WARREN — Folks didn’t have enough trust in the Nielsen Trust.

The band featuring Cheap Trick founding member, guitar player and principal songwriter Rick Nielsen, along with his sons Daxx (Cheap Trick’s drummer for the last decade) and Miles and his daughter-in-law Kelly Steward, deserved a bigger crowd than the couple hundred or so who came to the Robins Theatre on Friday.

Those who were there got a chance to see a rock icon up close for a lot less money than it will cost the next time Cheap Trick comes to Cleveland or Pittsburgh opening for someone with a fraction of its talent — I’m looking at you Rod Stewart, Heart, Aerosmith and just about any of Cheap Trick’s recent tour partners.

They also probably left the show thinking, “How was (fill in the blank) not a hit?”

In a 17-song set that ran about 110 minutes, The Nielsen Trust played Cheap Trick’s two best known songs, “I Want You to Want Me” and “Surrender,” although the latter got a slowed down, wistful and country-tinged reworking. Is it better than the version on “Live at Budokan”? Of course not. But it’s growing on me, and I definitely enjoyed it more Friday than from the clips I found on YouTube.

While interviewing Miles Nielsen last month, he gave the impression that he and Daxx had a lot of say in shaping the setlist, and the night leaned toward Cheap Trick album cuts and rarities that most fans haven’t heard live.

Songs from the ’80s and ’90s like “Borderline” and “Didn’t Know I Had It” (beautifully sung by Steward) felt like undiscovered gems in the setlist. So did deep cuts like “Can’t Hold On” from the 10-inch EP “Found All the Parts” or “He’s a Whore” from the band’s 1977 debut album.

Rick Nielsen didn’t break out his five-neck guitar, but he had a few electric guitars to pick from as he switched between playing rhythm and lead, and he even sang a verse of “World’s Greatest Lover.” He also spent plenty of time mugging for crowd and tossing guitar picks to the audience. By the end of the night, he was throwing out picks by the handful.

He and Miles also traded stories and made jokes about their less-than-stellar hotel accommodations. Rick said Cheap Trick lead singer Robin Zander would like the Warren theater, especially its name.

Daxx mostly stayed behind the drum kit, although he played acoustic guitar while Steward sang “Over the Moon,” one of two songs by Miles Nielsen’s main band, the Rusted Hearts.

Opening the show was Nick Perri and the Underground Thieves, who impressed the crowd with an hourlong set. If Perri’s long straight hair and poncho didn’t remind the crowd of early ’70s Neil Young, breaking out an acoustic-and-electric cover of “My My Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)” / “Hey Hey My My (Into the Black)” sealed it.

agray@tribtoday.com