Cheap Trick coming to Ridgefield Playhouse

It’s hard to say which Cheap Trick tune has been the band’s most popular, with rock classics from “I Want You To Want Me” and “Dream Police,” to the love ballad “The Flame.”

But one thing that’s certain is this group is serious about putting on a rockin’ show. Founding member Tom Petersson said that’s what they’ve been doing since their 1973 start back in Rockford, Ill., and that’s what they’ll do Tuesday, Nov. 1, when Cheap Trick returns to the Ridgefield Playhouse.

“We change up our sets all the time,” Petersson said. “We do a mix of old and new.”

Petersson is the band’s bass player, as well as a guitar collector and inventor of the 12-string bass. He’ll be joined in Ridgefield by Robin Zander (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Rick Nielsen (lead guitar), and Nielsen’s son, Daxx Nielsen (drums).

They’re touring in support of Cheap Trick’s new album, “Bang Zoom, Crazy ... Hello,” which came out in April and features “When I Wake Up Tomorrow.” This past April is also when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Petersson, who lives in Nashville, Tenn., said he has no preference about playing at a big venue, versus a smaller one. What matters is the food, because “we usually don’t have a chance to go anywhere” and “you don’t want to find yourself in a hotel with low-grade dog food.”

Catering is generally better in a big stadium, he said, but anything can happen. On the occasions when they have a chance to get out and explore an area, it’s wonderful to discover world-class treats like the black licorice ice cream he craves in Seattle. “It’s not a big seller. It’s steel gray. Either you like it or you don’t. I love it.”

Petersson, 66, has been playing guitar since he was 14. He acknowledged 2016 has been a good year. Not only is the band touring with its first new album in five years, he’s also seeing support grow for a special therapy program inspired by his son, Liam. It’s called Rock Your Speech, and it’s something for which he has great passion.

Rock Your Speech aims to help kids with autism communicate and practice speech with rock ’n’ roll music. Petersson started it with his wife, Alison, and daughter, Lilah, in 2014. You can learn more at RockYourSpeech.com, where you can also hear a catchy, rock-based song about the color blue, which helps kids sound out the word and understand its meaning; a picture video is included.

“It helps kids find their voices through music,” Petersson said, adding that music therapists around the world are doing great work in this area, and he and his family want to help. “This is meant as a tool to aid parents. Early intervention is so important.”

When Petersson was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he shared that his father and mother believed in him against all odds. “I want to pass that on to my kids,” he said.

Famed music therapist Maegan Morrow, who helped Congresswoman Gabby Giffords recover from a 2011 shooting, is an adviser with Rock Your Speech. Petersson said Liam was nonverbal until he was about 6, and started singing made-up words to the theme song of “Dancing With the Stars.”

“We realized he loves music and really responds to it.” Now, at 9, he communicates, and even jumps on stage with the band sometimes.

Liam did just that during a performance for music therapists. “He got on stage with us and he was like Mick Jagger; there wasn’t a dry eye in the house,” Petersson said. “Liam did six songs and people were going wild. He was totally uninhibited. He’s in his own world in that way. It’s nice to see him dance and stuff.”