Nickelback faces backlash from Canadians for headlining ‘MAGA-friendly' U.S. music festival alongside Kid Rock
Nickelback has never cared if you like them. In fact, the perennially popular Canadian hard rock titans have in recent years embraced their reputation as the 'world's most hated band.'
But that hasn't stopped music fans north of the 49th parallel from bristling at the band's decision to join noted Donald Trump booster Kid Rock as a co-headliner for Rock the Country, a massive U.S. rock festival described as a celebration of the country's 'God-fearing patriots.'
'If you hated Nickelback before, how about now that they're doing a MAGA-friendly festival tour?' one lapsed fan wrote on X.
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'Rock The Country is more than just a festival,' the event's website reads. 'It's a gathering for the true heart of America. This is where hardworking, God-fearing patriots unite under the open sky, celebrating the freedom we hold dear and the power of live music to connect us all.'
The tour, which kicked off in April and continues until July, includes 10 stops in 10 small U.S. towns. In addition to Nickelback and Kid Rock, the lineup features classic rock legends Lynyrd Skynyrd (known for their penchant for Confederate flags); conservative renegade Hank Williams Jr.; and MAGA-regular Lee Greenwood, who recently collaborated with Trump to publish the ' God Bless the U.S.A. Bible,' available from $59.99. Early 2000s one-hit wonder Afroman will also be there, for some reason
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Nickelback seems to be the only Canadian act on the lineup.
'We're really looking forward to hitting the road and visiting some amazing towns, especially in places we've never played before. There's something special about connecting with fans in these communities, and we're ready to bring our best and truly rock the country. Can't wait to see you all out there!' Nickelback bassist Michael Kroeger said in a statement. A representative for Nickelback did not immediately respond to the Star's request for comment.
Nickelback, the post-grunge pride of Hanna, Alta., is not known for being a political band, though their journeyman, no-frills approach to hard rock seems it would resonate with a certain conservative sensibility. But the decision to align themselves with a MAGA-adjacent festival in the midst of an unpopular trade war that has sparked a resurgence of Canadian pride is clearly not landing with all their fans.
(A recent poll found that Trump, who has repeatedly threatened to 'annex' Canada and turn it into a '51st state', has a 'deeply negative standing' among the majority of Canadians.)
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'NOW can we disown them?' one user wrote on X. 'Add this to the long list of reasons to hate Nickelback,' another wrote, adding the hashtag '#Never51.'
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Nickelback formed in 1995, and released their debut a year later. They exploded in popularity with the release of 2001's colossal 'Silver Side Up,' which sold over 10 million records.
'The album spawned countless imitators, giving rise to the derogatory but somehow perfectly apt term 'butt rock,'' I noted in a recent story on the most important Canadian albums of the 2000s. 'And yet despite the derision they faced, Nickelback maintained its immense popularity amongst its fiercely loyal, beer-swilling fan base. To this day, Nickelback's unwavering resilience feels like a giant middle finger to the hipsters and the haters.'
As of 2025, the band has 10 albums under their belt, and have sold over 50 million records worldwide. But given the current aversion to Donald Trump among most Canadians, their reputation even among their loyal fans might be at risk — just ask Wayne Gretzky.
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Toronto Sun
5 hours ago
- Toronto Sun
Trump booed, cheered at Kennedy Center while attending Les Miserables
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Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It was his first time attending a show there since becoming president, reflecting his focus on remaking the institution in his image while asserting more control over the country's cultural landscape. 'We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,' Trump said while walking down the red carpet with first lady Melania Trump. The Republican president has a particular affection for Les Miserables , the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. 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The Province
6 hours ago
- The Province
Connor McDavid's wife seemingly shades Florida Panthers: 'Why is Alberta rat-free?'
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Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors In a departure from her typically aesthetically curated and polished Instagram account, clothing and interior designer Lauren Kyle McDavid posted a screenshot of a Google Gemini AI response to her query: 'Why is Alberta rat-free?' The screenshot goes on to explain that a provincial program to monitor the Saskatchewan border, combined with strict enforcement and trapping, has led to the province being 'essentially rat-free' for 75 years. 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Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Animated documentary bite-sized chunk of family life
At the close of the Hot Docs Festival in May, in a field of dozens of live-action films, it was the animated feature Endless Cookie that took home the $50,000 Rogers Audience Award for Best Canadian Documentary, a prize determined by audience poll. Endless Cookie • Directed by Seth Scriver and Peter Scriver • Dave Barber Cinematheque • 97 minutes • Opens Friday, runs to June 22 It was no small achievement for co-directing brothers Seth Scriver, 47, a seasoned artist and animator, and Peter Scriver, 62, a man of many talents, including carver, trapper and poet. Peter, who is of white/Cree lineage, lives in Shamattawa First Nation in Northern Manitoba, 744 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Seth, who is white, is based in the city of his birth, Toronto. The urban/wilderness dynamic between them yields material that is powerful and relevant. But still … a documentary? The film is, after all, a cartoon, and one that is flagrantly impressionistic when it comes to hard-nosed reality. Peter's daughter Cookie, for example, is drawn as an actual chocolate-chip cookie; his dog Nutty is portrayed as Mr. Peanut. The overall look of the film suggests an underground comic come to life. Seth Scriver admits, when the film — which debuted at Sundance 2025 and opened imagineNATIVE 2025 — was presented at Hot Docs, the brothers were surprised it was so fervently embraced by the documentary realm. 'It was funny. We weren't trying to make a (documentary) genre film. It was more like … What is this?' he says. But he and his brother grew to accept the classification. 'It's a documentary because it's real stories. It's like a real family portrait, even though it seems unbelievable. Most of it is based in some reality,' Seth says. Most of the action is set in Shamattawa, where Seth interviews Peter about his life, including their lives together, stemming from a shared coming-of-age in Toronto, where their white father ran a vintage clothing shop in Kensington Market. In contrast to the crazy streets of '80s-era urban Toronto, the scenes in Shamattawa are linked into a familial community, especially Peter's sizable brood of nine children. And therein lies the film's distinction. Supplied It took Seth Scriver nine years to animate the movie. Supplied It took Seth Scriver nine years to animate the movie. When Seth originally discussed the movie with his brother, the idea was to make a film that would just take a couple of years to finish. It ended up being nine years in the making. Part of the reason is that Seth animated the film almost entirely by himself. But also, the project transformed when Seth realized he couldn't make a conventional animation with typically pristine audio. 'Originally, when we started, it was going to be straight-up good recording with no interruption, but Pete lives in a four-bedroom house with nine kids and 16 dogs, so it's insane to try to record anything,' says Seth. Supplied Peter Scriver is a trapper, carver and poet. Supplied Peter Scriver is a trapper, carver and poet. 'So eventually, we gave into the insanity and let it go.' Endless Cookie presents a picture of Indigenous life that veers away from the sombre, serious depictions prevalent in most films that take on the subject. The kids are funny and, cartoon distortion notwithstanding, real. They even contribute their own creativity to the mix with both animation and music. 'It's not for everyone, but we've been really lucky that it's been embraced so much, and people can relate to it,' Seth says. 'Because everyone has crazy families.' Randall KingReporter In a way, Randall King was born into the entertainment beat. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
