General Motors Place in Vancouver was the place to be Thursday night as Nickelback took centre stage at home in front of an excited sold-out crowd. Playing the last night of their worldwide Dark Horse tour, Nickelback came in with a literally explosive performance, and ended the night with a bang (also literally). As soon as Nickelback hit the stage, the crowd never left their feet, and you didn’t have to look too far to see devil-horns in the air. The sold-out crowd received their money’s worth and more with an amazing display of pyro and fire, and oh yes, the band put on a show like no other from the spot-on vocals of lead singer Chad Kroeger to the wildest drum solo by Daniel Adair. Ryan Peake and Mike Kroeger, along with Timmy, who jumped in from time to time, rounded out the unit and brought the tour to a mind-blowing finish.
Opening for Nickelback were the Sick Puppies who among other songs, performed the hit “My World,” followed by a hard-hitting set by Shinedown, who played a number of tracks including “Second Chance,” “If You Only Knew,” “Devour,” “The Crow & The Butterfly,” “Cyanide Sweet Tooth Suicide,” and “Heroes.” With the cancellation of Breaking Benjamin’s set due to an illness in the band, Shinedown was able to extend their set and rocked the house with a smart balance of new and old.
To say the concert was interactive, would be putting it lightly. Fan participation and acknowledgement occurred throughout the spectacle, which as Brent Smith, lead singer of Shinedown alluded to earlier in the night, was not merely a show, but an event. From females using props such as bananas and whipped cream and lollipops to accompany Nickelback during their performance of “Something in Your Mouth,” to the constant footage of the fans throughout the stadium, to throwing out prizes and alcohol into the crowd, the energy never left the building and continued to grow as the night went on. Each song performed was followed by shots of alcohol, consumed by Chad and Ryan, who kept the atmosphere fun and with the party they were having on stage, it clearly translated to the thousands of fans in attendance as well.
Setlist:
- Burn It To The Ground
- Flat On The Floor
- Photograph
- Hollywood
- Leader of Men
- Savin’ Me
- Shakin’ Hands
- Something In Your Mouth
- Cover of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”
- This Afternoon
- If Today Was Your Last Day
- Cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”
- Rockstar
- Animals
- Amazing Drum Solo by Daniel Adair
- How You Remind Me
- Too Bad
Encore
- Gotta Be Somebody
- Cover of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive”
- Someday
- Figured You Out
Many people love to hate Nickelback, but there are plenty more who love Nickelback wholeheartedly. Love them or hate them, it’s hard to deny the band the respect they deserve for their work over the years and the sheer domination they’ve been able to achieve in the music industry. Every time they go down, they bounce right back stronger and better each time. Watching Nickelback perform live and put on a show like no other, and hearing a sold-out crowd of nearly 20,000 sing along with the band to every single tune, is not a sight often seen (or heard) with many other artists or bands. If you get the chance, whether you consider yourself a Nickelback fan or not, seeing them live is a changing experience, so why not? They may just blow your mind.
