Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Nickelback will open Washington State Fair concert series

The News Tribune

They’re loved and they’re hated and they’re opening the Washington State Fair.

Nickelback kicks off the Columbia Bank Concert Series at the Washington State Fair on Sept. 1.

The band’s popularity is undisputed with more than 50 million albums sold worldwide. But the boys from Hanna, Canada, are the butt of many jokes. You don’t get that big without getting detractors.

The band is working on its ninth album. Nickelback had 12 consecutive sold-out international tours, won 12 Juno Awards, two American Music Awards, six Billboard Music Awards and was the World Music Award Recipient for Best-Selling Rock Artist.

Nickelback’s charter members — Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger — formed the band in 1995. Their hits include “Photograph,” “How You Remind Me,” “Far Away” and “Someday.”

Hating Nickelback has long been in fashion. Kroeger’s raspy voice isn’t for everyone, and their music seems to follow the generic rock-band playbook. But some of the shade thrown their way is over the top.

Detroit Lions fans started a petition to get them out of a halftime entertainment booking in 2011. In November, a Canadian police department announced it would play Nickelback’s music while driving DUI offenders to jail. The officer who wrote the notice later apologized.