Two weeks after sharing the Roger’s Place stage with Canadian rock icons Nickelback, a Plamondon man continues to enjoy the Rockstar life.
Ben Tredger won an Edmonton radio contest to sing the Nickelback hit Rockstar, sharing the stage and the vocals with the band’s front-man Chad Kroeger when they performed in Edmonton on June 24. A video submitted to a contest on 100.3 The Bear by Tredger’s girlfriend with him singing Nickelback’s song Rockstar was selected as the top choice, winning him the chance to sing the song at the bands Edmonton concert. And while the knee-knocking opportunity to sing in front of 20,000 rock fans — backed by one of his favourite rock bands — was a once-in-a-lifetime, one-night-only thrill, the experience has continued to keep a spotlight on the 41-year-old Alberta-Pacific Pulp Mill employee.
“This is way more than I ever expected,” Tredger said, speaking to Lakeland This Week after a whirlwind of days following his on-stage performance. He has conducted several interviews with media outlets, been recognized by music fans, and even mentioned on North America-wide radio stations. “A few days after the Nickelback concert, I received a message from a friend who told me that I had been mentioned on the Sirius XM station, The Highway. Also, I’ve been getting many friend requests from people I don’t even know.”
Tredger is no stranger to the musical stage … just smaller ones. He’s the bass-player and does backing vocals in the local rock band Fall Into Place. The band’s biggest gig so far has been a show to about 700 people at a recent Athabasca River Rats Festival weekend.
Standing on the Roger’s Place stage, Tredger said he felt the waves of energy coming from the massive crowd, which included a group of his family and friends. He sent a lot of his own back to them. Raising his fists as he belted out the rock anthem, moving from one side of the stage to the other and resting his leg on stage speakers as the crowd roared back their approval, Tredger lived every moment of his performance like the Rockstar he was singing about.
Admitting his legs were like Jell-O and the butterflies were dancing inside his stomach, Tredger said he loved every moment of the special night and the rock-star treatment. The fans liked it too.
“It took me well over an hour to get out of there. Everywhere I went, fans were stopping me, asking for selfies, and wanting to talk,” he said with a smile.
Video clips of his performance have been uploaded and shared on social media sites, reaching thousands of viewers.
So, what was it like meeting one of his musical icons?
Great… and quick, Tredger said.
He explained that he practiced the song at home for a week, so he knew it “inside-out” – but when it came to any showtime advice … he was on his own.
“Everything was rather rushed. There was no sound check. I spoke with Chad Kroeger and the members of the band for a few minutes before hopping on stage,” he stated — and then he was up there. “Chad is a great guy, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to give me any pointers.”
From the roar of the crowd, and the continuing publicity, Tredger didn’t need any.
He hopes some of that continuing attention will shine a bit more of a spotlight on his own local band. Afterall, Nickelback got its start in the small Alberta town of Hanna, so anything is possible, he said with a laugh.
“As the saying goes; any publicity is good publicity,” he said. “Although our schedule for the summer months isn’t that heavy, we’re hoping to be able to play more shows in Edmonton.”
*With files from Rob McKinley
