Cheap Trick on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, April 29, 1994

The band made time for a quick visit to The Tonight Show in Burbank, CA while on tour supporting their new release, Woke Up with a Monster. I was working for an audio production company in Atlanta with connections. I scored some passes and enjoyed the show while in Cali on vacation. Also on the bill was Ellen DeGeneres and Andrew Shue, who was promoting his new charity venture Do Something.

Having met and chatted with Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen in the past, it was no surprise that Nielsen did most of the talking to Jay while on the couch. As the chief songwriter and wizard lead guitarist, and the most extroverted by far, spokesperson duties fell to him. He’s also a serious Beatles fan, so there’s that. Zander, although the most emotive member when onstage, is generally a quieter and more introspective guy. Pretty sure they played the title track which had become a semi-hit. Can’t recall another tune, but they were on fire, as usual.

For the life of me, a video of that performance does not exist. However, I’ve posted their song from Letterman roughly three weeks prior. Enjoy.