Said the Whale - 20th Anniversary Show @ Hollywood Theatre -- April 11, 2026

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

Said the Whale @ Hollywood Theatre -- March 08, 2025

Last year at the 10th anniversary celebration for their album hawaiii, Said the Whale teased the idea of an annual show. And always a band of their word, last night they returned to the Hollywood Theatre for a show they jokingly dubbed “SaidCon”. The night started with the band coming on stage and introducing the openers… themselves! as they started with three 20 minute solo sets.

Jaycelyn Brown was up first, opening with “February 15”, her track off the band’s latest album Dandelion. She previewed a few more songs, including an absolutely gorgeous song called “Duet of the Cardinals” and “The Bird”, which she had been working on for ten years(!) before finally finishing last week. She teased wanting to release a solo album of her piano songs, but joked she just needed a deadline. Maybe next year’s show?

Next up was Ben Worcester with a selection of rarities. He played a couple that hadn’t been heard live before, as his voice soared over the room with songs like “Big Sky, MT” and the b-side “Brother, Cousin, Kin”, before wrapping up his portion by inviting Tyler up to join him on “This Winter I Retire Lyrics”.

Tyler Bancroft closed out the solo sets, first joined by Jaycelyn for “99 to the Moon” and then a song for his kids, “Level Best”. He also went deep into the band’s catalogue for some old favourites, “Howe Sounds” and “Live Off Lamb”, and joked that “Cascadia” hit a little different now considering… everything.

Bancroft started “This City's a Mess” on his own, but was slowly joined by Jaycelyn and Ben, as well as Lincoln Hotchen on bass and drummer Spencer Schoening as the song burst to a wild finish, and they smoothly transitioned into the main set, immediately rocking out with “Camilo (The Magician)”.

The crux of this show was a fan poll the band put up weeks before the show, so people attending could vote on what they heard. They hit the #1 song early with an old favourite, “Black Day in December”, while occasionally referring to the poll throughout the night. Especially when it came time for the deepest cut, singling out a friend who has requested the intricate “Fucks to Give” late in the set.

The requests spanned their whole oeuvre, from the singalongs of “B.C. Orienteering” and “False Creek Change” to the raucous “Honey Lungs” and even Spencer taking the spotlight to play acoustic guitar and sing for “Seasons”. Other highlights included a couple of my personal favourites, the gritty & raw “My Government Heart” which I don’t think I’ve heard from the band in some time, and “Love is Art / Sleep Through Fire”, a chill-inducing live-show staple.

After the infectious “I Love You”, Tyler declared he had no use for the performative obligatory encore anymore (which, thank you) and announced they had a couple left and that was it — but would be around after the show to hang and chat — before going into a rarely played classic “Taking Abalonia” and ending off with the joyous “Goodnight Moon”, the entire room singing along.

I feel like there are very few bands that do as much for (and with) their fans as Said the Whale. Not just the fact that this show happened, but the poll to vote for the setlist, and the promise to mingle with the crowd after the show — luckily there wasn’t another event tat evening, unlike last year. I’m not sure if they’re going to continue this as a yearly tradition, but if they are, I know I’ll be there.

setlists

Jaycelyn Brown
February 15
Cassiopeia
Duet of the Cardinals
The Bird

Ben Worcester
Narrows
[New Song]
Big Sky, MT
Brother, Cousin, Kin
This Winter I Retire Lyrics (with Tyler)

Tyler Bancroft
99 to the Moon (with Jaycelyn)
Level Best
Broken Man
Howe Sounds
Cascadia
Live Off Lamb
This City's a Mess

Full Band
Camilo (The Magician)
Step Into the Darkness
Black Day in December
B.C. Orienteering
I Will Follow You
My Government Heart
Wake Up
The Reason
Loveless
Honey Lungs
Seasons
False Creek Change
The Light Is You
The Ocean
Everything She Touches is Gold to Me
Show Me Everything
Love Is Art / Sleep Through Fire
Fucks to Give
I Love You
Taking Abalonia
Goodnight Moon

Said the Whale: hawaiii 10th Anniversary @ Hollywood Theatre -- April 05, 2024

Ten years (and change) ago, Said the Whale released their fourth full length album, hawaiii, and this weekend they celebrated with an intimate hometown show at the Hollywood Theatre.

Opening the night was lincolnhotchen – who is also the current bass player for the group – with a backing band consisting of members of Winona Forever. Due to it being a (very) early show, I only caught the tail end of his set, including the dreamy and catchy “Highlight”, which made me wish I was able to get there earlier.

Thanks to the curfew, there was a very quick turnaround before a banner was raised with the hawaiii album art, and Said the Whale took the stage. Ben Worcester, Tyler Bancroft, and Jaycelyn Brown were joined by Lincoln on bass and the familiar face of Spencer Schoening on drums, as Ben gave an introduction and they launched into the first song on the album, “More Than This”. 

The band weaved through the album, from the high energy “Mother” to slow-burn of “Safe to Say”, chatting & joking in between, giving backstories of songs & the album art, and shouting out people who helped that were in the crowd that night (like producer Tom Dobrzanski). Other highlights off the album included the dark and synthy “Resolutions” — though sadly, Shad was not there for his part of the song — and playful beat of “Oh K, Okay”. 

As the album grew to a close, everyone but Tyler stepped aside, introducing the next track, written for his mother. After explaining how it hit even harder since she passed last year, he launched into “Helpless Son”, his voice breaking throughout the incredibly beautiful and heartfelt song. There was not a dry eye in the house, including the rest of the band; Ben was audibly teary when he returned, dedicating his own melancholic song, “The Weight of the Season”, to his uncle who recently passed.

