Despite A Fan Petition, Nickelback Will Play At Lions' Thanksgiving Game

Despite a fervent attempt from a faction of fans, the popular rock band Nickelback will still play during halftime of the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Day game against the Green Bay Packers, according to The Associated Press.

In a statement, Nickelback’s lead singer Chad Kroeger says that the band is honored to play during halftime at the game and that the band members “always love playing in Detroit.”

Earlier this month, The Detroit News reported that one Lions fan, Dennis Guttman, had created an online petition to stop the band from performing at halftime. Within a matter of weeks, the petition had gained over 50,000 virtual signatures. The disgruntled fan asked others to sign the petition if they felt Detroit owed it to fans to find a better act.

“This game is nationally televised, do we really want the rest of the US to associate Detroit with Nickelback?” Guttman asks in a petition letter. “Detroit is home to so many great musicians and they chose Nickelback?!?!?! Does anyone even like Nickelback? Is this some sort of ploy to get people to leave their seats during halftime to spend money on alcoholic beverages and concessions? This is completely unfair to those of us who purchased tickets to the game. At least the people watching at home can mute their TVs. The Lions ought to think about their fans before choosing such an awful band to play at halftime.”