2001-10-09 • 2h 15m

Filmed in the late summer of 1999, Cheap Trick: Silver is a 25th anniversary celebration of the Rockford, Illinois, band famous for marrying British Invasion-era pop hooks with the guitar crunch of the Who's Quadrophenia period. Shot on a sealed-off, Rockford street, the concert is an electrifying overview of high points from the group's discography. The songs plucked from each of their albums reveal a remarkable power-pop consistency over the long haul, despite the band's lengthy periods of commercial rejection and bare survival. Visibly thrilled, Cheap Trick soar here through monster hits ("I Want You to Want Me," "Dream Police") and milk every drop of emotion from masterful ballads ("I Can't Take It"). While stellar guests include Slash and Billy Corgan, it's the appearances by less famous folk (the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, a few offspring of guitarist Rick Nielsen and singer Robin Zander) that movingly underscore the populist glories of this American band.