After the album was over, the band had one more sneaky song from that era, the b-side “Barbara-Ann”. But they weren’t done just yet. Playing off an earlier joke about ‘eras’, and with just enough time before the curfew, the band decided to hit their breakout album Islands Disappear front to back.

With the looming deadline, the band didn’t say much between songs, hitting big singalongs like “Camilo (The Magician)” and “Emerald Lake, AB”, as well as some favourites, the stormy intensity of “Black Day in December” or the quirky love song “Gentleman”. Tyler joked that every live-show-fibre in his being felt like they should end it after the incredibly joyous “Goodnight Moon”, but of course there was one more song on the album: the sweet ode to Ben’s sister (who was in the crowd) “Holly, Ontario” as they wrapped up perfectly on curfew. 

As someone that still listens to albums all the way through, I always love the concept of full album playthrough live shows, and getting not just the expected hawaiii, but the bonus Islands Disappear was a great treat. Near the end, the band teased that they were toying with the idea of doing a yearly hometown show, and if they did an annual series of full album playthroughs of their entire discography, I would be there in a heartbeat.

setlist
(hawaiii Era)
More Than This
Mother
Narrows
I Love You
Safe to Say
Resolutions
Willow
On the Ropes
I Could Smoke
Oh K, Okay
Helpless Son
The Weight of the Season
Barbara-Ann
(Islands Disappear Era)
Dear Elkhorn
Out on the Shield
B.C. Orienteering
Camilo (The Magician)
Emerald Lake, AB
Islands Disappear
Black Day in December
Gentleman
False Creek Change
A Cold Night Close to the End
The Gift of a Black Heart
Goodnight Moon
Holly, Ontario

PHOTOS: Said The Whale with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra @ Orpheum - April 19, 2023

Said The Whale with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
Orpheum Theatre
April 19, 2023
Christine McAvoy Photography

Click here for Kirk’s Review!

Said the Whale with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra @ Orpheum -- April 19, 2023

My favourite genre of live show is, quite possibly, “rock band plays with string section”. And ever since the release of their last album, Dandelion -- which featured some orchestral strings -- Said the Whale has been hinting & teasing at something more. So when it was announced that the Vancouver band was going to be performing at the Orpheum alongside the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, I knew there was no way I could miss it.

Under the baton of conductor David Bui, the show began with the Overture, giving us hints of what was to come, before Said the Whale took the stage going right into “Honey Lungs”. The trio of Ben Worcester (who was just providing vocals for the evening), Tyler Bancroft (on guitar and vocals) and Jaycelyn Brown (backing vocals and sitting at a grand piano in lieu of her usual keyboard) were joined by the 62-piece orchestra.

From there they ran through a 19-song set that spanned most of their career, from softer fare like “Show Me Everything” to heavier songs like “I Love You”, the orchestra amplified everything. “The Ocean” swelled, “Level Best” was never more heartfelt, and the orchestra rocked out to “Cascadia”.

Some of my favourites of the night included the haunting “Step Into the Darkness”, and an absolutely gorgeous version of “Dandelion”, which capped off the first half of the show before intermission -- Tyler half-joking that it was something more rock shows needed to incorporate.

After seeing more than half of Vancouver's music scene in the lobby milling about, the second half kicked off hard with “Wake Up” and “Love Always”, another favourite of the evening, the orchestra just taking the already intense song to an entirely new level.

Throughout the show, the crowd was entirely engaged, nearly dead silent until the last note of a song finished, then bursting into applause. It was perhaps the only time I've seen Said the Whale headline a show where people were NOT singing along with “Camilo (The Magician)”. And you could tell the band was just as excited to be there as the crowd was, visible thrilled to be performing like this; during one song that didn't feature his vocals, Ben just sat at the front of the stage, watching the orchestra, soaking it all in.

The main set came to a close with “Big Wave Goodbye”, but of course, there was an encore soon after. First Jaycelyn came out alone to play “February 15”, written for her husband. The last time I saw them perform live, this song was accompanied by a string quartet, so I was really anticipating seeing it with a full orchestra, and the breathtaking piano-driven instrumental did not disappoint. It was absolutely the highlight of the night, leaving few dry eyes in the house and receiving a standing ovation.
Next Ben joined the stage -- joking that was not going to be easy to follow up -- going into the beautiful “O Alexandra”, and finally Tyler returning to close out the night with “99 to the Moon”, another perfect compliment of strings, sending the song soaring.

I’ve always been interested in seeing the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra play, especially when they do special “pop culture” events, but never taken the opportunity to do so. I am glad I finally have, especially for a once-in-a-lifetime event like this. At the end of the show, Said the Whale brought up Alex Clark from the VSO, whose goal it was to bring more contemporary art to the VSO, so I can only hope they can do pairings like this more often. Said the Whale’s music lent itself perfectly to an orchestral accompaniment, and my mind is already racing with what other Vancouver bands deserve the same treatment.

But even without potential future collaborations, a quick look at the calendar of upcoming shows features a live orchestra score for films like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Black Panther, & more, as well as special nights dedicated to Looney Tunes and video game music. After this, I’m thinking I definitely have to pull the trigger on nights like that more often.

setlist
Overture
Honey Lungs
The Ocean
Moonlight
Everything She Touches is Gold to Me
Return to Me
Show Me Everything
Level Best
Step Into the Darkness
Dandelion
[Intermission]
Wake Up
Love Always
Cascadia
I Love You
Sweetheart
Camilo (The Magician)
Big Wave Goodbye
[encore]
February 15
O Alexandra
99 to the Moon