NICKELBACK Members Explain Why Being A Globally Famous Rock Band Is 'A Double-Edged Sword'

In a new interview with Ben Jones of Virgin Radio UK, the four members of NICKELBACK, which is considered to be one of the most commercially successful and prolific rock bands of the 21st century, were asked what "being famous" means to each one of them. Vocalist/guitarist Chad Kroeger responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't get to turn it off as much as these [other] guys do. They get the anonymity a little bit more than I do. I'm the face of the band, and so it's a little tough for me to hide."

He continued: "The other day I was in a store doing something and — oh, I wanted to go try something on; that's what it was — and I had a hat on. It's, like, there's no way that you could even… I didn't think that I looked like me. And just a constant reminder. 'Can I try these on?' And [the person helping me was], like, 'Yeah, let me get you a key to the dressing room. Any tour dates coming up?' [Laughs] Just, like, 'Yeah. 2027.' 'Cause even I try to forget sometimes that I'm… I just think, 'Well, they don't know who I am. There's no way this person knows.' And some people just play it cooler than others. And some people just are just, like, blah. 'I know who you are and I need to tell you. When I was such and such an age, I came and saw you guys play at this city.' And it's a double-edged sword. It can be a lot of fun. You're not having a hard time getting a table at a restaurant. And sometimes it's a bit of a pain in the ass."

Chad added: "I think it's [actor] Kevin Bacon who was telling a story about going to an open-air mall here in L.A. — The Grove, I think it was. I think it was something like that. I'm probably gonna butcher the story, but it went something along these lines, where he had makeup on or prosthetics or some sort of thing, a mask, something was on his face, so you couldn't tell he was famous. And he just wanted to go and try and see what it was like. And they asked him, 'Okay, so what was it like to go out as Kevin Bacon and have no one recognize you?' And he's, like, 'It's terrible. It's terrible. No one knew who I was. I got no preferential treatment. I hated it.' So there's also that."

NICKELBACK guitarist Ryan Peake said: "I don't think being famous would apply to me in that sense. I think having, I guess, whatever level of success we've had allows me to disappear and go off grid a lot easier these days, I think, which is kind of nice. But like Chad was saying, he kind of takes the bullets for all of us because being the frontman, recognizable guy, it's a day-to-day job, for sure. And lately it's been hopefully quite good to [Chad].

"I don't know," Ryan continued. "I got recognized at a SLAYER show the other day, so that was probably the… I wasn't expecting that. [A fan near me was yelling], 'SLAYER!' [And then he went], 'Hey, are you Ryan from NICKELBACK? Cool. Good to meet you, man.'

"Anyway, but it's fun," Ryan added. [Chad] stole my answer. The restaurant reservations — not a bad perk."

NICKELBACK drummer Daniel Adair chimed in: "I agree with [that]. Perks are good. Also, the flip side to that is you also get rock star pricing from contractors and stuff. When they come up and they find out what you do, all of a sudden there's an extra 15% everything. 'Oh, it's this inflation. It's crazy right now.'

Chad said: "I just say they just add a zero every time. Someone comes over, they find out it's your house, it's just, like, 'Oh, I'm adding a zero.'"

NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger, who lives in Los Angeles, said: "NICKELBACK's famous. Chad's famous. I'm not famous. If I'm famous, it's news to me. And living in this town makes it even easier to disappear, because everybody's trying to disappear here."

NICKELBACK recently announced the 2027 "Everything Under The Sun" tour, a massive global arena run celebrating the band's highly anticipated eleventh studio album, "Everything Under The Sun", due out October 30 via Virgin Music Group.

The tour kicks off its North American leg on February 6 at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, with stops at Chicago's United Center, Toronto's Scotiabank Arena, Vancouver's Rogers Arena, Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena and Houston's Toyota Center before wrapping on May 1 at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. The tour then heads to Europe from May through July, beginning May 22 at First Direct Bank Arena in Leeds. Stops include London, Dublin, Amsterdam, Munich and more before the run concludes on July 13 at Royal Arena in Copenhagen. The Australian leg begins October 2 at RAC Arena in Perth, with stops in Adelaide, Melbourne, Geelong, Brisbane, and Sydney before wrapping on October 16 at Roche Estate in Pokolbin.

The LP's first single "Rattle The Cage" (featuring John 5) became No. 1 at Active Rock radio in the U.S., marking another chart-topping moment for a band whose catalog has defined rock radio for more than two decades. The track introduced "Everything Under The Sun" with blistering guitars, pounding riffs and arena-sized energy, while subsequent releases "Leave Me Behind" and "Make Me Love You" have revealed a more vulnerable and emotionally expansive side of the record.

NICKELBACK are one of the most enduring and recognizable rock bands of the modern era. Formed in Hanna, Alberta, the band have sold nearly 65 million albums worldwide, amassed billions of streams and built a catalog of defining rock anthems, including "How You Remind Me", "Photograph", "Someday", "Far Away", "Rockstar", "Animals", "Gotta Be Somebody", "If Today Was Your Last Day" and "Burn It to the Ground". Canadian and RIAA diamond-certified, Canadian Music Hall Of Fame inductees and Grammy Award-nominated, NICKELBACK have spent more than three decades connecting with fans around the world through their music and renowned live performances. Their Netflix documentary "Hate To Love: Nickelback" became a global sensation, while their "Get Rollin'" world tour became the fastest-selling and highest-attended tour of their career.