Chad Kroeger burned it up at Target Center Monday.

Star Tribune photo/Renee Jones Schneider

Chad Kroeger certainly made a lot of friends at Target Center Monday. Like the dude to whom he gave a shot of Jack Daniels after the rock star accepted a beer from the dude's wife ("I never get to drink a concert beer"). Like the fire marshall who received a shout out from the stage (and face time on the giant video screen) and a request to issue a permit for an after-hours party for 14,000. Like all the female fans at the end of the stage runway who received free drinks from Nickelback roadies at Chad's request. Like the women who held up the hand-painted bed sheet that declared "Hey Chad, Nice Package" (which, of course, he relished). Dude knows how to party. And to yak endlessly and somewhat aimlessly (though he did request that someone turn on the air-conditioning, which couldn't compete with pyro and body heat). And to name-drop (Steven Tyler, Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi, Metallica, Sebastian Bach, George Thorogood, Journey, Garth Brooks. Brooks & Dunn). Dude knows how to work all the cliches – "It's Monday and you sound like it's bleeping Friday"; "I say 'Nickel,' you say 'back'"; "Every time I come to this town, you are so good to us"; during "Photograph," showing photos of the Grain Belt Beer sign, U of M logo, Adrian Peterson, Twins logo, Wild logo, Timberwolves logo – all of which received a wild reaction except the Wolves. Never deterred by critics calling him sexist, Kroeger held up a XXL brassiere (he said "the holy grail of all brassieres" had H-cups), talked about ice-cream cones, lollipops and bananas before singing "Something in Your Mouth" and declared in song that "she didn't make it this far just shaking hands." Kroeger was proudly crass, Nickelback was unrepentingly loud and Target Center was so filled with smoke (from the band's pyro) that, at concert's end when the houselights came on, you couldn't see the number of the section on the other side of the arena. Per usual, Nickelback had more openers than Wally the Beerman: Sick Puppies, Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin. Only thing worth mentioning is that Shinedown's frontman Brent Smith dedicated "Simple Man" (the Lynyrd Skynyrd song that Shinedown covers) to Slipknot bassist Paul Gray, who was found dead Monday in his Iowa hotel room. Here is Nickelback's set list, with a couple questions when I was busy writing my review: Burn it to the Ground/ Flat on the Floor/ Photograph/ Hollywood/ Savin' Me/ Shakin Hands/ Something in Your Mouth/ performed at end of runway as small quartet: This Afternoon/ Friends in Low Places (Garth Brooks)/ If Today Was Your Last Day/ Don't Stop Believin (Journey)/ Rockstar/ return to mainstage (roadies shoot T-shirts into crowd and toss cups of booze to fans)/ Animals/ Drum solo/ How You Remind Me/ ??/ ENCORE Far Away/ Wanted Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi)/ ??/ Figured You Out