Nickelback ~ Dark Horse Tour

AN: OK maybe the shots are a little too big. But I can't fix them until tomorrow.

I was thrilled to have snagged a seat at the Nickelback concert through a good friend and wanted to share some of my evening with you along with a few of the shots I took. I kept them at their original size so if you click on them you get the full effect. Trust me, you will love them full size.

This first shot is the "control booth" which has lots of sound, video and lighting controls but isn't exactly a booth, is it.


Showtime was at 6PM; it was a warm evening and stayed that way. Traffic was terrible getting to the amphitheatre...


...so I missed the opening band, Saving Abel. By the time I stood in line at Will Call and wandered around the kiosks full of swag, food, memorabilia from the Winterland and Fillmore days of Bill Graham as well as recent performances at Shoreline, and made it to my seat they had already finished performing.

It didn't take long though before Papa Roach took the stage. They were ok, a little disappointing to me actually because they totally messed up my favorite song of theirs, Forever (Jacoby was off key something awful) although they did a bang up job with Getting Away With Murder. I have to give them props however since they are a local band.


Papa Roach warming up the crowd.

Next up...Hinder. Their stage presence was definitely bigger than Papa Roach's from their gear to their stage setup and their sound. And they were incredible. At one point Austin Winkler took to the audience and roamed through the crowd singing Up All Night. I was disappointed they did not perform Better Than Me but they really got the crowd going. They warrant three shots.


I'm so sure that is "water" that Austin Winkler is drinking in this shot...




"We're gonna be up all night..."

Having been a Nickelback fan since their beginning, I have waited and waited for an opportunity to see them live. It meant so much to me that I had the chance to see them on stage. And they did not disappoint. Nickelback took the stage and performed Something In Your Mouth amid screams, pyrotechnics, smoke and lights.

Chad Kroeger has a very easy-going, relaxed and engaging way about him as he works the crowd. He is funny, nasty, and just plain entertaining. Absolutely adorable in my book. At one point during the show he introduced 4 guys from their crew who came out with these huge cannons (similar to nerf guns but WAY bigger) as well as a cart full of red plastic cups full of beer (vaguely reminiscent of beer pong). While the crew blasted stuff (I assume they were t-shirts and possibly a thong or two with the Dark Horse emblem on them) Chad and some of the guys tossed the cups of beer out in the crowd. Yes people, cups full of beer! After all, Chad reasoned, if they were going to be all sweaty we should all be just as wet. Yeah. He bit back hard on the next remark. Honestly, and to quote Chad, it was "one huge jam session" with a whole lotta drinking.

At one point Austin Winkler and Joe Garvey (I think) from Hinder came on stage and performed Highway to Hell with Nickelback and it rocked! Better than AC/DC when you combine Austin's voice with Chad's deep rough voice.


Chad's easygoing style. This is during Highway to Hell

One thing I think people overlook about Chad is that he is quite the accomplished guitarist. He has an amazing voice and his riffs were on fire! He sang a few bars of a ballad that I didn't recognize (shock) and my jaw dropped. Chad also performed one of my favorite drinking songs, Friends in Low Places. Watch out Nashville, he might be at the Grand Ole Opry soon! He uses numerous electric and acoustic guitars when he performs from his signature line of PRS to Gibson Les Pauls, Martin, Gretsch, Fender and Yamaha. That's a lot of guitars folks!

And Daniel Adair is a premier drummer. He makes it look so easy and having a son who is a drummer, I know the strength and stamina it takes to be a balls out rock drummer. To perform the way he did, like it took no effort whatsoever, was impressive. His kit was a DW (Drum Workshop) with Sabian cymbals. Beautiful rack. My son was drooling over it.


Daniel's drum solo. Again, the endurance and stamina it takes is impressive.

Additional shots from their performance.


Taken from the control booth. I wanted to get a shot of the entire band including their gear.


Burnin' It to the Ground. The heat from these things blasted across the fans.



An aerial shot of Shoreline Amphitheatre taken from Wikipedia. Bill Graham fashioned it after the Grateful Dead's Steal Your Face image. There is a lot of memorabilia backstage at the amphitheatre too.


A piece of memorabilia from the Grateful Dead days. This piece sits backstage along with a few other special pieces from various concerts.

I will never, never forget this. It was an incredibly special and meaningful evening that will be with me eternally. From the music to the electrically charged atmosphere to the heat of the pyrotechnics you could literally feel when they blasted on the stage (at least where I was sitting and this is an outdoor arena). Love them or hate them, they put on one hell of a show. I guarantee the next time they come around here I will snag a front row seat or a backstage pass. Might even bring my own Patron and do shots with the boys in the band! Hell yeah!