Nickelback’s ‘Live in Nashville’ Guests Talk About Loving Nickelback

When Nickelback‘s Get Rollin’ tour hit Nashville last year, the Canadian rock stars went all out — and Nashville gleefully rolled out the red carpet for them in return. Their headlining gig at Bridgestone Arena was full of special guests, many of whom grew up listening to the massive — and frequently divisive — band.

During the show, stars like Daughtry, HARDY, Bailey Zimmerman, Brantley Gilbert, Josh Ross and ERNEST performed a mix of their own hits, Nickelback classics and covers with the group. The result is featured on Nickelback’s Live From Nashville album, out now. In honor of the live LP, most of Nickelback’s featured guests reflect on loving the band, becoming friends with them and performing during this legendary show.

Brantley Gilbert

“I’ve been a big fan of Nickelback for a long time. I used to cover ‘Far Away’ when I was coming up on the bar circuit. We were out with them on the Get Rollin’ Tour last year and performing ‘Copperhead Road’ became a staple during our run together. We all really enjoy incorporating cover songs into our sets, and this one made a lot of sense for us to do together – it’s a bit of a crossover hit, and we were out on a crossover tour.”         

HARDY

“I’ve been a fan of Nickelback since I was probably ten years old. All I know is, when they came to town to play Bridgestone I got a text saying that they’d like for me to join them on stage for ‘Sold Out.’ I’m not sure how true that is, but that’s how it happened. Once I got to soundcheck, the Nickelback guys just told me that they were fans and that they loved ‘Sold Out’ and they thought it would be fun to play it live. They didn’t really give me an option. They just said ‘here’s what we’re doing’ and I was like ‘yes sir.’

The stretch of their records I grew up with — Silver Side Up through Dark Horse — was very influential to me and how I write songs. Every single they had sounded like it could be played in a stadium. I took on that mentality with my songwriting and I truly think it has benefited my career immensely.”

ERNEST

“I’ve always been a Nickelback fan. It’s so cool to have gotten to know Chad over the past couple of years, so when he asked me to sing ‘Flower Shops,’ I couldn’t turn that down.”

Josh Ross

“Being part of the Nickelback tour was a career highlight for me. On top of that, I got a call five days before the tour started from Chad himself and he asked if I’d like to sing ‘Copperhead Road’ with them during their set. Being able to join them on stage for 52 shows was incredible and a full-circle moment since Steve Earle was one of my biggest influences growing up. Nickelback was always playing in my house as a kid, and I can honestly say that they are the greatest group of guys. From band to crew, everyone was incredible and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity.”

Bailey Zimmerman

“I literally came out of the womb listening to Nickelback. Enough said. Chad invited me on his private jet one time and since that trip we’ve been buddies, and he’s always felt like a big brother. So, when they decided to play Bridgestone, Chad called me and asked me to hop up – it was a no brainer. I was like ‘HELL YEAH!’ He said we are doing ‘Rockstar’ and you never argue with Nickelback, so I said ‘OK, “Rockstar” it is.’”