Live in the Stadthalle
Nickelback: With fiery zeal against dull clichés
Around 10,500 fans celebrated their Canadian rock favorites Nickelback on Tuesday evening in Vienna's Stadthalle after an eight-year absence. Chad Kroeger and Co. may be the most hated band on the internet, but when it comes to an official rock show, the Canadians are no slouches.
The musical clichés with the longest beards include the following examples: Metal fans are generalized satanic psychopaths. German rap is automatically antisocial and subterranean. Nickelback are the worst band in the world. The Canadians have been defying the prophets of doom with facts and figures for more than 20 years. For example, more than 50 million albums sold or the incredible fact that their hit single "How You Remind Me" was the best-selling rock number of the 2000s. During the coronavirus pandemic, frontman Chad Kroeger in particular felt less and less like answering constant questions about internet hate and cyberbullying in interviews, so he now simply breaks off such conversations if they go in a relevant direction again.
A TikTok hit melange
True to the motto "let the music do the talking", the band concentrates on its often questioned core competence and fans flock to the first European tour in five years (the last Vienna concert was eight years ago). At their only Austrian appearance in the Wiener Stadthalle, the rock quartet welcomed no less than 10,500 fans on a cool spring day, who had already created a great atmosphere for the support band The Lottery Winners. They have earned their support slot in a very special way. During Corona, they had a TikTok hit with a cover of the Nickelback hit "Rockstar". Nickelback liked it, contacted the Brits and another TikTok hit of the song was created - this time performed by both bands and spatially separated. On tour, they then shared the stage for the Oasis cover "Don't Look Back In Anger", a bow by the Lottery Winners to their idols from their shared hometown of Manchester.
Anyone who thinks Nickelback are incorrigible and, above all, exclusive fiber flatterers will be proven wrong right from the start. After the stomping Pantera hit "Walk" gets the audience going, the Canadians first play a professional video and then kick off with the hard-hitting single "San Quentin" from the still current but not particularly successful album "Get Rollin'", released in 2022. The heaviness of songs like this one or "Animals" can certainly compete with the last 30 years of Metallica, except that Nickelback, unlike the Californian thrash legends, express their love of emotion and turn back the heavy metal. Much to the chagrin of Chad's brother Mike Kroeger. He would have preferred to have recorded two Slayer cover albums, but Nickelback wouldn't have had such a successful career with them.
Self-irony is a valuable asset
There are no pyrotechnics or big show effects at all, two stage platforms on the sides, a few oversized video walls and breathtaking lighting effects have to suffice. In addition, the openly displayed working-class mentality is reflected in black T-shirts, flannel shirts and jeans that fit perfectly. Chad and guitarist Ryan Peake carry the songs with accurate vocals and perfect interplay. After almost 30 years together as a band, the banter hasn't worn off and the community within the band comes across as unaffected and authentic. During "Savin' Me", guitar technician Rob Dawson is even allowed on stage to help out on the six-string and piano. Peake takes the fact that mainly female fans can be heard after the ballad "Far Away" with humor: "Everyone likes power ballads! Where are the guys?"
Nickelback's songs and humor are sometimes a little old-fashioned, but not embarrassing. Nostalgia loops are encouraged in songs like "Those Days", where they beam themselves back to the 80s with video clips of Chevy Chase films, the "Breakfast Club" or wrestler Hulk Hogan. The nostalgia of the fans is combined with songs such as "Hero", "Someday", "Photograph" and, of course, "How You Remind Me", which are played down without much embellishment or experimentation and offer fans versions that are as true to the original as possible for the handsome ticket prices. Only "Rockstar" allows a fan to experience this feeling for three minutes as a guest singer. At the same time, the good gesture ensures that hundreds of fans get to hear their favorite song in a rather mangled version - you can't have everything in life.
Official rock show
One of the pleasing things about a Nickelback show is that there is a good balance between silliness and seriousness. One moment Kroeger is laughing at his cardboard alter ego in the front row, brought along by a fan, the next the band is playing "When We Stand Together", a song whose accompanying video deals with environmental catastrophes and climate change. The concert doesn't turn into a lesson, however, as the 50-something gentlemen have far too much fun doing what they do, which is still credibly conveyed even when they play countless hits from the past. The moments that are more in the background are finely nuanced. For example, the psychedelic beginning of "Worthy To Say" sung by Peake or Kroeger's remark that the opening line of the song "Figured You Out" ("I like your pants around your feet") was "stupid". Times were different in 2003 - the only thing that seems to remain the same is Nickelback's success. When it comes to celebrating an official rock show, they are still second to none.
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