A couple years ago Said the Whale played a special anniversary show at the Hollywood Theatre to celebrate 10 years of the album hawaiii, and had so much fun they teased making it an annual thing. Well, here we are in year three and not only are they back, but they’re also celebrating their 20th anniversary as a band with a sold out show!

Opening the night was the youngest Canadian band to ever be signed to a record label, Blue Jay Valley, comprised of five kids between grades 5 and 7. Joking that they weren’t even allowed to be in the venue, the punk rock group hit all the songs off their debut album Breakaway, including the catchy “Living in the City”, the raucous “No School”, and my favourite of the set, “Snow Day”. They also had everyone singing along when they slipped in some covers, like Gob’s “I Hear You Calling” and “Hate to Say I Told You So” by The Hives.
The crowd was all in on the band as they blast through their fun and high energy set, with lead singer Noa even doing the worm at one point!

It wasn’t long after that when Said the Whale hit the stage, starting off surprisingly with the deep-cut favourite, “Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire” then going all the way back to Howe Sounds/Taking Abalonia with “Fish and Stars II”. They celebrated their twenty years by hitting all of their ‘eras’, from the high energy joy of “Emerald Lake, AB” and “I Will Follow You” to the darker “This City’s a Mess” and “UnAmerican” and everything in between, as they also shared some quick stories (and/or teased each other for talking too long) between songs.

Partway through the set, drummer Spencer Schoening and bassist Lincoln Hotchen took leave for the ‘acoustic portion’, with Tyler Bancroft shouting out Blue Jay Valley and then dedicating “Level Best” to his own kids, Ben Worcester doing the gorgeous “Lover/Friend”, and Jaycelyn Brown taking the spotlight on keys for the absolutely beautiful “February 15” for her husband.

The rhythm section returned as “99 to the Moon” ramped up the energy, with other highlights including Ben stalking the stage, full of emotion on “Wake Up” and an older favourite of mine, the raw “My Government Heart” with Tyler spitting the lyrics through gritted teeth.

After an explosive “I Love You” they finished the main set with “Goodnight Moon”, starting soft and sweet before bursting with a joyous singalong. But they were quickly back for a couple more; first “Dandelion” and then the chilling “Curse of the Currents”, with Ben urging everyone to “sing along like you’re at a Dan Mangan show!” and the crowd happy to oblige.

When they teased making these shows an annual event, I said I’d be there in a heartbeat, and I was very happy to see them at the Hollywood for the third year in a row. 20 years later the band is still rocking, with a clear passion for being on stage and especially for everyone there with them.

Said the Whale setlist
Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire
Fish and Stars II
The Banks of the English Bay
Emerald Lake, AB
I Will Follow You
UnAmerican
The Light Is You
B.C. Orienteering
Camilo (The Magician)
This City’s a Mess
Resolutions
Better for You
Big Sky, MT
Level Best
Lover/Friend
A Cold Night Close To The End
February 15
99 to the Moon
Wake Up
Black Day in December
My Government Heart
Honey Lungs
I Love You
Goodnight Moon
(encore)
Dandelion
Curse of the Currents

Blue Jay Valley setlist
BJV
I Hear You Calling [Gob cover]
Blitzkrieg Bop [Ramones cover]
Living In The City
Oh!
Breakaway
Hate to Say I Told You So [The Hives cover]
No School
Snow Day