POP MUSIC REVIEW : Trick’s Got Its Act Together Again

“This is our first show with this four-piece band since 1980,” Rick Nielsen announced during Cheap Trick’s concert Sunday at the Coach House, alluding to the fact that original bassist Tom Petersson has rejoined the group.

Petersson’s return comes as a surprise--but an entirely pleasant one for the fans and the band, judging by Sunday’s show. Many people who flipped for such late-’70s albums as “In Color,” “Heaven Tonight” and “Live at Budokan” are probably surprised to learn that Cheap Trick is still around. The huge audience that the cartoonish quartet drew with those albums certainly lost interest around 1980, as Cheap Trick began cranking out LPs that were light on wit or melodic flair.

Sure enough, this rags-to-riches-to-rags tale may yet have another riches chapter. Possibly because Petersson and the ideal chemistry were back, the band appeared to be rejuvenated at the Coach House. Although a few tunes were a bit too metal-edged, mostly it was an evening of pure power-pop.

Regardless of the vintage, most of the music sounded timeless rather than dated. And Nielsen still bounds all over the stage, treating mugging as a high art and doing more loopy things with guitar picks than you can shake a shtick at. And his collection of guitars! He pulled out several instruments, including one with five necks, and a double-necked number that was shaped and painted as a caricature of Nielsen--which may be redundant.