Rites." The soundtrack had been scheduled to include Shudder To Think (with Zander on vocals), the late Jeff Buckley, Billy Corgan, and John Doe from the Los Angeles band X, but the film, directed by video director Jesse Peretz, was shelved.
