Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger has dismissed a campaign looking to ban the Canadian band from playing in London.
"I love it. More controversy that surrounds either myself, my personal life, the band, whatever - I think that's hilarious," the singer told Pulse of Radio (via Metal Hammer).
A few weeks ago, Craig Mandell, from London, England, started a campaign on crowdfunding website Tilt to bar any show by the band in the city. He hopes to raise $1000 by November 3, says NME.
"With your help, we can ensure that the band do not schedule any gigs here, do not attempt to come here - nor even phone here," he writes on the Tilt page for the campaign. "Just imagine, thousands - perhaps tens of thousands of music lovers - all not witnessing an exclusive concert by Nickelback in London. It will be glorious," he says.
But efforts like this which reflect the popular distaste of some music fans for Nickelback have been responsible for their longevity, according to Kroeger.
"All these critics, they're just tireless. They keep ragging on the band," he said. "If they had stopped writing all this stuff about us, there would be no controversy left in the band and we probably would have died years ago. They don't know that they're still responsible for us being around today. I hope the money goes to charity and not in this guy's pocket," he continued.
To date, the effort has raised less than $300. In mounting the campaign, the petitioner took cue from his friend Andrew Goldin, who successfully raised enough funds in September to bring Foo Fighters to Richmond, Virginia, Billboard reports.
"This campaign is not about personal profit," reads an update on the campaign's page, titled "Don't Let Nickel Back." "All proceeds will go to charity. Or perhaps therapy for those who've been affected by the band," it says.
The page does not mention what charity the petition will benefit.