Power-pop icons Cheap Trick coming to Providence Nov. 13

The 1970s had many influential bands, but few made a bigger impact than Cheap Trick. Nearly every alternative and indie rock band over the years has taken at least a part of the Rockville, Illinois, act’s power pop-laden sound, even if they’ve never realized it.

The original quartet of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson, lead guitarist Rick Nielsen and drummer Bun E. Carlos were out of the ordinary for their time, with Zander and Petersson as typical long-haired rock stars, Nielsen wearing a cap, bow tie and sweater vest, and Carlos looking like a sales clerk, with his buttoned-up shirt and tie.

With touring drummer Daxx Nielsen on drums and Zander’s son Robin Taylor on guitar and bass, Cheap Trick will be taking the stage at the Providence Performing Arts Center on Nov. 13.

Tuning in: Barrington's Phil Beaudreau is finding pop success in LA

Hop to it: Beers you need to try at 21 RI taprooms and brewpubs

Nielsen, the primary songwriter of the band’s hits “I Want You To Want Me,” “Surrender,” “Dream Police,” “If You Want My Love” and “The Flame,” says he never gave a lot of thought to his trademark look. He acknowledges that some might find it weird that he's "the only person in the world who doesn’t have a pair of jeans.”

“I have a pair of cowboy boots, but if I wear them I’d look stupid," he says. "I can’t just put them on. I don’t think I ever tried to outdo anything. I’ve just always liked the stuff that I’ve liked."

Nielsen owns more than 2,000 guitars, including custom-made ones with multiple necks and one that has five necks. He started collecting guitars before the days of Craigslist and Amazon, building his collection by looking through catalogs and papers while also being willing to trade a few guitars to get the one he wanted.

“I started out as a drummer, so I had a set of rockers and green sparkle drums, along with a few other things,” he says. “After that is when I started playing guitar, and I only liked used ones, because they were cheaper. They had better mojo in them because somebody had already played it and worn it in a bit."

More: Lukas Nelson is charting his own star path apart from famous dad Willie Nelson

As for his collection, he says, "I started out just like anybody else. I started with one, and it’s just gotten out of hand.”

Years ago, he says, trading guitars was a barter system for musicians who didn't have the cash to buy what they wanted.

"I’ve traded a whole bunch of them," he says, "but the only time I trade is to get other old guitars. I’ve never traded for a new one.”

Through trading, a Les Paul that Nielsen once owned now belongs to Paul McCartney. And trading made it possible for Nielsen to get his first Gibson Explorer.

"I had to trade five guitars to get that, because they wanted $4,000, and this was back in 1976," he says. "I didn’t have that kind of money, but I’m glad I was able to trade for it.”

The five-neck guitar came about when Nielsen wanted to avoid ruining his guitars by playing a bunch of them at one time. He originally wanted one with six necks that could spin around, but a certain blues-rock band from Texas had a similar idea that became famous in a music video, and he didn’t want to rip them off.

“I used to stack them on top of each other," he says. "I used to play them all at once, and they started getting wrecked so bad from banging onto each other. Originally, I wanted to have a six-neck guitar that spun around like a roulette wheel, but then ZZ Top and Billy Gibbons came out with those spinning guitars, and I didn’t want to look like I copied him, so I thought instead of the six I’d do five. They’re both ridiculous, but that’s me.”

No. 1 times 2: URI guitarist has second Billboard hit in 10 weeks

On April 9, Cheap Trick released its 20th studio album, "In Another World," which they also co-produced with Julian Raymond. Over the years, Nielsen says, the band has stuck with the same approach — "straight-ahead rock 'n' roll" — and they try to keep it as analog and organic as possible.

“We just write songs that we can play," he says. "It’s not like these other people who can’t really sing, so they add all this Auto-Tune and this other stuff to help them do what they do. If we need another part, we have to play that other part, and to sing a harmony we can’t rely on a machine to do it for us, especially when we go out and play live."

The band's albums are developed sequentially, he says.

"We’ll start with one song and then we’ll write the next song so it doesn’t sound the same. ... When we have enough songs, we’ll go make an album, and it’s sort of like collecting guitars: You start with one and then you do another one and then you keep doing it.”

If you go ...

What: Cheap Trick

When: Saturday, Nov. 13

Where: Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St., Providence

Tickets: $29.50-$69.50

COVID safety: Masks are required, and patrons must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of performance.

Information: (401) 421-2787, ppacri.org.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Power-pop icons Cheap Trick coming to Providence Nov. 13