Nickelback rocks to near-sellout crowd

By Melissa Arseniuk

Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009 | 3:51 p.m.

Nickelback was already famous when they released a single about the desire to tour the world on “a new tour bus full of old guitars."

Three years after “Rockstar” and another multi-platinum record later, the band and their shiny fleet of tour buses returned to Las Vegas, bringing their collection of old (and new, equally expensive) guitars with them.

Love them or hate them, the members of Nickelback are bonafide rockstars. And, as a near-sellout crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena witnessed on Sunday, the Canadian-based foursome puts on a bonafide rock show.

The performance made clear that frontman Chad Kroeger loves many things, including pyrotechnics, guitars, girls, f-bombs, and booze.

The swear-laced show started with a bang – three of them, in fact – just after 10 p.m., following performances by opening acts Papa Roach, Hinder and Saving Able.

The concussions set the tone for the next two hours, which featured plenty of fire and lights, along with the group’s distinct and formulaic brand of guitar-driven rock.

Still, there were several surprises at the show, including a cover song early into the set featuring openers on lead vocals.

Austin Winkler from Hinder and Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix took over from Kroeger during a fun and impressive rendition of AC/DC’s anthem, “Highway to Hell.”

Two Las Vegas residents also made onstage appearances during the set: Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul and comedian Carrot Top pitched in to help distribute cups of beer to the audience.

T-shirts were also launched into the screaming crowd, though it was hard to tell if it was the beer or the T-shirts that generated the bulk of the applause.

While most of the beer ended up on the audience rather than in any of their bellies, it could be argued that it was the thought that counts – and Kroeger definitely did a lot of thinking about drinking.

The thirsty singer ordered two bottles of vodka and a bottle of Patron to the stage, which he shared with the VIP audiences that flanked either side of the stage.

“Who’s thirsty?” he asked before serenading a woman in the front row with the chorus of Joe Nichols’ classic, “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.”

Meanwhile, he ordered himself a Jack Daniels and Coke and made frequent references to the party that he and his bandmates were going to throw after the show.

“We have the day off tomorrow,” he explained before referencing the movie, “The Hangover.”

“I literally want to wake up tomorrow with a chicken in my suite,” he said.

“And Mike Tyson should be there,” he added, before reenacting the scene from the hit movie where the former Heavyweight Champion plays air drums to Phil Collins’ song, "In the Air Tonight.”

Kroeger suggested “The Hangover” was required Vegas viewing, and went so far as to tell concertgoers who hadn’t already seen it to leave the show immediately, find the nearest theater, watch the movie, then return to the Grand Garden Arena for the remainder of the show.

“We’ll still be here, we’ll still be partying,” he assured.

Kroeger made no effort to hide his love for Las Vegas.

“I wish we could just set up shop in Vegas, in the twilight of our career, and just move here,” he said.

He then turned to his half-brother, bassist Mike Kroeger, and asked if he’d rather keep traveling the world or just move to Las Vegas and put their touring days behind them.

Apparently the band and their shiny fleet of tour buses will continue along their long road for a few more years – though who knows, the Caesars Showroom or a residency elsewhere on the Strip may be in their distant or not-too-distant future.

The band managed to work through 16 songs on Sunday night, including the AC/DC cover and another, more surprising sample of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places.”

Meanwhile, drummer Daniel Adair didn’t toil away behind his bandmates at the back of the stage. Instead, he had more than his fair share of time in the spotlight, and enjoyed the view from an elevated platform as he gave an extended drum solo toward the end of the show.

Adair and his drum kit were raised up off the stage and high into the air for the spectacle, while several onboard cameras captured the view from close range and fed the footage to the video screens.

When the band launched into their 2005 single, “Photograph,” a photo sequence featuring pictures from their early days, complete with stills of the founding members’ hometown of Hanna, Alberta, was displayed on the video wall at the back of the stage.

Later, images of iconic Vegas people and places (Elvis impersonators, Wayne Newton, wedding chapels, etc.) were shown, while one in particular generated both laughter and applause: An edited picture of an imprisoned O.J. Simpson with the caption, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

“If Everyone Cared” also had an accompanying photo montage, but it proved to be more educational than entertaining.

The display provided a visual history lesson on U2 frontman, Bono’s, quest to bring attention to AIDS in Africa; the founding of Doctor's Without Borders; the plight of Nelson Mandela; and the circumstances that led to the formation of Amnesty International.

It was a rather serious, stark contrast to the rest of the show – especially compared to some of the band’s other, more raunchy tracks, including the show-closer, “Animals." Instead of killing the party-hardy mood, however, the subdued track provided both some background and a breather amidst what proved to be a well-paced night of rock 'n’ roll.

The night eventually came to a close precisely two hours after the show started, at midnight, following a two-song encore and pyro-filled grand finale.

The night didn’t end there, however. As Kroeger repeatedly referenced, the party continued backstage after the show, and later, at his suite at the Palms.

Melissa Arseniuk writes about Las Vegas entertainment and celebrity events. She can be reached at 702-948-7823 or by e-mail at [email protected].