By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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BELVIDERE — Cheap Trick doesn’t take much downtime.
The Rock & Roll Hall-of-Famers from Rockford are one of the busiest bands in the business, churning out up to 150 shows some years.
So when lead singer Robin Zander decided join Alice Cooper in Germany as part of the Rock Meets Classic tour in early 2020, Rockford’s first family of rock finally had time launch a side project it had toyed around with for a few years.
The Nielsen Trust, a family band centered around Cheap Trick’s lead guitarist and songwriter Rick Nielsen, got ready for its own 2020 tour.
“We booked about 13 or 14 shows in March,” said Daxx Nielsen, the drummer for Cheap Trick and The Nielsen Trust. “We did two shows and then the world stopped.”
Now, the band is set to deliver on a hometown area show that’s been 21 months in the making.
It will perform Saturday night at The Apollo Theatre AC, 104 N. State St. Many people have held onto their tickets since March 2020, when the concert was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic, but there are still tickets available through Eventbrite.
It’s the band’s last show of 2021 and one of few it plays in the region. The only other local shows the band has done were at Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford and Rivets Stadium in Loves Park.
“We’re really excited to play locally,” said Miles Nielsen, who inherited his father’s work ethic, performing more than 100 shows a year with his band The Rusted Hearts. “We get it in all these other cities where people are super fans of Cheap Trick or The Rusted Hearts, but to be home is kind of a neat feeling.”
The Nielsen Trust is made up of Nielsen and his sons, Miles and Daxx, and Miles’ wife, singer and songwriter Kelly Steward. They play a mix of Cheap Trick B-sides, new arrangements and songs from The Rusted Hearts and Daxx and Miles former band Harmony Riley.
Between the songs the show becomes somewhat of a storytelling event. They share tales of “growing up Nielsen,” as Daxx says, and encountering rock legends like Gene Simmons and Tommy Lee. Rick Nielsen lets the audience in on details about the song-writing process.
“For my dad it’s a different experience because he’s used to playing bigger venues, and they’re a loud rock band and kind of disconnected from the crowd,” Miles Nielsen said. “We’re able to be a little more intimate with the crowd and get more on a personal level.”
Playing in a rock band is a unique father-son experience for the Nielsens, and some of the best moments, Miles said, are when he catches his father having a “proud dad moment.”
“It’s a cool moment of being able to make your dad proud,” he said. “You get to see it in real time and see his reaction to realizing, ‘hey, my kids are carrying this band right now, this is pretty great.'”
Know before you go
What: The Nielsen Trust in concert
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Where: The Apollo Theatre AC, 104 N. State St., Belvidere
Cost: $12.50-$50
For tickets: Buy here on Eventbrite
For more information: thenielsentrust.com
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.