By: Hollie Mann
Unforgettable experince for group of friends
Music has no set generation for a fan base. The band Nickelback started their “Get Rollin” tour in June 2023, moving through 53 cities. Stopping at Pelham Alabamas Oak Mountain Amphitheater, with Brantley Gilbert and Josh Ross opening the show.
20-year-old, Marcus Bennett purchased concert tickets last minute with friends. “I was in town visiting my girlfriend,” He said “We had just gotten dinner with friends and decided it was a better idea than movie night,” said Bennett. The concert opened at 7 pm, Bennett and friends bought tickets online through Ticketmaster, at 6 pm.
Weather issues arose for Marcus and his friends, with rainfall coming in just as the opening act Brantley Gilbert wrapped up his set. “We did not even check the weather before going, honestly we were more worried about traffic!” Said Bennett.
The amphitheater asked guests to seek shelter while the show was held off to see if rainfall would pass. Many found issues with this however and chose to go to their cars or completely leave the show. “The one thing this venue could fix is the overhead weather safety areas, I mean people were crowded so deep into the restrooms they were unusable,” said Bennett. Staying at their seats like many, Bennet and friends felt there was no use in moving to the overcrowded areas listed by the venue.
Bennett and friends were offered one of the only safe areas left, which just so happened to be right by the stage. “I talked to a security member and he walked us to a small place beside the stage. The show started back up we just stayed and ended up watching from the second row,” he said.
While watching the show, Bennett saw a familiar face on stage with the band as they brought up a radio contest winner to sing alongside them. James Jones, a fifth-grade teacher at Barrett Elementary, won the contest with the help of his students and hopped on stage with Nickelback in front of thousands of fans.
“It is crazy to be second row of any concert, but to then see an elementary school friend’s dad with the band? I had to text my friend and make sure I was not seeing things” said Bennett. This event added to the overall experience for Bennet and his friends.
Jones was unable to see Bennett as he was a little busy singing and signing autographs.“I was happy to win the 97.3 contest, and as soon as I found out I won, I bought baseballs to sign and throwout to my new fans” The opportunity was one of a lifetime and something common for the radio station to do, according to news.radio-online.com.
Jones felt baseballs were the right choice for his gift of shared autographs his response was easy “The lyrics’ a bathroom I can play baseball in the song Rockstar have stuck with me as I am sure they have with everyone else, who doesn’t love a big bathroom?” Said Jones. Thankfully Jones threw baseballs lightly to nearby attendees and gave a good laugh to the crowd.
The weather was also an issue for Jones as he watched from the crowd during the opening acts, afraid his moment in the spotlight was never going to happen…. “I knew Nickelback would come back out just for me, rain or shine!” Said Jones. The night prevailed in his favor and his own personal merch was thrown as he sang with Chad Kroeger.
Bennet actually caught one of Jones’s signed baseballs, along with a guitar pick thrown by lead guitarist Ryan Peake. T-shirts were shot out of shirt cannons in order to give fans in the nosebleed seats a chance at getting some free merch as well.
Nickelback’s Get Rollin tour is a reboot tour for all of summer 2023. The last show date was October 5th in Fargo North Dakota and the band will take a break from shows until the scheduled concert Stagecoach in Ino California in April of 2024.
Vallo Vision News 