Nickelback serves up an entertaining romp for fans By: Eva Wasney Posted: 11:40 PM CDT Tuesday, Jun. 20, 2023

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This article was published 20/06/2023 (815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Unpopular opinion: Nickelback isn’t that bad.

At the very least, the Canadian rock band’s current arena show is an entertaining romp for fans.

Despite the group’s reputation as one of the most hated bands of all time, there was nary a hater in sight during Nickelback’s nearly sold out Winnipeg concert on Tuesday night. Quite the opposite.

Canada Life Centre provided a safe space — free from the mockery of music critics, critical musicians and internet meme-makers — for more than 11,000 local fans to belt out their favourite widely panned chart-toppers while proudly donning past concert tees. Enthusiastic singalongs carried for much of the roughly 90 minute show.

Frontman Chad Kroeger, along with bandmates Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake and Daniel Adair made their first appearance as a series of virtual wanted posters before taking the stage in the flesh for San Quentin, an angsty tune off their 10th and latest studio album, Get Rollin’. Nickelback is in the midst of a 38-stop North American tour promoting the release.

The song was capped with cannon fire and a taste of Kroeger’s signature wail, which sent a wave of cheers through the amped audience. A group of shirtless guys in the 300s could be heard chanting “Chad” repeatedly during momentary lulls.

“This crowd is wild,” remarked Kroeger, sporting a black v-neck shirt, large wrist cuff and with hair quaffed in spiked blonde tips. “Let’s get right into this shit.”

What followed was a fast-paced setlist full of old earworms and new nostalgia. Get Rollin’ trades heavily in throwbacks to Nickelback’s heyday of the early aughts.

The stage was flanked by a trio of large screens and a bank of flashing floodlights. Drummer Adair played from atop a platform made to look like the grill of a van — a nod to the album artwork. Intermittent canon shots and excessive pyrotechnics were a going concern.

Radio hits like Savin’ Me, Someday, Photograph and the problematic (read: misogynistic) Figured You Out elicited the biggest reactions from the crowd. A fan named Jeremy — wearing a Metallica shirt and brimming with confidence — was brought onstage to sing Rockstar.

That Nickelback is still filling stadiums nearly 30-years into a career punctuated by derision and disdain should come as no surprise. The recent Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductees have always been a commercial success — partly because of the derision (Kroeger has admitted in interviews that he loves the hate) and partly because their music is designed to appeal to the masses.

Love it or loathe it, Nickelback has gained a following by being a musical chameleon — genre-shifting at will and straddling the lines between pop, rock and something approaching grunge. On this tour, they appear to be courting a different audience entirely with a pair of country openers. The band’s previous visits to Winnipeg featured Default (2002) and Cheap Trick (2017) as supporting acts.

Josh Ross, a rising country artist from Ontario who performed during the 2022 Grey Cup halftime show, opened the show promptly at 6:30 p.m. for a rushed 30-minute set of originals and covers, including a gravely rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris.

Tatted Georgian country rap-rocker Brantley Gilbert followed with a loud performance heavy on drums, fireballs and military reverence. Gilbert — who sang into a mic fitted with brass knuckles — is a headliner in his own right. He has a previous Winnipeg appearance under his belt and a handful of American chart toppers to his name, including Bottoms Up, which prompted a swell of cheers from the crowd.

Nickelback joined in on the twang with a rendition of Steve Earle’s Copperhead Road featuring cameos by Ross and Gilbert.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney