Nickelback set to perform to sell-out Dubai audience

Here's your nickel back, sir," an exhausted, over-worked and under-paid Mike Kroeger would say as he served his 400th cafe latte of the day.

Little did he know the words which bored him the most every day would eventually be the inspiration behind a move which would see his life (and not-so-successful coffee-making career) transformed forever.

"I was standing behind a counter with 20 people tapping their feet waiting for me to give them their change. I was always saying ‘here's your nickel back' and it struck me. So I called my cousin there and then," said Kroeger, one of the founding members of Grammy Award-winning rock band Nickelback, over the phone somewhere in Hawaii.

"I thought it worked as the name of the band. It never blew anyone away, but to be honest we didn't exactly have anything better so we went with it and it stuck."

No clairvoyant, Kroeger also didn't see the written warning, particularly brutal dismissal and almost punch up with the regional manager of Starbucks coming.

"If you head to Starbucks, I think there's probably a pretty strongly-worded note on my file," Kroeger said flatly, his dry sense of humour lacing every word.

"I wouldn't like to say exactly what happened, but I'm pretty sure I was verbally abusive towards the regional manager. Possibly even physical," he said sarcastically. "But although my career there could probably be measured in weeks, I guess one thing I should thank them for is the name. Still, they'll never feature in a song."

Speaking exclusively to tabloid! ahead of the Canadian band's debut gig in the Middle East on Friday at Gulf Bike Festival, Kroeger said coming to Dubai is a "dream come true" and the four boys are ready to embrace everything the UAE has to offer.

"I'm coming with an open mind," he said excitedly. "I'm ready for all surprises the country has for me and I'm willing to enjoy the experience. As for us, it's going to be a big, loud, explosive, visual rock show. The best."

Keeping it in the family was the original plan. Kroeger formed the band in 1995 in their home town of Hanna, Alberta, with his half-brother Chad, cousin Brandon and close friend Ryan Peake.

But after a few differences, original drummer Brandon was replaced by Ryan Vikedal before Daniel Adair took over the drumsticks in 2005.

‘Love is a decision'

Even with Brandon's departure, family is still how the band consider themselves. "It's like being married to three people, being in this band, and I'm already married — so I know," Kroeger laughed. "It's more than I can handle. This lot are a challenge."

Pausing before taking a more serious tone, he added: "But that's what marriage is meant to be. It's not always meant to be plain sailing — love is a decision."

As with all families, you have to take the rough with the smooth — something Kroeger has had his fair share of. "I would rather the guys didn't charge drinks to my hotel room account," he said with a sigh.

"Being on tour with your ‘family' is never dull. We were at a hotel in Germany and I came down late to see the bill getting settled. The next thing I knew I was being told my signature had been left for the total bill and asked how I'd like to pay.

"They'd left a really nice tip, too."

Headlining at Gulf Bike Festival this weekend was a total "result", in Kroeger's own words, a self-confessed petrol-head. "I'm totally jacked about playing at a biker festival. I'll want to see as much as I can," he said, before going into way too much detail about cars and motorbikes for any non-petrol-head.

"I have three muscle cars," he said, at which point I was forced to interrupt him and admit my utter ignorance when it comes to cars.

"Old '60s-style cars with massive engines," he said as if speaking to a small child trying to grasp their first words. "I also have four custom choppers," he added, pausing as if waiting for me to ask what on earth that was.

"You mean motorbikes," I jumped in quickly, feeling desperately happy I'd bothered to watch Ewan McGregor in Long Way Round.

"Bike Week is a great event, because you're guaranteed that ‘built-in crowd'. We've got such a great following and many of them fall into this category," Kroeger said. "We always end up with a crowd of people from four years old to 104 from all over the world, so we're very lucky. I think it's because we make music which doesn't alienate anyone. We try not to write songs which would do that.

"I quite like the fact it always seems impossible to pinpoint an age or gender in a Nickelback crowd."Although popular the world over, the hard rockers have courted their fair share of controversy. Nickelback is among one of the most criticised bands in popular music, and were voted worst band in the world by readers of Word Magazine in 2009.

Often ridiculed by music critics for having a lack of originality, Kroeger says they ignore what the media says at all costs. "Luckily, we don't really have a desire for drama and strife and that's why we get this," he said. "I think the media wish we were more controversial than we are and it winds them up.

"There's no going to jail — they just want something to write about."

Positive thinking

A seasoned pro, Kroeger added he is never fazed by the media. "I don't really take what the media say to heart. Sometimes one says one thing and the rest just follow. It's just a dissemination of ideas. We're just trying to make a living.

"I guess we should take it as a compliment, really. This is just what we do. We're very positive and it's better that way."

Discovering the media to be Kroeger's speciality (and proving he really is all about the positive), his views on the recent reports on the financial state of Dubai are just as strong. "It's financial hype," he said.

" So, although Dubai has been in the news a lot, I think I'll make my own mind up when I get there."

Nickelback is also one of the most commercially successful Canadian groups of all time, selling more than 30 million records worldwide. Now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Kroeger gave us a sneak preview of the moments before the band burst onto the stage. "We try and make a point of asking ourselves if we are happy whenever possible," he said. "We are happy. Very happy. Life is good and we are thankful. We don't take anything for granted right now.

"Chad and Ryan warming up can drive you nuts — they do their scales and it can get repetitive.

"I guess I'm there just warming up the place, I mean bass," he said with a cheeky giggle.