Cheap Trick

The Japanese broadcast edition DVD of Cheap Trick’s Budokan concert highlights Tom Petersson playing the Hamer Quad 12-string bass. That bass is shown on the cover. The DVD also includes bonus tracks from the Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert television show in 1977 with Petersson playing the prototype Hamer 10-string bass, and Japanese subtitles were included for all the song lyrics.

The prototype Hamer 10-string bass was played on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert in 1977.

Cheap Trick - Chicagofest ‘81

Title - Chicagofest ‘81
Released - 1981 (VHS)
Bassist - Pete Comita
12-string basses - Zebra Hamer Standard, White Hamer B12S
Songs including the 12 - All except ‘Baby Loves to Rock’

This concert was held on the Navy Pier in Chicago on August 5th, 1981. The DVD version lists 14 tracks whereas the Laserdisc version only lists 13, the difference being that on the DVD an extended guitar solo is listed as a separate track.

Cheap Trick Chicagofest 1981 - Alternate cover

Cheap Trick Chicagofest 1981 - Bootleg cover

Pete Comita didn’t remain in the band for very long after this show. If you watch closely you’ll see both Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander glaring at him throughout the concert. It has nothing to do with Comita’s musicianship; his playing is solid, driving and precise. Pete is a natural showman and is very animated on stage. He plays a great 12-string bass solo at the end of ‘Gonna Raise Hell’ which then fades into a more sedate Nielsen guitar solo. Pete’s 12-string bass tone is clear and chimey and his backing vocals are spot on.

Pete Comita on stage with Rick Nielsen’s white Hamer B12S 12-string bass.

It is interesting to note that both bassists who followed Comita, Jon Brant and then the returning Tom Petersson, tend to stay firmly in the background and avoid calling attention to themselves.

Cheap Trick - Live in Australia

Released - 1988 (VHS)
Bassist - Tom Petersson
12-string basses - Two Hamer B12A’s
Songs including the 12 - All

The front cover reads, “13 songs from one of the ‘80’s biggest pop bands” but the show actually includes 14 songs. Petersson played his black Hamer B12A with white binding on every tune except for the song ‘Don't Be Cruel’ on which he played his upright Hamer Checkerboard "Elvis" B12A.

The back cover shows Tom playing his black Hamer B12A. It also displays as many photos of Rick Nielsen as there are of the other band members all put together.

This DVD was re-released in Germany in 2007 under the title “All Stars - Cheap Trick In Concert - I Want You To Want Me”. It mistakenly includes of photo of bassist Jon Brant on the front cover even though Jon was no longer with the band when this concert was filmed.

The VHS version of Live in Australia! includes the black Hamer B12A 12-string bass on both the front and back covers, plus Tom Petersson is listed as playing 12-string bass.

South Korean VHS version of *Live in Australia!*.

Cheap Trick - Sessions

Released - 2014
Bassist - Tom Petersson
12-string bass - Gretsch
Songs including the 12 - All

The DVD includes six songs played at the Guitar Center in Hollywood, California. Given that there are no audience shots or crowd noise it’s apparent that no audience was present for the filming. Tom is shown playing a Gretsch 12-string bass on the front cover.

Between each song there is an interview section with Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson. In one section Rick Nielsen is asked, “Is there a guitar than defines Cheap Trick?” His response: “12-string bass. The checkerboard Explorer. If somebody pulls a 12-string bass up in the middle of the auditorium (somebody shouts) ‘Cheap Trick’”.

Petersson played a Chandler Royale 12-string bass on all songs except ‘Oh Caroline’.
The back cover shows Petersson playing a Hiroshigi Kids Dragon 12-string bass instead of the Chandler.

Music For Hangovers

Petersson played 12-string bass on 18 songs.
The Black Chandler Royale was used on all songs except ‘You're All Talk’ on which he played the green Hiroshigi Kids Dragon 12 with the "E" strings tuned up to "G".

Silver

10 songs include the Black Chandler 12-string bass, with ‘You’re All Talk’ played on a Hiroshigi Kids 12. No bass was played on ‘Just D’ King’.
Images of three other 12’s are included on the front and back covers.

Silver - Korean Release

This is the Budokan concert from 1978 in a shiny new package.
The back cover has a photo of the band from 2010 with Petersson playing the Waterstone “Peacock” 12-string bass.

Live Tokyo 1978

The 1978 Budokan concert re-released in 2008 as a box set; it includes one DVD and three CD’s on the 30th Anniversary of the show.
Photos from the booklet include no new photos of Tom’s 12-string bass.

Budokan!

From Tokyo to You - Live in Japan

The Blue Chandler Royale is played on only six songs.
In the interview section, Tom Petersson stated that Rick Nielsen played the Tiple. Hamer credits the Tiple as being the model for the 12-string bass.

Various 12’s appear in 13 of the music videos.
Only Tom Petersson is credited as the bassist even though Jon Brant appears in 5 videos - he is not mentioned at all.
The Hamer “Elvis” B12A 12-string bass is shown on the cover.

Every Trick In The Book

This is a live show filmed at Rockpalast in Germany in 1979.
Tom Petersson played a Hamer B12A 12-string bass for the entire show.
Petersson had water throw on him during a song and he stopped playing.

Live at Rockpalast

CMT Crossroads -

Cheap Trick with Jennifer Nettles

This episode of CMT Crossroads was recorded at the new Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee and was first broadcast on March 24, 2016. It features songs performed by a combination of Cheap Trick plus Jennifer Nettles’ band.

Tom Petersson plays a Gretsch 12-string bass during this show.

The DVD also includes a poorly shot amateur video of a March, 2016 Cheap Trick concert in Plant City, Florida.

Rockthology - Volume 9

Volume 9 of the Rockthology - Hard N Heavy DVD series released in 2002 includes a segment on Cheap Trick. A partial video for the song ‘Way of the World’ from 1979 is included. The video is a staged live performance and includes Tom Petersson playing the black Hamer Quad 12-string bass.

The green Chandler Royale 12-string bass is featured.

Daddy Day Care

The 2003 movie Daddy Day Care starring Eddie Murphy includes a cameo of Cheap Trick lip syncing to their song ‘Surrender’. Tom Petersson uses his green Chandler Royale 12-string bass. And oddly, the cover artwork includes a Saint Bernard dog that doesn’t ever appear in the film.

The Midnight Special

Cheap Trick played the song ‘Surrender’ on The Midnight Special television show in late 1978. The DVD of this series shows Tom Petersson playing the Hamer Quad 12-string bass, with the prototype Hamer 10-string bass seen in the background in front of his amps.