(Advice) I know you think they're a cheesy band, but ...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Like the title says, I know there won't be a shortage of people who think I'm asking about a really cheesy band here, but that doesn't neccessarily mean you won't be able to answer the question either, we've all been to concerts that we thought were questionable at some time or another

Here's

I get an email last night with a pre-sale opportunity on Friday morning (regular sales start Saturday 10AM).

The Arena at Gwinnett Center is proud to announce that Nickelback will be performing on Friday, March 17, 2006! With special guests, Chevelle and Trapt.

I'll admit it -- I think they're pretty decent. Commercial as hell, but catchy nonetheless. I like 'em & more importantly to my decision Will likes 'em & knows all the radio stuff well plus quite a few of the deep cuts that didn't get airplay.

I'm debating whether to try to get the same tickets I got for Metallica (1st Row Center, 2nd Level). Those were pretty much perfect -- great view with no obstructions but with zero worries about having a 7 year old get trampled.

Some of you may recall that he's a relative veteran of concerts as 7 y/o kids go -- Metallica, Deep Purple, Dio, Poison, and all the various supporting acts that went with those headliners. Musically, if he handled those fine, I don't think he'd have a problem handling a rock-leaning pop band like Nickelback.

Here's what I don't know:
1) I haven't seen a "new" act in years, I have no idea what sort of crowd Nickelback will draw. Put it this way, 35-54 was a well-represented demographic at the Metallica show at this same venue (and Will was not the youngest kid there by a long shot) but I have no clue whether this would be similar or if they'll draw 99% 15-24 year olds.
2) If the crowd does skew very young, what does that do to the environment vis a vis taking a 7 year old? For the sake of comparison, I've really had no issues at all with Will being at any of the shows I mentioned (or at least no issues that I couldn't easily divert his attention from), but I don't have the foggiest what "kids-who-go-to-concerts" these days are like. I'm not accusing them of anything, I simply don't know what the standard behavior is like anymore, it's not my scene.
3) I haven't the foggiest idea who either of the opening acts are. Will we hate 'em, love 'em, or just be bored by them?

Other than the obligatory ribbing of me for considering paying good money to see Nickelback, what other input ya got for me?

[Schmidty]

Chevelle used to be pretty darned good. They started as a "Christian Alternative" band. I haven't heard them in a few years, so I'm not sure if they're still good.

[ThunderingHERD]

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I've actually seen Nickleback live. About four years ago, when I was at Marshall, they played at some festival in the park put on by the local "alternative" radio station with a bunch of other shitty bands including Henry Rollins. Mostly what I remember is wandering around the park laughing at the goths and metalheads.

[JeeberD]

IMO Nickleback isn't necessarily "cheesy", they're just overplayed. I usually find their songs to be pretty decent when they first come out but by the 1000th time I've heard the song in a month absolutely I hate it...

[PackerFanatic]

Trapt is pretty decent live, actually. I enjoy their music (Chevelle too) so the show shouldn't be too terrible (even though I am not a Nickelback fan)

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I've actually seen Nickleback live. About four years ago, when I was at Marshall, they played at some festival in the park put on by the local "alternative" radio station with a bunch of other shitty bands including Henry Rollins. Mostly what I remember is wandering around the park laughing at the goths and metalheads.

They still have that same festival every year. They call it XFest. Good GOD do the strange people come out that day.

[oliegirl]

Which radio station is sponsoring it? I am assuming it's Star 94, in which case I'd say you were pretty safe. If it's 99X, the "angry teen" demographic is going to go up, but I'd still think you'd be safe.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by JeeberD

IMO Nickleback isn't necessarily "cheesy", they're just overplayed. I usually find their songs to be pretty decent when they first come out but by the 1000th time I've heard the song in a month absolutely I hate it...

What he said. Plus, Chevelle is pretty good.

[ice4277]

I like to call it the "Lenny Kravitz effect". I used to like his stuff, but it was so overplayed, I can't listen to it anymore.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by oliegirl

Which radio station is sponsoring it? I am assuming it's Star 94, in which case I'd say you were pretty safe. If it's 99X, the "angry teen" demographic is going to go up, but I'd still think you'd be safe.

You are a concert-predicting genuis

I'm so removed from all that stuff that this never even crossed my mind. Sure enough, Star 94 ... which also is promoting a pre-sale tomorrow morning at the same time (just a different password than the one I was emailed by the venue).

Bad news is that means there'll be a little more competition for the tickets I want, good news is that I now have a much better idea what sort of demographics to expect.

