NICKELBACK's MIKE KROEGER: 'To Get Too Emotionally Involved In Politics Is A Real Fool's Errand. There's No Benefit To It.'

In a new interview with Metal Hammer Spain, NICKELBACK bassist Mike Kroeger, who founded the Canadian rock band in 1995 with his brother Chad, was asked how he views the current friction between Canada and the U.S., having lived in Los Angeles for nearly a decade. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, I'd really like to thank you, because I've never been asked about these political things before. Never. You're the first. Really. So thank you for that question because I do have opinions about this.

"I've gone through an evolution with all of this myself, and that is that I now understand that the people vote for who they vote for," he continued. "I voted for who I voted for. Everybody else voted for who they voted for, whether it be in Canada or the United States, and the people elect a leader. Now, that doesn't mean everybody has to like that leader. That doesn't mean that everybody has to hate that leader. That is the leader. Whether you like them or not, they're leading the country. They just are. And there have been leaders in both the United States and Canada in recent history that I have liked and some that I've disliked, but I respect the will of the people to decide that and also to share in the consequences, benefits or deficiencies of that. You know what I mean? So, to me, I don't get caught up so much in personalities anymore as I vote my conscience, and then I accept who wins, and I want that leader to help my nation succeed and flourish, really. That's all that interests me."

Mike added: "As far as 'my guy' or 'their guy', it's a preposterous thing. And to get too emotionally involved in politics is a real fool's errand. There's no benefit to it. To get emotionally involved in it. I'm observing it all the time — constantly. I'm always watching, always listening and learning. But the more I watch, listen, learn, the more I realize that the portrayal that we're given is incomplete, and we're asked to develop real emphatic opinions based on partial knowledge and understanding. Because, to be honest with you, all the things that a lot of people are getting really, really animated and politically activated with, they don't know the whole story. No one does. This is the problem with all of this. And so, yeah, where I'm at with all of that is I know that Canada and America are neighbors and have been neighbors the entire time. They're just going through a rough spell right now. It's gonna be okay."

Two months after current U.S. president Donald Trump called Canada "one of the worst countries in the entire world" in the wake of heightened tensions between Washington and its historically friendly northern neighbor, Mike remained philosophical. "I don't judge a country by their head of state because the head of state is always changing," he said. "No head of state is permanent unless it's some kind of dictatorship, as there are only a couple of those left in the world now. But for the most part, leaders are temporary. They come. They cannot stay. They can run the country, but they gotta go, and I think that's healthy.

"To me, the pendulum is constantly swinging from side to side, and the good part is here in the middle, but it only passes through the middle," Mike added. "We go extreme one way, extreme the other way, and in the middle when we're passing through, it's great. And that's where my opinion with politics is, is that there are people that I disagree with politically, but I believe they have points that are valid and real, too. I respect the disagreement."

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.