What an amazing night. The truth is I wasn't a Nickelback fan. I appreciate them as musicians but it's not my kind of music. I like light jazz. We've had them before at the MGM Grand Garden Arena back in 2010 but I couldn't tell you how that show went. I could prob look back on a blog but if memories of it don't pop into my head upon first thought, then who cares. But this time was different. Not sure why but it was. The entire day was different. It might have had something to do with me having spent much of the previous night hanging with Tequila-guy but that only contributed to my good mood. It didn't have anything to do with my new appreciation for this band.
The day started off quiet which is always good. The more phone calls, emails and texts you get, the longer the day seems to go. I met with their head of security, Chris - again one of the coolest dudes on the planet. Cool, calm, reasonable, respectful - the way you want them all to be. It's a great reflection of the tour as a whole.
I snap a couple of pics as the stage is being built in the middle of the arena. This is one of my fave parts. It's so amazing to know that it 5-6 hours an entire light rig, stage & all the production elements of a major show goes up like an erector set. Better yet, this thing comes down and goes into specific set cases in 1/2 that time. Simply amazing. If you've never seen this, at the very least, catch it on a youtube time-lapse.
I didn't pay much attention to the CAD when we went on-sale with the show. I knew there were pods stage right and left with cocktail tables but I didn't notice the massive circular b-stage next to the FOH mix. At some point in the afternoon I head out to the floor, look up and see this thing. Awesome. Jay, my colleague tells me it lowers and spins. Awesome. Can't wait to see this thing in action.
It's a GA floor which means everyone stands. I love GA floors for rock shows. They're such a cool experience and makes it seem much more intimate and old school. In the 7 years I've been at the arena we've never had a problem with GA floors. In fact, it's the opposite. The fans appreciate the space, the freedom and the environment.
Before I know it we're 15 minutes to doors. Granted this show was a little earlier than normal. Usually we have 6.30p doors with an 8.00p show start but for this one we have 6.00p doors with a 7.00p show start. They've got 3 opening acts: My Darkest Days, Seether & Bush. Actually we're 15 minutes to early entry. This has become the norm for major tours coming thru. You purchase a special ticket package, get some merch, maybe access to a party room with food and drink, a souvenir lanyard and early entry. The kids stroll in quite nicely I have to say. Most of the time they come running in like madmen. These guys are pretty well behaved. No running that I saw.
So I'm on this ridiculous health kick: no drinking (Yeah, kinda blew that on Thursday & Friday night but more on that later, maybe.), no red meat or eating badly, no smoking - what the hell am I gonna do while the bands are on stage? I've got a novel idea. How about actually checking out some of the concert. I'm so used to taking this stuff for granted that I decided to make a conscious effort to watch as much of the show as I could. And man am I glad I did. I missed all of My Darkest Days because I was busy doing work stuff; missed most of Seether although managed to snap a pic or 2; caught 3 songs of Bush and watched 2/3rds of Nickelback. Have I mentioned what an amazing show this was?
All thru the week I'd been tweeting from the MGM Grand Garden account and following Bush & Gavin Rossdale. He'd been giving out tics to fans. It amazed me how fan-friendly & accessible he is. During Bush's set he went out into the audience bleachers on the east side, then to the GA floor, then to the west side. Totally hung with the fans. He's in great shape so he ran up and down the isles with ease.
Best part for me was when they hit the b-stage. I couldn't wait for this part. Luckily it was only 4 songs into the set. The arena goes dark, the band heads down the house right trough we create for safety and onto the circular stage. In hindsight I found out the guys from Nickelback are hockey fans and are playing the NHL Awards Dinner which is ironic because the b-stage seemed to be made of the same kind of plexiglass they have attached to the hockey dashers. But I digress. They get up on the stage and up it goes… and then it starts spinning. It was the coolest thing. It just worked for them. Not sure why. Maybe because they were pure rock and the structure was metallic and clear. Who knows. I don't think this kind of thing would work as well for most other bands.