As a college-aged family friend put it a little while ago "This is Nickelback, not Slipknot, I don't think you've got much to worry about. And knowing Will, I don't think you'd have anything to worry about if it was Slipknot either."

I'll update the thread tomorrow with whether or not I get the seats I'm after (front row, upper level -- smallish venue, so sitting upper is not a problem & with a 7 y/o, it's about the only way he'll be able to see anything).

[Draft Dodger]

I think Nickelback gets a bum rap. in particular, I think the guitar / bass combo is top notch, and I'm a big fan of their more uptempo, guitar-heavy work. unfortunately, that enthusiasm is tempered by a lot of repetition in songwriting (they go to the "stop and start" well way to many times for example), too many cheesy ballads, and a really lame drummer. but they don't quite deserve all the hatred pointed their way. I'd go see them, if I had the chance.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Draft Dodger

I think Nickelback gets a bum rap.... and I'm a big fan of their more uptempo, guitar-heavy work. unfortunately, that enthusiasm is tempered by a lot of repetition in songwriting (they go to the "stop and start" well way to many times for example), too many cheesy ballads, and a really lame drummer. but they don't quite deserve all the hatred pointed their way.

Pretty well sums up my take on them too. They're one of a very small handful of new bands who I found interesting enough to spend money on in the past 5-10 years, so obviously I don't have any serious problem with them ... but I figured I might as well acknowledge the loss of cool points/style points I was going to suffer by admitting I was considering going to see them.

[Karlifornia]

I knew that people listened to these bands, but I never had proof

[MizzouRah]

My buddy just saw Chevelle about a month ago, he liked them so much he bought their album. He said they were really good in person and still talks about that concert. They have some good songs.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

3) I haven't the foggiest idea who either of the opening acts are. Will we hate 'em, love 'em, or just be bored by them?

The music they perform is similar to Nickelback, so you might like them.

As for the crowd, I think you'll be safe. I've been to a lot various types of concerts and the two biggest things for determining how the crowd will act seem to be the genre of the music and what type of seating it is. Nickelback is not going to draw the rowdy crowd. And you're in the seats. I've never been to a concert in the seat section and had it get any kind of crazy. Crazy is usually reserved for the pit and grass/lawn area.

As a college-aged family friend put it a little while ago "This is Nickelback, not Slipknot, I don't think you've got much to worry about. And knowing Will, I don't think you'd have anything to worry about if it was Slipknot either."

Slipknot is a good example of what I mean by where you see a band. I've seen Slipknot 3 times, and each time was in a different type of setting. One was at the Electric Factory (Philly) and it was nuts. Another was Ozzfest when I was on the grass and that got a little crazy too. The 3rd time I was in the seat section and it was fine, no craziness there at all. The seats section seem to generally be reserved for the uncrazy people.

[sabotai]

dola,

A comedian once said (and I'm paraphrasing: "I think music does make people violent. Whenever I hear Nickelback, it makes me want to hurt Nickelback."

[Ksyrup]

I have two younger cousins (15-18 year old range) who love Trapt. They were shocked when I told them I knew who Trapt was, and even more shocked when I told them I don't really listen to them because they aren't heavy enough and are a bit too mainstream for my metal tastes. There's nothing better at my age than being able to discuss music with two teenage, multi-colored hair, black fingernailed, goth chicks and getting those confused/shocked looks back. That kind of stuff was impossible when I was their age. But now that the 80s generation is 20-25 years older...

Anyway, Trapt has a big guitar sound and some screaming vocals that hide the fact that they're really just a post-grunge rock band. Kinda like Hoobastank, or Creed without the baggage.

[Jonathan Ezarik]

Originally Posted by ThunderingHERD

As embarrassing as it is to admit, I've actually seen Nickleback live. About four years ago, when I was at Marshall, they played at some festival in the park put on by the local "alternative" radio station with a bunch of other shitty bands including Henry Rollins. Mostly what I remember is wandering around the park laughing at the goths and metalheads.

Hold up. Are you saying that Henry Rollins is shitty?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Thanks to all for the help.

Nickelback
The Arena At Gwinnett Center
Atlanta, GA
Fri, Mar 17, 2006 07:30 PM

Section 217
Row D
Seats 1 - 4

CLUB LEVEL

edit to add: I'm actually one section off-center, not sure whether that's better, worse, or indifferent since they haven't announced the stage set-up for the show as far as I could tell. If they're "End Stage" (like in a football layout end zone) then this is worse. If it's "Center Stage (like Metallica was, oriented like captains at midfield for a coin toss) then it's pretty good. Either way, I got my aisle seat and besides ... he's SEVEN years old, how much should he really bitch about what seat he's got at a concert? )

[oliegirl]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Thanks to all for the help.

