There are concerts that remind you of the past, and then there are concerts that make the past feel completely alive again.
On Thursday, September 24, 2026, Prescott Niles’ The Knack did exactly that at the Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, Illinois, delivering a high-energy performance that had longtime fans on their feet and demonstrated, once again, that the music of The Knack is anything but a museum piece.
The evening was a co-headlining performance with Sweet, who would close the show. But by the time Prescott Niles’ The Knack finished its set, a significant portion of the audience had already experienced the performance they came to see—and many Knack fans chose to head for the exits rather than stay for the remainder of the evening. The difference in crowd size was noticeable, a fitting indication of just how strongly Prescott Niles’ band had connected with its audience.
And it was easy to understand why.
Prescott Niles: The Man Who Was There
At the center of it all was Prescott Niles, the original and only bass player of The Knack, whose unmistakable bass lines remain an essential part of the band’s identity.
Niles once again demonstrated that this isn’t simply a musician revisiting his past. He is still an active, powerful performer who understands exactly what these songs need. His bass playing provided the foundation for the entire evening, locking in with Thomas Lowrey’s drums while giving Matt Starr and Rocky Kramer the freedom to attack the songs with tremendous energy.
Watching Niles perform this material decades after The Knack first conquered radio is a reminder that there is a profound difference between hearing a song recreated and hearing it performed by someone who helped create its original sound.
Niles brings the history with him—but he doesn’t allow the history to weigh the music down.
Rocky Kramer Steals the Spotlight
If there was one musician who repeatedly demanded attention throughout the evening, however, it was Rocky Kramer.
Kramer has taken on the formidable task of performing the lead guitar parts originally made famous by Berton Averre, and he has developed an approach that is neither imitation nor mere reproduction. He respects the original arrangements while injecting them with his own personality, technique and unmistakable virtuosity.
At the Des Plaines Theatre, that approach was on spectacular display.
Kramer wasn’t simply playing the famous Knack guitar parts.
He was owning them.
And nowhere was that more apparent than during “My Sharona.”
As the opening notes of the legendary song sent a wave of recognition through the theater, Kramer took the guitar solo to another level. His playing was fast, precise and explosive, building the excitement in the room until the audience was completely locked onto what was happening onstage.
Then Kramer added another dimension to the performance.
He began throwing out the custom guitar picks he had been using during the performance—and fans went after them with astonishing enthusiasm.
People were literally diving toward the floor trying to retrieve the very guitar picks Kramer had just used to play the songs.
It was an extraordinary scene.
These weren’t souvenir picks pulled from a box.
They were the picks Kramer had actually been using while performing.
For the fans who managed to grab one, they weren’t simply walking away with a piece of merchandise. They were taking home a tiny piece of the performance itself.
The reaction illustrated just how completely Kramer had connected with the audience. He wasn’t standing at the back of the stage simply reproducing guitar parts from a classic rock catalog. He had become one of the evening’s central attractions.
And judging by the scramble for those picks, the audience knew it.
Matt Starr Commands the Stage
On lead vocals, Matt Starr once again proved why he is such a compelling frontman for this lineup.
Starr possesses the vocal power necessary to handle The Knack’s material while bringing an energy and charisma that keep the songs sounding immediate rather than nostalgic.
He also continued to provide something that has become an important part of the band’s live presentation: humor.
Between songs, Starr offered commentary and stories that gave the audience additional insight into The Knack’s history, while also providing humorous explanations of some of the band’s more suggestive material.
That element of the show is particularly effective because The Knack’s songs have always had a mischievous streak. Numbers such as “Good Girls Don’t,” “Baby Talks Dirty” and “She’s So Selfish” were provocative when they were released, and decades later the audience still knew exactly what those lyrics were about.
The laughter and sing-alongs made it clear that the songs had lost none of their personality.
Thomas Lowrey Keeps the Machine Running
Behind the kit, Thomas Lowrey once again demonstrated why he is such an impressive addition to The Knack’s musical legacy.
