While backstage at ‘American Idol’ might not be the most likely place to see Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, last night (March 15) that’s exactly where he could be found. 'Idol' judge and Aerosmith mouthpiece Steven Tyler posted the photo above on Twitter of Rick Nielsen posing with Tyler’s fellow judge Randy Jackson and ‘American Idol’ alumni Chris Daughtry with the caption, “Look who stopped by the Luv Shak at Idol.”

We know why Chris Daughtry was onsite, he and his band performed their new single ‘Outta My Head’ from their latest disc ‘Break The Spell,’ however, that still leaves the mystery of Nielsen’s presence.

It could be as simple as he was visiting Steven Tyler, but we’d rather let our minds wander and offer up an alternative. The show isn’t really founded on original music so he probably wasn’t offering up any tips on songwriting. He does have quite a unique stage presence, but we don’t think they called him in to be an image advisor. So that leaves us with one final guess, perhaps he was discussing possible plans for Cheap Trick to join Aerosmith on their upcoming summer tour kicking off in June?  Fair warning, this is 10 percent speculation and 90 percent wishful thinking on our part! Dare to dream!

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