Ottawa city councillor Tim Tierney has waited decades for the chance to meet his rock star idols Nickelback.
He’s such a big fan in fact, he even has some ink on his arm to show off his dedication. The tattoo with the band’s name is so massive, even frontman Chad Kroeger said he didn’t think it was real.
“He questioned if it was real at first. He gave it a rub and he’s like, yeah, that’s dedication,” the Beacon Hill-Cyrville councillor said in an interview with CTV’s Jackie Perez.
It gets better for Tierney, who had a chance to introduce the Canadian rock band on day two of Bluesfest in front of 30,000 fans.
“I don’t know how to top this. Now, this is like bucket list,” Tierney said.
“I’m super proud.”
Ottawa Bluesfest founder Mark Monahan had a hand in making Tierney’s dream come true.
“Obviously, Tim is a unique individual who has a favourite band,” Monahan said.
“When we reached out to them, they were more than accommodating because they, in fact, said, ‘we know Tim. Tim has been on our posting on our Twitter account for years. He’s like our biggest fan.'”
Nickleback has faced its fair share of criticism over the years, but that tune seemed to change on Friday night when the band gave a roaring headlining performance.
“As far as I can see, there are way more hardcore Nickelback fans than there are haters,” said Move 100 presenter Katherine Dines.
“I’ll move 100 listeners, call in and they talk about their love of Nickelback. Everybody was super stoked that Nickelback is going to be back in Ottawa.”
Ottawa city councillor Tim Tierney shows off his Nickleback tattoo. (Jackie Perez/CTV News Ottawa)
Love them or hate them, Nickleback, made up of members Chad Kroeger, Ryan Peake, Mike Kroeger and Daniel Adair, is one of the most successful Canadian bands of all time, with sales of over 50 million units worldwide.
Inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2023, it was named the most successful rock bank of the decade by Billboard in 2009. The band is known for hits such as How You Remind Me, Photograph, Far Away, Rockstar and more.
For Tierney, the band’s achievements are forever engrained on his arm and in his mind.
“I’ve had a lot of fun just letting the buttons down, hanging out, rocking the Nickelback tattoo, and hanging out with my boy Chad,” he said.
“It was great.”
With files from CTV News Calgary