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Cheap Trick or treat
Duh: which one do you think the Rudds chose?
BY MATT ASHARE
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"This is the reason I joined the Rudds," said former Pappas Fritas frontman Tony Goddess, pointing to his full head of long, curly light-brown hair last Sunday night at Great Scott. "It was for a Halloween party to do Cheap Trick." Goddess had a point: he did look an awful lot like bassist Tom Petersson, who’s known far and wide as "the other guy" in Cheap Trick. And the resemblance was especially pronounced in the black tux he’d donned for what’s become something of a hallowed Halloween ritual for the Rudds — a full set of spot-on Cheap Trick classics, from "Hello There" to "Goodnight." Rudds frontman/mastermind John Powhida (who introduces himself as "J-Po") doesn’t have it quite so easy: with his long face, dark hair, and tall, lean frame, he looks as if he’d be more at home playing Ric Ocasek. But a blond wig fixed all that — well, sorta — as the Rudds prepared to take the stage. With drummer Nathan Logus smashed out in full Bun E. Carlos regalia — fake moustache, an omnipresent if unlit cigarette, and a white dress shirt and black tie — the masquerade looked to be coming together. Only guitarist Brett Rosenberg seemed fazed. Owning nothing to compete with Rick Nielsen’s ridiculous assortment of guitars, and with, apparently, no desire to shave his head, he nonetheless solved the Brett Rosenberg problem with a quick trip down the street to CVS for a witch’s hat and wig that he accessorized with a Michael Myers–style hockey mask — which made him look more like Buckethead than Nielsen. "I even forgot to bring extra picks to throw into the audience [a Nielsen signature]," Rosenberg lamented. "So I got a bunch of candy. I hope I can remember the songs." No problem there. The Rudds fell right into character as they kicked off an evening of cover-band antics that eventually included a Spinal Tap complete with a Marty DeBergi look-alike (Piles), a John Cale–era Velvet Underground with Nico cameos (Reports), and Big Bear roaring through Weezer tunes from the "Blue Album" and Pinkerton. "This is the first song on our new album that just came out 25 years ago," J-Po announced. Anyone who didn’t get that reference is in dire need of a Live at Budokan refresher course. Matt Ashare can be reached mashare[a]phx.com
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