Nickelback
The Arena At Gwinnett Center
Atlanta, GA
Fri, Mar 17, 2006 07:30 PM

Section 217
Row D
Seats 1 - 4

CLUB LEVEL

edit to add: I'm actually one section off-center, not sure whether that's better, worse, or indifferent since they haven't announced the stage set-up for the show as far as I could tell. If they're "End Stage" (like in a football layout end zone) then this is worse. If it's "Center Stage (like Metallica was, oriented like captains at midfield for a coin toss) then it's pretty good. Either way, I got my aisle seat and besides ... he's SEVEN years old, how much should he really bitch about what seat he's got at a concert? )

Congrats on the tickets! I like their music, more so the stuff that doesn't get played to death on the radio, but as you know, Star 94 is the worst when it comes to playing a good song until you want to stick needles in your ears to relieve the pain.

Have fun!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by oliegirl

... more so the stuff that doesn't get played to death on the radio ...

I listen to fairly little music radio, so I'm relieved of that problem somewhat.
Heck, I don't always know what is/isn't getting airplay, so even if my favorites from the current album ("Animals" & "Next Contestant") are getting overdone somewhere, I still haven't gotten burned out on them.

[Ksyrup]

I listen to so little radio, I haven't even heard that song Photograph in its entirety. I've read several threads elsewhere about it (mostly negative), but the only bit of that song I've even heard is from a cell phone commercial.

If I gave this band a chance, I certainly would not feel compelled to buy any of their albums, but I'd probably put them in the same category as Creed - although they would rank higher because they are Stappless. They seem to be a solid, but completely formulaic, rock band that doesn't do anything groundbreaking. Better than listening to R&B and pop divas, that's for sure.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Ksyrup -- even if I'm willing to say "I like 'em", I wouldn't argue the "formulaic" part.

Hmm ... makes me wonder a little bit (about something that probably has an obvious answer, even if I haven't invested much thought in it before) -- as music becomes a less critical part of someone's life, do they then naturally become more tolerant of "formula" music? I mean, my time-spent-listening is probably 5% of what it was 20 years ago, so even if something is predictable, the TSL is so low that it really isn't bothersome to me.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I have two younger cousins (15-18 year old range) who love Trapt....two teenage, multi-colored hair, black fingernailed, goth chicks

Wow....goth sure has changed since when I was 15-18.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Just a quick update & a chance to say thanks to those who contributed to this thread & helped me decide that this was a good opportunity for some father-son entertainment.

Trapt was quite good, a good bit above average for the opener on a 3-band bill IMO. It might very well be nothing more than a matter of them finding the right song at the right time to eventually equal the success of Nickelback. I was particularly impressed by the drummer who was one of the more ... hmm ... "aggressive" is the best word I can come up with right now, drummers I've seen. It also struck me while watching them that they were probably the first "straight-up rock" act I've seen since catching Joan Jett opening for somebody or another going maybe 15-20 years ago. The comparison band that came to mind a couple of times was (don't laugh) Franke & the Knockouts -- just a rock band, not really any sort of metal influence that I could discern.

Chevelle, on the other hand, quite clearly has a New York/Northeastern punk/rock/metal influence. Think Anthrax or something like that. Much harder than either of the other two, or maybe better described as noticeably less melodic. A distinctly different style & feel to their set, which IMO was a good thing because it would have been overkill to do three clones in a row.

Nickelback was, to borrow a term from pro wrestling, "over. Way Over. Over HARD". Pretty much the most enthusiastic crowd response I've seen a band get since maybe Motley Crue back at the height of their popularity. Also the highest pitched reaction I can recall hearing for a band (i.e. a lot more enthusiastic 12-24 y/o females than anyone I've ever seen). Biggest pop for any song all night was easily for Someday, which kinda surprised me
(I would have figured either Photograph or How You Remind Me). Their tribute to Dimebag Darrell (video montage to accompany Side of a Bullet, which I never knew was their response to his death until they talked about it) was well done & seemed quite sincere. They've also hired Pantera's old pyro guy as their pyro guy & even with heavy use of explosions, flames, etc. it was well done rather than over done. Another "I didn't know" tidbit that they played up was that the show was on the anniversary of their first-ever gig in the U.S., which was in the late 90's at an Atlanta bar (Three Dollar Cafe). Funny moment as the self-described "guys from the Canadian prairie" sparked a short "USA, USA, USA" chant with the telling of the story.

