Said the Whale

When your favorite concert photographer has somehow become a professional meteorologist ahead of an outdoor concert, you can rest assured that the forecast is fairly unsettled.   Thus was the case on the third and final night of the inaugural Halifax Music Fest, as the skies were still grey and threatening to dampen the spirits of the patrons who ventured out to catch the stacked lineup of Said The Whale, Lights, Alvvays and The Killers.  While it may not have been as dry as a summer night in the Las Vegas desert (or July in Nova Scotia), the clouds were set to exit stage right by the time the show was to begin, or so we thought.

Ben Worcester

Kicking off the final night of the concert series was none other than Vancouver’s own Said the Whale, a band that is no stranger to Halifax stages (or performing with Alvvays for that matter – as the two played St. Matt’s Church together little over a decade ago), as they have graced many a stage in the city over the years.   Having not played here in more than 5 years, Ben, Tyler, Jaycelyn, Lincoln and company certainly charmed the crowd with a set that spanned the band’s nearly 20 year career.   Fan favorites “Camilo (The Magician)” and “I Love You” bookended the set, with folk infused indie gems “UnAmerican”, “Honey Lungs” and the sparkling “Level Best” all making the cut on this afternoon.  It was a fantastic way to start the day, and just reaffirmed this writer’s love of the band, it’s always a treat when the band makes it out east.  

Next on the bill was Lights, who was making her Halifax return after opening for the Arkells back in 2022, and her first visit back since the release of her most recent album A6.  For the electro-pop songwriter, this was a showcase of her new record with cuts such as “Alive Again”, “Damage” and “Surface Tension” showing off her evolution as an artist, with a poise and confidence that many of us can only aspire to.  At one point in her set, Lights demonstrated why she is so beloved amongst her core fan-base, as she hopped down from the stage and headed down to the barrier by the general admission patrons allowing them to get up close and personal, as she stood atop the barrier and continued to perform unabated by the precarious position.  Lights always brings her all to the stage, and this performance was no different, she continues to dazzle and her fans were left smiling and sweaty.  The set kept the energy high, and as things wound down, the rain started up, sending the photogs in the pit scrambling for cover.  

The Molly Rankin (yes, those Rankins) fronted Alvvays took to the stage next.  The band’s dreamy indie-pop shoegaze vibe had the Halifax crowd swooning throughout the band’s set, that featured a large swath of songs from the band’s most-recent 2022 album Blue Rev.   While this has been a band I’ve always had a disconnect with, this was not the performance that was going to make that re-connection.  Personally the energy waned for me, as this was a bit of a comedown after Lights’ energetic set, and the weather was not doing the band any favours.   One of the highlights of the set, was when Alvvays broke out “I Am The Cancer” a jangly deep-cut from Sloan’s debut album Smeared, which also served as a precursor for what was to come.  This was a performance that was well-received by many, but was lost on this concert-goer.  

Fortunately, by the end of Alvvays’ set, the weather had started to clear.  That clearing left the concert grounds with an illuminated haze that many bands pay big money for, and added an additional layer of character for the set that was to come from the Las Vegas based The Killers.   When the band took to the stage, it felt like a fever dream as Brandon Flowers and co. didn’t open with “Mr. Brightside”, “Somebody Told Me” or “Smile Like You Mean It”, instead they opened up their performance with the opening lines from “Underwhelmed” by local lads Sloan, before breaking into “When You Were Young”.   For a guy such as Killers’ frontman Brandon Flowers, who was known to be quite the curmudgeon, appeared to be in a great mood on that Halifax Music Fest stage.   The effusive front man sported an ear to ear grin as he worked the stage like a seasoned preacher, the stage even included a pulpit adorned with a stylized K.  

This was the perfect way to close down a successful weekend on the Garrison Grounds in Halifax, as the vibe for the closing night headliners was high, and the Citadel Hill was crammed with patrons singing their hearts out throughout the band’s electric performance.  If you didn’t know better, this was a band returning to their stomping grounds with heads held high, and a familiarity and ease not offered to many.   The band drew from their entire catalogue, with Hot Fuss, Day & Age and Sam’s Town being the primary draws, as those three albums did include some of the prerequisite Killers tracks such as “Mr. Brightside”, “All These Things That I’ve Done”, “Read My Mind”, “When You Were Young” and “A Dustland Fairytale”.  It was also great to hear the band include newer cuts such as “Caution”, “boy.” and “The Man” on the setlist, as it was a near perfect fan-service set.   The evening also came complete with a couple bursts of confetti and streamers (much to the chagrin of the clean up crew), and the night closed out on a great encore featuring “The Man”, “Human” and a “Mr. Brightside” outro.   Having seen the band now three times, this might have been the best show to date, as they seemed completely engaged and present throughout.   

It was a great weekend to spend on the Garrison Grounds, with a wild line-up of acts that many of us only dreamed of seeing in Halifax.  Sure the concert photogs may have had to break out their meteorologist skills, but it was worth it to spend amongst friends with a fantastic soundtrack.   Here’s hoping that we get to return to the Garrison Grounds for the sophomore event in 2026.   Keep up the great work Sonic Concerts, and thanks for having us out. 

LIGHTS

Said the Whale