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Nickelback vocalist Chad Kroeger had just finished telling a sold-out Saddledome audience Sunday night that it was exceeding expectations and had quelled his reservations about playing the last day of the Calgary Stampede when the concert was struck by technical difficulties.
The final of four stadium shows eclectically programmed by the Stampede this year, Nickelback followed Thursday’s Motley Crue concert, Miranda Lambert on Friday and the Jonas Brothers on Saturday to bring the festivities to a close. Apparently, Kroeger was worried that 10 days of sun and revelry would dampen the energy of the audience. By that point, the crowd had just enthusiastically enjoyed an early peak in the set. The boys from Hanna had plowed through their fiery hit Animals, which also marked the first appearance of the band’s trademark wall-of-fire pyrotechnics.
That was when Kroeger was informed by his team that technical gremlins would require a complete shutdown of the sound system, albeit for just over a minute. It was an unwelcome interruption in momentum, at least for the band. But it could be argued that it enhanced the experience as well. It’s not that the evening was in need of an unscripted moment so early on, but the self-deprecating, roll-with-the-punches response from Kroeger and his bandmates went a long way in showing Nickelback’s enduring appeal. It may not have been their regular-dude personas that turned them into rock stars 30 years ago, but it has certainly helped prevent them from becoming insufferable ones.
A recent Netfix film called Hate to Love: The Nickelback Documentary — which was plugged by Kroeger and guitarist Ryan Peake Sunday night — apparently makes an attempt to unravel the mystery of why one of the most popular bands in the cosmos has so many vocal detractors. But it’s an old story and, arguably, not particularly relevant anymore. After seeing them perform at the Saddledome at least four times over the years, I have come to the conclusion they are essentially review-proof. What they do, they do exceedingly well with polish, energy and humour. They always meet expectations, even if there are few surprises.
On Sunday, Nickelback played a set that included most of the same songs and beats as the one they offered just over a year ago at the Saddledome. As before, Kroeger and company — which also includes his brother Mike on bass and drummer Daniel Adair — came raging out of the gate with San Quentin, one of the best tracks for 2023’s Get Rollin’. From there, aside from the brief sound problems, the band offered a polished but lively set of favourites that included infectious sing-a-longs such as Someway and This Afternoon, mid-tempo ballads Far Away and Hero and the mildly naughty Figured You Out. Photograph was turned into an acoustic “campfire” number and country star Brett Kissel joined the band on stage for a spirited run through Rockstar.
But, as always, while the music was solid it was only part of the equation. There was the amusing between-song banter between Kroeger and Peake, the t-shirt canons, the communal drinking, the demand for more communal drinking and the aforementioned impressive pyrotechnic display. Sure the band has now spent decades living as millionaires in California, but it’s still hard to doubt Kroeger’s sincerity when he longingly looks out into the audience and says he wishes he was out there drinking with us.
Opening for Nickelback this time around was Kingston, Ont.’s Glorious Sons. The 12-year-old band has acquired for fierce chops over the years and memorable tunes, particularly the harmonica-sweetened southern-rocker Mama and anthemic The Union. Opening slots can be thankless affairs, but the band seemed to put encore-level intensity into every song. It’s hard to imagine they didn’t not come away with new fans Sunday evening.
As for Nickelback, the band managed to maintain a similar intensity while still exuding that familiar common-man charm. You don’t have to buy into Kissel’s somewhat hyperbolic claims Sunday that the quartet is the “best Canadian rock band” — Nickelback themselves probably don’t — to get on board. Just enjoy the moment. Roughly 17,000 people were doing just that on Sunday.