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
