Who needs the clock to strike 10 when Cheap Trick is on the premises for a 6:30 p.m. kick off? With their guitars at the ready, checkerboard amplifiers set to 11 and the Marymoor Park crowd ready to rock, it was go time way before any proper rocker’s bedtime.

After animated Rick Nielsen strapped on the first of his many axes for the 18-song, supporting-slot gig on Aug. 28, Cheap Trick barreled into its traditional opener, “Hello There,” and literally didn’t stop for a breath until the follow-up gems “Come On, Come On” and “Big Eyes” wedged their way into the crowd’s ears. Then came the fervent “Lookout,” and the band was off and running all the way through to the closers “Surrender” and “Goodnight Now.”

Mesmerizing vocalist Robin Zander still possesses his majestic voice and swagger after all these years, bassist Tom Petersson defines cool with his snarl and jean jacket with the collar up, and Nielsen’s son Daxx holds down the backbeat with the might of a dozen sledgehammers. Daxx especially let loose on the 1979 “At Budokan” favorite “Ain’t That a Shame,” along with “I Want You to Want Me” and “Dream Police,” during which the crowd sang along with full force.

“We are the one and only — with no substitutes — Cheap Trick,” Rick shouted to the crowd at one point during the energetic set, which featured the guitarist flicking copious picks to fans and giving the throng a thumbs up after nearly every song. His ace guitaristry was spot-on the whole time, and he even teased the crowd by starting and stopping the opening riff to “Stiff Competition” with a mischievous grin.

Another highlight was Petersson’s bass solo on his 12-stringer prior to his raw vocal delivery on the Velvet Underground cover “I’m Waiting for the Man.”

Fellow old-schooler Peter Frampton was up next in the headliner spot and the Englishman and his band launched into “Baby (Somethin’s Happening)” off his third album from 1974.

It was a fine start as fans waved their arms side to side and some people let balloons fly. Frampton clearly enjoyed the atmosphere and constantly smiled at the attendees. With dry ice hovering above the stage and colorful lights aplenty, the music took on a life of its own and was a quality soundtrack to the moist evening.

Frampton’s real crowd-pleasers were the trio of hits off the double album “Frampton Comes Alive!” which snagged the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts in 1976: “Do You Feel Like We Do,” “Show Me the Way” and “Baby, I Love Your Way.” He explained that he penned the latter two numbers in the Bahamas in the mid-1970s. On the former two songs, Frampton utilized the talkbox guitar effect that wowed fans back in the day and drew cheers from the Marymoor crowd.

As a bonus, Frampton invited Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready and Soundgarden/Pearl Jam drummer Matt Cameron on stage for a blistering part-instrumental, part-talkbox version of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun.” It was McCready’s second stint on stage that night as he also joined Cheap Trick on “Surrender” and “Goodnight Now.”

To close the evening, Frampton encored with the Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” to send the crowd home satisfied.