When you ask Google what is Canada famous for some obvious choices come up: Ice hockey, poutine, maple syrup, Banff National Park, CN Tower and Niagara Falls (the better side).
There also are some famous folks from north of the border including Ryan Gosling and Reynolds (not related), Michael J. Fox, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves, Kiefer Sutherland, Dwayne Johnson, Dan Aykroyd, William Shatner, Elon Musk and one of my favorites Will Arnett.
But one of Canada’s greatest contributions comes in the form of music and they have tuned out (or is that tuned in) some impressive artists and performers. Neil Young, Alanis Morissette, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion (I know, I had to include her though) and Bryan Adams. Then we have the bands, led by The Band! (RIP Robbie). And some big hitters including Rush, The Tragically Hip, Barenaked Ladies, Blue Rodeo, and Arcade Fire.
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And this brings us to Nickelback, the legendary Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. Their “post-grunge pop rock” was all over the radio in the late 1990s and have sold over 50 million records and were ranked as the most successful rock group in 2009 by Billboard and the seventh most successful artist of the decade.
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The band – featuring guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger; guitarist, keyboardist, and backing vocalist Ryan Peake; bassist Mike Kroeger; and drummer Daniel Adair – roared into Michigan on Sunday night (Aug. 13), playing the Pine Knob Music Theatre on their “Get Rollin” tour. And it didn’t take them long to get rollin’ once they took the stage. Kroeger pointed out early on that it was a perfect night for a rock & roll show so put the top down and crank out the tunes.
It has been five years since Nickelback have been on the road and they are out supporting their new record “Get Rollin,” the band’s 10th studio album released in November 2022.
The band only played three tracks off the new record – High Time, Those Days and San Quentin, which they opened the show with. The 16-song set did include some monster hits including How You Remind Me (which ended the main set), Photograph, Rockstar, Far Away and Gotta Be Somebody, which was in the encore along with Burn it to the Ground.
The problem (or challenge might be a better word) is that Nickelback has so many popular songs that playing a lot of tracks off a new record means something needs to be left off the setlist. And there were plenty of fan favorites that didn’t get played at Pine Knob – let’s face it, the band has some tough choices to make when they sit down to put a setlist together – maybe they shouldn’t have written so many good songs.
Speaking of Canadian royalty, Nickelback were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame this year and there were plenty of Canadian license plates in the Pine Knob parking lot.
The packed house didn’t seem to mind any missing songs as Nickelback proved they still have the chops to rock on stage. They were into it as much as the crowd and their enthusiasm and energy bounced right back at them all night long.
Special guests Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross opened the night with outstanding sets.
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BRANTLEY GILBERT PHOTO GALLERY HERE
