Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

We all cannot be rock stars, we all can not all be heroes to the world, yet we do something that is heroic and takes real guts and determination, it can be a rock star choice, we can stop the hate, not just on certain genres but on people too, countries, individuals, we can bring an end to the practise of self proclaimed abhorrence to that which we either don’t understand or which we confess to never listening to in the first place.

Dislike is understandable, hate is a very strong emotion, surely if you don’t enjoy something, it would be better to ignore it, let others pick up the pace and revel in the good time to be had, a salute to those perhaps who go against the grain and for a couple of hours take pleasure in the music of a band to whom seem to pick up just as much derision as they do plaudits.

From down in the pit of the Echo Arena to the space where being so high you can hear the sound of Canadian bliss, Nickelback took on the sapping Bank Holiday wind down, of a sun drenched weekend that has seen Liverpool bathed in the splendour of shaking off the wild winter blues and rain storms, and the prospect of competing against the bountiful music that always greets the city’s population over the weekend of the first weekend in May, Sound City and the Smithdown Road Festival. It is in that arena that Nickelback, despite it all, certainly made the crowd feel like rock stars for the night.

To Feed the Machine, you may as well play the derision at its own game and treat it in the same vein of those who deserve such hatred, the liars in Government, those who seek self gratification by hurting others, who willingly maim and sacrifice and abuse, but the strength of applause, of the fantastic smile that accompanied two fans, named Adam and Lucy as they got on stage to sing for one song with their Canadian heroes, these moments are priceless and earned the band so much love and respect that to be a hero was a pleasure.

With songs taken from every album over the course of their career, such as Photograph, Something In Your Mouth, Lullaby, the brilliant Figured You Out, When We Stand Together and the huge hit How You Remind Me filling the main set of the night, Nickelback got the reception they fully warranted; an evening of the loud and consciously cool, of being able to rouse an audience in the face of a beautiful bank holiday weather and the associated pursuits of happiness that entails, Nickelback truly rocked the Echo Arena, they gave the one thing that hate cannot abide, they gave love.

Ian D. Hall