The lighting was absolutely breathtaking. I figured I would never see another light show as elaborate or perfectly synchronized as Nine Inch Nails. I was pleasantly surprised.
My seat wasn’t what I usually hope for when I go to a concert. I typically like to be within the first 15 rows by the stage. I got my tickets the day of the show, and I figured as long as I was on the floor it wouldn’t be too bad. This turned out to be a blessing, I believe, because being father back gave me a better view of the lighting and of the overall stage.

They had an elaborate pyrotechnic display featuring fire both on the stage and on the floor behind the audience. Lasers were also featured, with green light spanning across the arena in a style that reminded me of Coldplay.

I hope to see them again in the future, and you are doing yourself a great disservice if you don’t at least check out their CDs. The Lost Christmas Eve is my favorite.

Check out more photos in my flickr set.

I think it is important to keep some perspective. Nickelback has never exactly been a band that has tried to push the envelope. They are clearly influenced by Nirvana and and Pearl Jam, and that’s exactly how they sound.

The key, though, is that they are good at that sound. Chad Kroeger has a good voice, and the instrumentation is pretty good.
With that in mind, Dark Horse does have a few songs with sounds that they haven’t explored before. The last track on the album, “This Afternoon”, is more akin to country-rock than their usual post-grunge sound.

I’m not sure where the idea formed that every album has to be a radical departure from everything past, but that idea needs to be dismissed. For instance, I would love to find another album that compared to A Perfect Circle’s Thirteenth Step for me. Ashes Divide has come the closest to this, but they still don’t fill that void.

At the least listen to the singles and give Dark Horse a fair chance.