The biggest thing to come out of Canada since Maple Syrup returned to Adelaide on Monday night with their No Fixed Address Tour, and Nickelback didn’t disappoint as they turned a cold Adelaide night into a fireball with their powerhouse show!
Singer Chad Kroeger said that they came to ‘rock the shit out of Adelaide’, and for 2 solid hours the band did just that, kicking out a string of their hits including Photograph, Hero, Something in Your Mouth, and Million Miles An Hour. Kroeger and guitarist Ryan Peake (who Glam Adelaide interviewed recently) looked comfortable as they bounced off each other, pausing to drink shots and to chat to the audience between songs. Bass player Mike Kroeger and drummer Daniel Adair kept a low profile, except when it came to Adair’s killer drum solo that created a wall of sound and showcased his amazing talent.
Against a massive dome shaped projector screen that displayed not only the guys on stage and the audience, but also clips supporting each song, Nickelback delivered an energetic, loud, and diverse set of epic proportions. There were ballads, a lot of heavy rock/grunge, and some funk thrown in for good measure (She Keeps Me Up), proving that they can cross multiple genres with their music. The sentimental favourite Photograph drew a poignant response from the audience as it showed images of the band, their fans, and of Australian icons such as the Opera House, cricket matches, and Angus Young from AC/DC. These boys know what their Aussie fans are about, and their homage to all things Australian shows why they are so loved here. When Kroeger jokingly rebuked back up guitarist ‘Tim’ for playing an AC/DC intro on an acoustic guitar, you knew that these boys were here to please the Aussie audience, and Kroeger made no bones about expressing the band’s gratitude for all the love and support they’ve received from Australian fans over the years.
Almost half way through the concert they paused for a ‘beer break’, and subsequently invited support act Monster Truck back to the stage to pass out cups of beer to the audience who had by now worked themselves up into a sweaty frenzy. Monster Truck were a great discovery, with their ‘no bullshit hard rock’ edge doing a great job at warming the crowd up. They’re akin to a more grown up version of Wolfmother (with more hair!) and are seriously good custodians of rock.
Nickelback threw in acoustic covers of Bryan Adams’ Summer Of 69, and The Eagles’ Hotel California, getting the crowd involved in what Kroeger described as a massive Karaoke session. It made for a more intimate and personal performance, showing that the band are as much about having fun as they are playing music. The set comprised of songs from all of their studio albums, and of course a huge focus on the No Fixed Address album the tour is named after.
Nickelback could have easily been branded as just a metal/hard rock band, with Peake’s slick lead breaks emanating those of Metallica and Megadeth, both of whom he credits as being major influences. Indeed some of their material is bordering on grunge/heavy metal, but how anybody could suggest that the band sounds the same in each of their songs is beyond me, and I guess the millions of fans worldwide that adore them. They are one of a kind, and transcend any perceived stereotype that has been bestowed upon them. Not that they had to, but they proved that last night with 2 hours of non-stop energy and in them thoroughly enjoying what they were doing, the audience couldn’t help but reciprocate.
The show officially finished with How You Remind Me, and after a rapturous applause they came back for an encore that consisted of The Foo Fighters’ Everlong sung by Ryan Peake, and their own smash hit Burn It To The Ground. Even after 2 hours of listening to these guys, it seemed nobody wanted to leave.
They may be Billboard’s “Rock Group of the Decade, but they are undoubtedly one of the best bands of our time- and nice guys while they’re at it!
Reviewed by Darren Hassan
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DazzHassan
Remaining dates:
Wed 20 May Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Brisbane, QLD
Fri 22 May Allphones Arena, Sydney, NSW
Sat 23 May Newcastle Entertainment Centre, Newcastle, NSW
Tue 26 May Perth Arena, Perth, WA
http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=NICKELBA15
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