In 1978, the four guys from Rockford (IL) known collectively as Cheap Trick would become Rock’s next big hit by playing multiple nights at Japan’s Nippon Budokan Arena in Tokyo.  Up until then, Cheap Trick was a popular curiosity in the US but had grown an already plentiful fan base in Japan.  In their multiple Sold Out shows at Budokan, they put on a spirited set of shows that prompted their label to release a truncated collection of the best performances in Japan only.  Eventually, the album became a desirable import in the US, eventually catapulting the band into the bright spotlights that only the best enjoyed at that time.  Soon after, the previously Gold albums soon became Platinum as more fans began to explore their past catalogue.  And Cheap Trick, the phenomenon was born.

On the album’s 30th Anniversary, Epic assembles a lustrous and historical Box that details completely, that eventful phase of Cheap Trick’s career by not only re-mastering the previously expanded album released in 1998 (originally, the 1978 LP album had 10 tracks.  The 20th Anniversary Edition (1998) expanded to 19 performance tracks) over 2 CDs, but also releasing a DVD of the Friday night show (April 30, 1978).  In addition, there is a bonus CD featuring the complete audio from that DVD.

The original music from the show found on the 2 CDs and partially featured on the original release of the LP sound great. The bonus is in the cleaned up video and audio of the show, originally shown on Japanese TV, provided on the DVD. The video is remarkable sharp. The DVD is further benefited by three 2008 remembrance videos. Two of the videos are concert footage from a celebratory return to Budokan in 2008. On the videos for "Voices," and "If You Want My Love," the guys sure have aged but Zander's voice is still in great shape. Nielsen still plays a mean guitar even if he is not as active as his youth allowed, and the band is as potent musically as they have always been. The third video is a set of interviews with Nielsen, Petersson, Bun E Carlos, and Zander, along with the Chairman of Sony Music Japan (Nori Nonaka) who took the chance and booked them for the shows. It's a great piece that provides insights into the development of the shows. Those three 2008 pieces are preceded by film footage for "Come On, Come On," which is spliced with the band in a TV spot. The DVD audio is offered in both PCM Stereo and Dolby Digital 5.1. Finally, the music from the DVD is provided on a separate CD with some deviations in the set list. All in all, this 30th Anniversary Box is a winner for fans of the band's Budokan! phenomena. It exhaustively explores the entire event and is definitive.

The sturdy slip-box holds a 40-page booklet filled with pictures, memorabilia, and an in-depth essay by Ken Sharp. All the material centres squarely in the Japanese hysteria that launched the historic album for the band. It slips next to the duo-gatefold jacket that pockets the 3 CDS and DVD of the famed show. In addition, there is a fold-out poster of the cover of the box. On the back of the poster - and everywhere else - are the black'n'white checkerboard designs that the band is closely idenitfied with.

Some bands are fortunate to become big acts simply due to their Live albums.  Peter Frampton had achieved massive success a few years earlier with his wildly selling Frampton Comes Alive.  In 1978, it was Cheap Trick’s turn to be that turn of the card.