LIVE NATION PRESENTS: NICKELBACK
LIVE AT THE TOYOTA AMPHITHEATRE IN WHEATLAND, CA ON 7/8/23
Nickelback embarked on their “Feed the Machine” tour in 2017, which included a stop in Northern California, and Mayhem Music Magazine covered the event. They were also set to return for their “All The Right Reasons 15th-anniversary” tour in 2020, but unfortunately, the tour was canceled due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. Six years later, the band hit the road again, and Mayhem Music Magazine ensured they covered their performance.
Over the years, some music enthusiasts have criticized the band, despite Nickelback proving their ability to rock with the best. Personally, we believe they are one of the premier commercial hard rock bands, with numerous hit songs and other great tracks that have remained underappreciated on mainstream radio playlists.
In November 2022, Nickelback released their 10th studio album, “Get Rollin,” and embarked on a North American tour to promote it. On this occasion, the band performed at the Toyota Amphitheatre in Wheatland, Ca.
The show’s stage was equipped with massive visual monitors, ensuring even those at the farthest location had a good view. The performance kicked off with a action packed video featuring band members Chad Kroeger, Mike Kroeger, Ryan Peake, And Daniel Adair on ‘Wanted Dead or Alive’ posters. and scenes reminiscent of their album covers. At that point the video shows the yellow, three-axle van that graces the band’s newest album cover breaking through a prison wall and leading a police chase. A black Ford Thunderbird as seen on the All the Right Reasons” studio album cover goes through the police chase (a nice nod to the 15th anniversary tour they had to cancel). Spotlights focus on the center of the stage as the show starts off with the energetic hard rocker “San Quentin,” the first released single from their current album.
Throughout the show, Nickelback displayed their musical versatility, including acoustic hits like “Far Away” and “Savin’ Me” (with bass tech Rob Dawson accompanying the band on both guitar and piano) alongside full-on rockers like “Animals,” “Someday,” and “Figured You Out.” I always loved this song because it’s heavy and it was the track that introduced the double mic set up on stage to get the separate vocal tones live to replicate the album sound.
Ryan Peake took the lead vocals for “Worthy to Say,” once more showing off his vocal and guitar ability that often goes unmentioned.
Nickelback treated the audience to a rendition of Chad Kroeger’s movie soundtrack solo hit “Hero”. The original track featured Saliva’s Josie Scott as the secondary vocalist. Those vocals were covered effortlessly by Peake during their live performance. A cover version of Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” was added to the set for a touch of outlaw country. Nickelback brought out country artists Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross to share in the vocal duties for this Southern classic. The show continued with a mix of their classic hits and new tracks keeping the crowd engaged and enthusiastic.
The stage went dark once more as another video of the groovy yellow van from the ‘Get Rollin’ album cover came across the video monitors showing the van turn into alternate versions of Back to The Future Delorean, a transformer autobot, a Ghostbuster ambulance, and several other trippy renditions as the lights came on and another new track ‘High Time’ was played.
The crowd turned into one big karaoke as the set turns acoustic as Kroeger and Peake played ‘Photograph’. There’s always one song that each band’s setlist wouldn’t be complete without, for Nickelback that song is ‘Rockstar’. It’s a great sing along and total party song and the crowd was feeling very festive. Nickelback kick back in the adrenaline as they go back over two decades to play ‘Too Bad’ off the Silver Side Up 2001 release.
The band adds another new song ‘Those Days’ to the setlist from their latest album release. You really can appreciate how many great songs the band has written over the years as they play a mix of their hits as well as the new music that they are still putting out. The show rounds out their set with ‘How You Remind Me’ before saying thank you as they leave the stage.
For the encore, Nickelback delivered powerful performances of “Gotta Be Somebody” and closed the show with “Burn It to The Ground,” accompanied by spectacular pyrotechnics. I was hoping to hear ‘Vegas Bomb’ but that was not meant to be this time around.
Overall, the night was a massive success, leaving the hope that Nickelback will return to the area again sooner than six years from now.
NICKELBACK Photo Gallery Click HERE
Toyota Amphitheatre Wheatland Setlist
San Quentin
Savin’ Me
Far Away
Animals
Someday
Worthy to Say
Figured You Out
Hero
Copperhead Road (with Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross)
High Time
Photograph
Rockstar
Too Bad
Those Days
How You Remind Me
Gotta Be Somebody
Burn It to the Ground