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The Navigator

I'm no Nickelback fan, or scrapbooker either

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published March 10, 2006

Okay, I'll admit, I've made a little fun of Nickelback.

Constantly.

Consistently.

And quite recently.

And, sure, it wasn't just "a little" fun. It was at great length, with levels and quantities of derision both warranted and not.

It's true, in one of the first entries for my Times blog (now named The Ill Literate), I did express dismay that this Canadian rock band was the No. 1 artist in the "Alt Metal" category of a major online music service.

In retrospect, it's true that Nickelback, which plays at the St. Pete Times Forum on Tuesday night, isn't necessarily to blame for how it's categorized.

But seriously, this band is about as "metal" as Celine Dion. It's more like adult alternative, which generally means alternative that isn't an alternative to anything.

And yes, I'll fess up, I did make a completely unfair attack on the band's lead singer.

Specifically, I claimed that "the hideously highlighted, monstrously mulleted Chad Kroeger looks a lot like my poker buddy Bryan. Well, if someone ran Bryan through a rusty woodchipper. Twice. In Hell."

Which is a truly unfair personal attack, and I'm almost sorry I made it. And really, no matter Mr. Kroeger's does-he-ever-look-in-a-mirror hairdo, that's no reason to knock a band's music.

Though, yeah, I've done that too. Hey, I didn't mind the hit single How You Remind Me the first few times radio played it, though the next 72-million times seemed like overkill, especially when the later single Someday sounded like the exact same song.

But when Photograph took up 24/7 residence on the radio airwaves, I really had to draw the line.

The melody is catchy, granted, but the lyrics are unspeakably awful, with Kroeger impressing listeners by rhyming the word "up" with "up" and the word "out" with "out." Poetry.

And like my buddy Stephanie says: "Chad Kroeger is the wussiest rock star ever. I mean, what's he doing in that song? Scrapbooking."

So what's the problem? Well, I've been assigned to review Tuesday night's Nickelback show for the Times. So the above is all full disclosure that, sure, I have formed a few opinions about my personal feelings for Nickelback.

Will that color how I review the show? Well, not as much as you might think. See, reviewing a concert isn't necessarily about whether you think the product is bad or good according to your own tastes. It's far more about whether the band seems to impress and connect with its fans.

Sure, if Kroeger and company say or do something particularly groan-inducing, I'll likely call them out on that. But if they also put on a spirited performance, rest assured, I'll note that too.

So there it is, Nickelback fans: my full disclosure. If this is your cup of tea, head for the Times Forum and rock out Tuesday night. As for what will appear in Wednesday's review, well, I won't know until shortly before you do. But you can't say you weren't warned.

- Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 813 226-3431. His Times blog, The Ill Literate, can be found at www.sptimes.com/blogs/tampaarts/

Nickelback performs at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the St. Pete Times Forum, downtown Tampa. Tickets are $37.75. Call (813) 301-2500.

[Last modified March 9, 2006, 14:26:08]