The Knack has a formidable history when it comes to drummers, beginning with the late Bruce Gary and continuing through the late Pat Torpey. Lowrey carries that tradition forward with an approach that combines power, precision and an unmistakable sense of authority.
Throughout the Des Plaines performance, his drumming provided the engine that drove the band forward.
Then came Lowrey’s drum solo—a triumphant, thunderous display that seemed to gather momentum with every strike. What began with precision and control steadily built into a massive crescendo, as Lowrey unleashed increasingly powerful fills and pounding rhythms that drove the audience toward a full-blown climax. The crowd remained on its feet throughout, responding to every escalation with louder cheers and applause. By the time Lowrey brought the solo to its explosive conclusion, it was clear that he had transformed the drum kit into a lead instrument and delivered one of the performance’s most exhilarating moments.
Lowrey doesn’t simply keep time.
He attacks the songs.
His playing gives Niles the foundation for those signature bass lines while providing Kramer with the rhythmic freedom to unleash his guitar work. The result is a band that sounds muscular, energetic and completely alive.
The Songs Still Have the Power
The set once again demonstrated why The Knack’s catalog has endured.
“Good Girls Don’t,” “Frustrated,” “Baby Talks Dirty,” “She’s So Selfish” and the other fan favorites generated immediate reactions, but when “My Sharona” arrived, the theater erupted.
Phones appeared overhead.
Fans sang along.
And Rocky Kramer proceeded to deliver the guitar performance that would become one of the defining moments of the night.
That is the thing about great rock songs: even when you have heard them hundreds of times, the right performance can make them sound new again.
Prescott Niles’ The Knack understands that.
They aren’t trying to recreate 1979.
They’re taking the songs forward.
A Different Kind of Nostalgia
There is a temptation to describe performances like this as nostalgia.
But nostalgia suggests that the best part of the experience happened decades ago.
That doesn’t accurately describe Prescott Niles’ The Knack.
Yes, the songs come from another era. Yes, Niles represents a direct connection to the original band. And yes, hearing “My Sharona” performed by one of the musicians who helped make The Knack part of rock history is inherently nostalgic.
But the performance itself is happening right now.
Rocky Kramer is playing those guitar parts right now.
Matt Starr is commanding the stage right now.
Thomas Lowrey is pounding those drums right now.
And Prescott Niles is still standing onstage, playing the bass lines that helped define The Knack’s sound.
That makes this more than a trip down memory lane.
It is living rock and roll.
The Fans Know What They Just Saw
Prescott Niles’ The Knack remains faithful to the sound, spirit and arrangements that made The Knack a rock and roll institution, but this lineup brings something more: an authenticity, precision and level of musical excellence that may have been missing from some of the later performances by the original lineup.
The most revealing moment of the night may have come after the performance.
The audience had been given a full dose of The Knack—80 minutes worth in fact—songs they remembered, musicians they could believe in and a performance that generated the kind of enthusiasm worthy of a headlining act.
And then there was the spectacle of fans diving for Rocky Kramer’s guitar picks.
That image says almost everything.
People weren’t merely sitting politely and remembering what The Knack sounded like decades ago.
They were fighting to take home something from what they had just witnessed.
Prescott Niles brought the history.
Matt Starr brought the voice and personality.
Thomas Lowrey brought the thunder.
And Rocky Kramer brought the fire.
Most importantly, they brought The Knack’s music back to life in a way that felt immediate, exciting and genuine.
The Des Plaines Theatre may have been hosting a co-headlining evening, but by the time Prescott Niles’ The Knack walked off the stage, many fans had already decided that their night was complete.
And if Rocky Kramer’s explosive “My Sharona” solo—and the fans diving across the floor to grab his used guitar picks—is any indication, they had been given plenty of reasons to feel that way.
Prescott Niles is still playing.
Matt Starr is still commanding the stage.
Thomas Lowrey is still pounding the drums.
Rocky Kramer is still lighting up the fretboard.
And The Knack?
The Knack is still rocking, better than ever!