Cheap Trick's peaceful return

A riot erupted after Cheap Trick's last Christchurch performance but they promise that's unlikely this time.

Band will give you your money’s worth, writes Paula Yeoman

Cheap Trick's legendary guitarist and songwriter Rick Nielsen has a clear memory of the last time the band played in New Zealand. It was 1979 at the Christchurch Town Hall.

"I remember the show because at the end, the mayor came up and said, 'You can't do an encore'. And I said to him, 'You're going to have a riot here if we can't play anymore'. I had to convince him and we played more. And there was still a riot."

It's probably safe to say another riot is unlikely when the "Godfathers of power-pop" return to these shores as special guests on Billy Idol's Kings and Queens of the Underground tour. But Nielsen insists the rockers still know how to party.

"Why not? We're not lawyers or doctors ... yet," he jokes, adding that the band likes to check out bars when they're in new places. "That's where you get the local flair."

Nielsen says touring in 2015 is very different to back in the day. For one, they have more time to get a feel for the cities they visit.

"I think I wander around a bit more than I used to because we don't just go to the gig and stay there all day. And we're not on a tour bus anymore. We fly into town, and if we have a day off, that's even better."

The 66-year-old, who co-formed Cheap Trick in 1972 and was the primary songwriter for the band, penning hits I Want You To Want Me, Surrender and Dream Police, recently made headlines when he announced he was auctioning some of his guitars.

"I've owned around 2000 over the years, but I got down to a mere 450," he says.

Already, a number have been snapped up, including a 1965 Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Junior, which sold for $7800.

But Kiwi fans can rest easy knowing Nielsen's still got plenty more, and he's bringing them with him. "We have two sets of gear - an A rig and a B rig, so that we can do back-to-back shows. I don't know whether we'll have the A or B rig in New Zealand, but they're both equally good. We're sending the stuff over on a ship, because sending it on a plane is too darn expensive.

"I think I've got 18 guitars in the A rig and the B rig. I'm not sure. I'm usually playing them, so I don't count them," he jokes. "But I need at least one per song."

And to make up for the decades it's taken for Cheap Trick to return, Nielsen is promising they'll play all the hits. He wants requests too. And the best place to get him is on social media. "I'm @cheaptrickrick," he says. "I love Instagram."

Cheap Trick play Auckland's Vector Arena with Billy Idol and The Angels on April 1.