Vancouver rock bands that manage to last 20 years or more have reason to celebrate. Said the Whale did just that on Saturday night (April 11) at the Hollywood Theatre, second stop on the band’s 20th-anniversary tour of Canada.
The sold-out theatre in Kitsilano was filled with both SaidHeads (super fans) and casual concert-goers, all treated to a diverse set of songs dating back to the band’s roots in the mid-2000s.
Band co-founding guitarists Tyler Bancroft and Ben Worcester seemed reflective, full of witty banter and simply thrilled to be playing so many memorable songs they’ve written and recorded over the years —“UnAmerican,” “Camilo (The Magician),” “This City’s a Mess” and “I Love You” among the alt-rock hits.
A highlight Saturday was Bancroft’s acoustic “Level Best,” an emotional ode to parenting that includes the great line, “If you start a band, you can use my van” — probably not the old Chevy tattooed on his arm, but you get the picture.
“Our band has grown up with our fans a little bit,” Bancroft told the Georgia Straight pre-gig. “A lot of fans and listeners and supporters have become parents and have kids around the same age as us. I can often see people in the crowd relating to the song.”
The current version of Said the Whale features Bancroft and Worcester with Lincoln Hotchen on bass, Spencer Schoening on drums, Jaycelyn Brown on keyboards.
Scenes of @saidthewhale at the @HollywoodYVR on Saturday, in a sold-out @livenationwest show.
MY REVIEW: https://t.co/38f5S92EUf pic.twitter.com/TbG1hAvMzr
— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) April 13, 2026
Still in elementary school, the five young members of Blue Jay Valley were born about 10 years into Said the Whale’s 20 as a band. But there they were, punk-rocking it up as show-openers.
The East Van kids started a few years ago at a school talent show, and now they’re amped on a mix of high-speed covers (The Ramones, Hives, Stereophonics) and originals. They’re good now, and will only get better.
Saturday, their dads served as roadies but not Grant Lawrence, who had a Smugglers gig of his own over at The American. Proud, all of them, and should be.
The historic Hollywood has emerged as a good venue for concerts, with both theatre seats and room to stand, but on Saturday the lighting was horrible, casting everyone in LED-blue hues. I yearn for old-school spotlights, and I can’t be the only one.