Rick Nielsen, guitarist for Cheap Trick, performs in front of the guitar marquee at the Hard Rock Casino Rockford. (Photo by Lynne Conner/For Chronicle Media) 

A new Rockford landmark debuted last week as a 62-foot, 10-inch, 14,000-pound checkered guitar marquee was lit up outside the Hard Rock Casino. 

The one-of-a-kind display arrived at the casino Aug. 14 from the Gable Co. in Baltimore and pays tribute to Rick Nielsen, a Rockford native and guitarist of the rock band Cheap Trick. 

Nielsen played a few riffs on his own black-and-white checkered 1958 Gibson Explorer guitar before the switch was flipped, lighting up the giant instrument around 5:20 a.m. amid cheers from those gathered for the event.   

While cracking jokes and trading quips with the local media, Nielsen said he feels a lot of hometown pride in all the casino offers.  

“It’s a great thing for the city. Jobs are being created, and the local economy gets a boost,” he said.  

“You don’t have to gamble. You can come out for the entertainment, for the food, and to view some great world-class rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia around the casino. All the guys from Cheap Trick are up on the wall so I can yell at them, and they can yell at me.” 

Of all the guitars in Nielsen’s extensive collection, the Gibson Explorer is most often associated with the legendary rocker.  

The guitar marquee is lit up outside of the Hard Rock Casino Rockford as Rick Nielsen performs in the foreground. (Photo by Lynne Conner/for Chronicle Media) 

“Gibson only made 19 of these guitars, and it was a big flop at the time of production,” he said. “I like the shape of this particular guitar, so my friend, Paul Hamer of Hamer Guitars, customized it for me using black 3M tape to cut out and apply the checkerboard pattern by hand.  It’s an oddball thing. You have to be a crazy person to do this; and I’m a crazy thinker, so it fits my personality.” 

Geno Lafrate, Hard Rock president, said there was no question on what the casino’s landmark would be.  

“It was obvious from the beginning that we would feature a replica of Rick’s checkerboard guitar as the casino’s marquee,” he said. “Rick is such an iconic figure, a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and his love for his hometown of Rockford has always been apparent. His guitar is unique, and the Hard Rock organization is unique, so we wanted to pay tribute to him by making his guitar the landmark of the Hard Rock Casino Rockford.”  

For more information, visit www.casino.hardrock.com/rockford/