Nickelback Attacked, Fights Back

Nickelback may have performed its new single ?When We Stand Together? at the Detroit Lions game on Thanksgiving, but not everybody at Ford Field was standing together for the band. The Canadian alt-rock group showed up and played despite a three week-long petition from football fans to select a different group for the show.

Nickelback

Over 55,000 post-grunge haters with seemingly nothing better do signed a digital petition demanding Nickelback be replaced by a less ?corporate? act, as if any band with the option to play football halftime shows isn?t part of the corporate record machine.

Despite the outcry, Nickelback showed up and (arguably) rocked. Not only that, they raised money for a good cause as part of the “Nickelback Gives a Quarter Back” campaign, in which the band is donating a quarter for each person that volunteers to be a reader or tutor for the United Way. What a bunch of jerks!

I?m not a Nickelback fan to say the least. I agree with haters in saying the band plays formulaic, paint-by-numbers rock. The thing is, they excel at playing formulaic, paint-by-numbers rock. Regardless, they?re just a band and not worth getting your Lions panties in a bunch.

I never thought I?d find myself defending Nickelback, but damn, I?ve got to give them props this time. Rather than bow down to the pressure and/or tweet something douchebaggy,the band responded with a self-deprecating video at Funny or Die. Check it out and you might have more respect for the band. Excerpt: Questioning why so many people hate the band, one fake record exec replies, ?Could it be because you?re Canadian??

Whether you think Nickelback is a bastardized corporate rock mutation of Nirvana or you hum along whenever ?Photograph? comes on, you might like this video. If you don?t have to time to watch it, I?m sure there?s some pointless online petition out there just waiting to be signed.