Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger made no mistake about the fact that the band wasn't built to go on extended publicity tours, like the one it just finished.
That's what made Nickelback's iHeartRadio Album Release Party so special for the band. After weeks on the road, waking up in the wee hours of the morning (when the guys are used to going to sleep), being shuttled between interviews and appearances, Nickelback finally got to do what the band was meant to do: play a loud rock show.
Kroeger told iHeartRadio's Josh Klinger that the band was looking forward to a cathartic end to the publicity, and the beginning of their world tour in support of the band's ninth studio album, Feed the Machine, available June 16.
While Kroeger downplayed the suggestion that releasing an album was like giving birth, he confirmed that Feed the Machine was a labor of love, saying the band was given all the time it needed to complete the LP.
"Until we all knew that it was exactly how it was supposed to be," Kroeger says of the new album, "we didn't want to put it out."
Kroeger spoke to Klinger on behalf of the group, conveying how grateful they are to still be on the road, packing arenas all over the world more than 22 years after he started the band with his brother Mike Kroeger and bass and childhood friend Ryan Peake on guitar. Daniel Adair has played drums in the band since 2005.
And while Chad Kroeger, 42, has been a bonafide rock star for most of his adult life, he remains grounded and aware of his status, and he's out to enjoy the lifestyle to the best of his ability. When pressed by Klinger, Kroeger admitted that some of the aspects of the band's 2005 hit, "Rockstar," apply to him; he built a hockey rink in his house and is more interested in enjoying the spoils of his career than being too thrifty.
If one of his friends has a dumb idea, he says using the home hockey rink as an example, "My first question is what is it, and how much is it gonna cost?"
Nickelback's Feed the Machine Tour begins on June 23rd where the band will be shuttled from arena to arena, state to state, country to country, rocking crowds thousands of people strong every night. Getting that started with an intimate show in front of about 100 lucky fans provided some welcome perspective for the group, a subtle reminder of the tiny clubs in which the band first honed its craft.
Here's the setlist from the special night:
"Woke Up This Morning"
"Gotta Be Somebody"
"Song On Fire"
"Rockstar"
"How You Remind Me"
"Something In Your Mouth"
"Animals"
"Too Bad"
"Far Away"
"When We Stand Together"
"Figured You Out"
"Burn It to the Ground"
Get all the Feed the Machine Tour dates here.
Now, Look at these photographs...
Check out the official music videos for the lead singles of Feed the Machine, the album's title track and "Song on Fire" below: