10 Hard Rock Musicians Who Outshined The Lead Singer

For most hard rock bands, the singer is the person everyone gravitates towards. Even though there are four or five people onstage at one time, it's a bit easier to focus on the person running around the stage with the crowd in the palm of their hand.

Singers may receive most of the adulation, but some of the non-vocal parts have had more than their one day in the sun.

Hard rock music may be about showmanship, but these musicians have been able to hold the audience's attention just through their music rather than putting their body through the ringer. The singers of these acts may be trying their best, but they pale in comparison to how natural these guys play.

That's not to say that these bands have subpar singers though. While many of the singers in these bands have some of the most distinctive voices in rock and roll, their role in the band seems to enhance the overall song rather than being the main draw.

Here are just a few times where the typical hard rock showman had to take a back seat. The egos of the band may have been a bit scattered, but you can't argue with the raw talent on display here.

Cheap Trick was one of the most accessible hard rock bands that ever was conceived. From the first time you heard their music, the sound was unbelievably intense while still having that trademark poppiness that almost verged on the Beatles' territory. Though Robin Zander was able to breathe life into these songs, Rick Nielsen was the real madman when it came to the band's vision.

Originally starting his career as a bluesier guitarist, Nielsen found his calling bringing his guitar theatrics to Cheap Trick. While there are some bluesy tendencies still in his leads, Nielsen is often on full power pop mode across tracks like "Surrender," but his real claim to fame has to be his stage presence. Dressed in his trademark ensemble of bow ties and dress shirts, Nielsen was the madman onstage who always brought his leads across with a sort of campy humor.

If the actual playing wasn't enough, Nielsen made the audience pay attention due to his choice of guitars, which now ranges from a guitar with 8 necks to having a guitar that is shaped like himself. Cheap Trick may not have gotten into the upper echelons of rock gods, but Rick Nielsen has earned his spot in rock history without a doubt.