Keyboard in "Surrender" on Cheap Trick At Budokan

Heard this on the radio today and thought for the first time about there being the keyboard part on the live version.

So, they must have used a backing track for that - or was it added after the fact? There's definitely two guitars going on. It's been a while since I played the album, but I can't remember any other track where they used another. (Not that there would necessarily be a need.)

 

Possible overdub? I'm interested in knowing.

 

Someone here knows. Bump!

 

Zander later played the keyboard set up next to him when they did this song, but clearly it was overdubbed for the Budokan LP.

 

For the tours where they didn't have a keyboard player, I'm pretty sure that was just a sequencer controlled synth rather than an overdub. For some of the versions I've heard, the live synth was pretty anemic sounding.

 

There were one or 2 tours were Rick played some keyboards also. Probably around '79 or '80. They may have had an offstage keyboard player for Budokan. I remember seeing some of their shows in the 90's also were they had a keyboard player with them.

 

I was told that Steve Walsh from Kansas was the keyboard player behind the curtain for Cheap Trick at one point in the early 90's.

Wouldn't surprise me, if it was during the period that Kansas was shut down.

 

Tod Howarth (from Ace Frehley's old band) toured with them for quite a while. Definitely not Steve Walsh.

 

They've had a keyboard player whenever the budget allowed, I think. I saw them in 2009 and Roger Manning was on keys, because they were still playing songs from The Latest at that point.

 

Pretty sure that was Bob Mayo.













(kidding!)

 

Apparently, Steve Walsh did briefly in 1985.

 

Actually, they did in fact use Steve Walsh as well as Todd Howarth (who was in the band 707 before playing with Ace's band) Kasim Sultan (Utopia, Joan Jett, Meatloaf), and Phil "Magic" Cristian as keyboard players at various times through the 80's.

As for the op's original question, for that I have no firm answer.

 

Hi, Magic Cristian here. There is no track being played. I cannot answer if they overdubbed the keyboard line for the live album, but before I joined them in May 1982, Rick's guitar tech played the keyboard part on Surrender. Hope this helps.

 

FYI... Roger Manning, Jr was brought in in 2010 to augment keyboard parts with me for an SXSW concert, a Soundstage concert filming, and for a PBS Austin City Limits concert filming. Otherwise it was me alone from 2009 to 2012.

 

FYI....the only song I know of that Robin played a keyboard on was Baby Loves To Rock for a few shows in 1981.

 

Very Cool! Welcome aboard, love you're playing on the Rockpalast show

 

Well, I saw him play it during "Surrender" with my own two eyes....

 

Welp, my bad. I just thought it was Roger for some reason. (Also, it was Jonathan Cain at that Nashville show I was at, not that you could really hear him. He seemed to be having more fun than on his normal gig though )

 

That might have been the Ryman Theater show ..... he came out to play on Dream Police with me. It was fun!

 

Ha ha... I'll take your word on it! Cheers!

 

Thanks so much!

 

Yep, that one. To date the last time they've played a headlining show here

 

I remember them wheeling out a keyboard so that Zander could play the intro to Go For The Throat....that was during the All Shook Up tour. Every other time I've seen them (about 10 times) it came from offstage somewhere.

 

I have seen them probably 25 times or more and they have always had a keyboard player, sometimes visible ….sometimes not. I believe most of the actual backup vocals are done by the keyboard player as well. I know Rick does sing but there are plenty of times where you'll see him sing, and it will be clear as a bell yet he is soooo far away from the mic that there is no way it could ever pick up his voice that clear without an insane amount of feedback.

 

You are correct...I sang all backup vocals as well as Todd when he toured with them.
The story that the keyboard player had to be added to the tour because of the success of The Flame in 1988 is untrue.
Jai Winding, who played on the albums pre One On One, did one or two California shows in 80 or 81 but didn't tour nationally. I joined them in May of 1982 and toured until 1985. Steve Walsh did a couple of shows with them after me as well as some "guns for hire" until they hired Todd later in 1985. He left a couple of years later and then rejoined them in 1990. He stayed until 1996, and after he left they toured without keyboards until 2009 when I rejoined them.
I toured with them from 2009 to 2012 and have played some on and off shows with them as recently as October 2015.