#feed the machine silver side up and no fixed address are their best albums

[transheimdall]

nickelback posting but the feed the machine album is so fucking good bro . like every single song on it is a certified banger . i could have sex with that album

[mikeyd1986]

NICKELBACK: FEED THE MACHINE AUSTRALIAN TOUR w/ Bad Wolves @ Rod Laver Arena, February 2019

It’s been 15 years since I last saw the Canadian-based Hard Rock outfit Nickelback live in concert. It was 2004 and I was still in high school finishing my VCE. Safe to say that I was sweating their albums Silver Side Up and The Long Road pretty hard back then and still do now. Since then, they have released a further 5 studio albums and they range from painfully average (see Here and Now, No Fixed Address) to solid (All The Right Seasons, Dark Horse) to their best in a long time (their latest album Feed The Machine).

For the most part, they do stick to a formula that works for them in terms of songwriting, lyrical content and musical structure. They did try to experiment with electro-rock, dance pop and rap beats but it really backfired on them tremendously as it came across as superficial. Nickelback are at their best when they’re brutally honest and pulling no punches. Of course they still have their fair share of haters and detractors but that never seems to stop their creative energy and passion to create music.

The 2017 album Feed The Machine sees the band combining influences such as grunge rock, synth rock and heavy metal plus writing about important topics such as political corruption, dealing with past mistakes and toxic relationships, true love and not being afraid to stand up for what you believe in. It was a big return to form for the band and shows that they still have plenty of talent left in the tank. The concert, held at Rod Laver Arena, started at 7.30pm with opening act Bad Wolves.

BAD WOLVES are a five-piece Heavy Metal / Progressive Rock band from Los Angeles, California. I really didn’t know what to expect going in to see this band but I was pleasantly surprised. Lead vocalist Tommy Vext made a great impression from his ability to switch between rapid-fire free flowing raps and clean vocals. Despite his intimidating stature, he actually comes across as a very humble, easy going guy. He openly spoke about his attempt at suicide, highlighting the importance of support from loved ones and that you never know what somebody might be going through.

Musically, this band is very wild and intense with heavy chugging riffs and huge guitar solos. They played several tracks from their debut album Disobey including Hear Me Now, Officer Down and Remember When. They also pulled out a few surprise covers including Queens Of The Stone Age’s No One Knows and System Of A Down’s Chop Suey. The band ended their set with a special tribute to the sudden passing of Vinnie Paul from Pantera. Tommy asked everyone to raise their phone screens and lighters up for their cover of The Cranberries’ song Zombie which was a really special moment.  

NICKELBACK certainly packed a lot of material into their two-hour concert tonight. It generally played out like a greatest hits package but with a few unexpected twists and turns. They had a girl in the audience named Jess performing guitar on stage for Animals. Two audience members got invited up to sing karaoke style to their track Rockstar. The bloke certainly had a lot of charm and charisma whilst the girl didn’t know the lyrics but improvised anyway. Plus bassist Ryan Peake and drummer Daniel Adair had a crack at being lead vocalists on a couple of songs.

Whether you love Nickelback or hate them, one thing is for sure: they are hysterically funny on stage. Vocalist Chad Kroeger was doing shots of Jagger throughout the show courtesy of stageman Brad. Visually, the stage was mesmerizing and dazzling to look at. The display screens showed close-ups of each of the band members plus shots of the audience. There were also some animated sequences like spacey fractal patterns, burning flames, a high security door and a classic hot rod.  

I truly felt connected with all of the other Nickelback fans’ energies combined. There were plenty of sing-a-longs, laugh-out-loud moments and hand claps. I think the thing I appreciate most about Nickelback is they aren’t afraid of being themselves. I’ve always resonated with their positive, life-affirming messages in their lyrical content as well as raising important social and political issues such as poverty, world hunger, greed, power and corruption.

My only criticism would have to be the lack of tracks from Feed The Machine. Considering this tour was promoting that album in particular, it would have made more sense to include a generous dose of tracks in the set list like Song On Fire, After The Rain, Home or The Betrayal (Act III). It was a strange choice indeed only to have the title track in tonight’s set list but alas you can’t have everything.

Set List: Feed The Machine, Figured You Out, Hangnail, Something In Your Mouth, Someday, Photograph, Animals, Far Away, Rockstar, Gotta Be Somebody, When We Stand Together, Hero, Lullaby, How You Remind Me, What Are You Waiting For?, Million Miles An Hour, Burn It To The Ground.