On the whole, maybe the most diverse crowd age-wise of any show I've ever been to (only Pink Floyd comes to mind as a rival) with a range of about 6 years old to 60 years old. Also probably the whitest crowd I've seen at a concert (somewhat odd considering the 80's metal & country bands that are the vast majority of my concert experiences). Not really here nor there probably, just something that struck me while watching.

Highlight of the night for me though really didn't come from the bands, it came (kinda predictably maybe) from my son. From the first song of the Nickelback set, I noticed that he was totally locked in on them & was singing along with pretty much every song except those from their early indy releases. That's significant because it was something he's always been unwilling (too self-conscious was my belief) to do, no matter the band, no matter how well he knew the material, no matter how I encouraged him. Seeing that new self-confidence in him (and the joy that was in it) was an awesome moment-in-parenting & made the whole weekend worthwhile. I give big kudos to his music teacher at school for encouraging him (he's not a half-bad little singer, certainly not bad at all by 8 y/o standards) & building his confidence.

Added bonuses from the weekend included: we were joined for the concert by one of our former interns (now 19 going on 20) and her 21 y/o fiancee, who is one of Will's favorite people. It was the guy's first arena concert believe it or not & he was over the moon with the experience, so I'm very happy to have been able to make that happen for him. Will & I stayed overnight Friday & caught another ECHL game Saturday night, then stayed overnight Saturday & got in a couple of rounds of miniature golf today before the rain showers hit & we headed home.

All in all, a great father-son weekend, and I appreciate the role the FOFC'ers played in helping make it happen.

[Buccaneer]

It's amazing to me that your father-son outing would be so much different than my father-son outing (consider their similar age). For example, I'm taking my son to San Francisco next weekend for Spring Break (then up to see my parents for the week). Don't think you would be caught dead being in SF.

[Izulde]

I really liked Trapt when I saw them live, and I have both their CDs.

[Ksyrup]

Glad you had a good time. I'm looking forward to having a chance to share this kind of moment with one of my daughters, although I suspect it will be over my wife's dead body. It would have been much easier to achieve with a son, I imagine.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Glad you had a good time. I'm looking forward to having a chance to share this kind of moment with one of my daughters, although I suspect it will be over my wife's dead body. It would have been much easier to achieve with a son, I imagine.

I dunno, I saw quite a few father-daughter combos at both the concert & the hockey game actually (more at the latter than the former, but still)

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

For example, I'm taking my son to San Francisco next weekend for Spring Break (then up to see my parents for the week). Don't think you would be caught dead being in SF.

Actually, I think SF is a reasonably cool place to visit (as long as I stick to the stuff that's there & severely limit my interaction with the residents). Visited there maybe 10 years ago, enjoyed the Wharf, froze my ass of heading out to Alcatraz in the rain, and had a very good Chinese dinner at a non-touristy joint we basically had to beg the cabbie to take us too (he had a hard time believing we were serious when we insisted that he take us to where he went for Chinese instead of where he usually took tourists). You know you're probably going to get a decent meal when the only people eating at a place are cops & people of the same ethnicity as the restaurant theme (i.e. we were obviously the only tourists in the place).

But, as an odd aside I guess, the thing that really stands out to me about visiting SF was that it really made me realize what a "big city" was like. I mean, I thought I kinda knew what a major metro was (thanks to Atlanta) but a short time there & I realized (for example) what a homeless problem really looked like. That may sound kinda strange, but it's not a criticism of the city or anything, it's just an admission of my own naivety at that time. I really thought I had "been to the city" prior to that trip, afterwards I realized that I hadn't seen a BIG city before (hadn't been to NYC at that point in my life).

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I dunno, I saw quite a few father-daughter combos at both the concert & the hockey game actually (more at the latter than the former, but still)

But none of those fathers were married to my wife.

It's funny, my daughter's current favorite song is a King's X song called Open My Eyes. She's loves singing along to the chorus. But the prechorus has the lyrics, "what does it take to get to the point/where you want to kill someone/where is that place, that line you have to cross/when you want to kill someone." Drives my wife crazy when we listen to it.

[Eaglesfan27]

That's awesome Jon. Glad you and your child had a great weekend.