Live Review: Nickelback, Monster Truck

Despite being wanted by Australian police for “crimes against music” and a long history of being considered a musical joke, Nickelback had no trouble filling Allphones Arena for the Sydney leg of their No Fixed Address tour.

The history of hatred for the band dates back to the ‘90s when it originally signed onto Roadrunner Records, a label known for its death and thrash metal bands. Needless to say, Nickelback’s blend of pop rock did not go down well with the metalheads, and it became a meme within the metal community that Nickelback sucks. Fast-forward some 20 years and the thousands of adoring fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the Canadian rockers would tell a different story.

Fellow Canadian rockers Monster Truck kicked off the night but it was Nickelback who really stole the show.

Playing a mix of originals and covers, a highlight was Chad Kroeger calling on the crowd for a singalong to renditions of The Eagles’ Hotel California and Bryan Adams’ Summer Of ’69, where we were challenged to outdo Brisbane.

Getting sloshed was definitely the theme, with Kroeger saying, “If you start drinking, we sound way fucking better.” Interludes for Jagerbombs onstage, beer tossing into the crowd and a T-shirt cannon fire kept us on our feet from start to finish.

Kroeger’s stage presence was evidence of the seasoned performers that Nickelback are; there was just as much talking and riffing with the crowd as there was singing, but the crowd was lapping it up.

Highlights were renditions of Something In Your Mouth, Photograph and Rockstar, but it was when the guys returned to an illuminated red stage as black silhouettes for an encore featuring Everlong and Burn It To The Ground, that the whole arena really lost its shit.