Got My Flipp Records On

Playing to a half-full but fully enthused State Theatre crowd Tuesday, Cheap Trick seemed happy being back in Minneapolis -- "a new city for us," guitarist Rick Nielsen wryly noted. Nielsen offered a rave for local hard-rock band Flipp, who have opened past Cheap Trick concerts, and whose guitarist Kii (Chia Karaoke) Arens did the artwork for the Trick's upcoming album. "We wanted Flipp to open for us," Nielsen said, asking for the house lights to come up. Spotting the Flippers about 10 rows back, he quipped, "I see they wanted to drink instead."