Caught Live: Nickelback, MEN Arena Manchester 22 May 2009

Way back at around the start of this decade, you could not switch on your radio or put a music TV channel on, without hearing 'How You Remind Me', which introduced Canadian hard rockers Nickelback to the UK. It got pushed initially on Kerrang TV, before being picked up by many other outlets. I've often felt it's that which has caused the negative press the band has suffered here; that instead of them being played on 'rock' outlets and only being known to the 'Kerrang crowd', they broke free and crossed over, where their song instantly connected with a different audience. An older one. Once they were accepted by the 'older' crowd, the backlash began in earnest. Kerrang (the magazine) infamously branded singer Chad Kroeger a 'c**t' for having a heckler ejected from a show, something which caused resentment with the band, and only served to help Kerrang! paint them as 'uncool', in the process turning their backs on a band which their own channel broke over here. The further success of 'Rock Star', another song which lodged in the public mind for many months, did little to change that perception as once again, one of their songs crossed over and achieved mainstream success.

No doubt to the irritation of Kerrang!, and the rest of the UK press, Nickelback have achieved big, and consistent success in the years since. Their latest tour sees them once again hit British arenas, less than a year since last they played here. Clearly they're doing something right, as a large crowd showed at the MEN. They didn't sell it out, but made a good fist of it, with only the upper tier at the very back unused. Watching this band perform, I could find little evidence of 'c**t-ish' behaviour from the frontman, instead I saw a consummate professional easily take command of a big crowd, and connect with them as though it were a club gig. I was impressed with his live vocal, no croaking and no straining at the seams, although he is well backed by guitarist Ryan Peake and drummer Daniel Adair.



They performed a set packed with singalong rock anthems, some semi-acoustic of the type that made them famous, others all-out Metal. Not being that familiar with the band's work myself, it was slightly surprising to hear them really rock out, but they do so with style and can kick ass with the very best of them. Their stage show skimped on absolutely nothing; all the lights you want, pyro and fireworks of the sort not seen since Rammstein last came to town, an elevated platform for the drummer to perform his solo (yes, they do a drum solo!) and the obligatory stage ramp extending deep into the arena floor. Only when the band came to the front of this ramp did they reveal a second drum kit which was hidden underneath, and a section of the ramp turned over with the kit in place! They even brought out their crew, armed with air cannons with which to shoot T-shirts into the crowd! Those things were incredibly powerful, as the band played, T-shirts flew high into the upper tiers of the arena. I feared a 'Maude Flanders' moment for a while there! Every arena rock cliché in the book was used by Nickelback during this show, but they would not be able to do any of it if they did not have the songs to back it all up. They do, and plenty of them. To my surprise, their two biggest hits 'Rock Star' and 'How You Remind Me' were delivered during the main set, not in the encores. A further example of non-c**tish antics from Chad Kroeger was given when he brought out Chris from openers Black Stone Cherry to play a cover of AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell'.



All in all then, almost the perfect arena show. They put only one foot wrong for me throughout the night, and that was when they played 'If Everyone Cared'. Accompanied by a preachy-looking slide show esposuing the humanitarian work done by the likes of Bono, Mandela and others, it was all a bit U2, a bit CNN, and not really in keeping with the rest of the show, which was pure rock 'n' roll entertainment.
Thankfully it was only for that one song, but that sort of thing is best left to Bono and co. What we hard rockers crave is escapism from the real world! I will forgive their other minor faux-pas, when during 'Photograph', their montage of slides on the video screen featured a girl wearing a 'Sun' t-shirt (but if you ever play the Echo Arena guys, leave that slide out - ta!)



Kerrang! will sneer, but Nickelback didn't get to this status by making their music for critics, and such press bashing didn't stop Queen, it didn't stop Kiss, and it won't stop Nickelback. An excellent show, and a great live band.