Sometimes, two bands touring together just makes sense. And that was definitely the case with Elliott BROOD and Shred Kelly on their “Across the Great Divide” tour. While the two bands have played on the odd show before, I don’t believe they’ve been through Vancouver together, so I was very happy to see them come to town. And especially because they were hitting up the Biltmore Cabaret, since (somehow) I hadn't caught a show there in about three and a half years(!).

The early show started with Shred Kelly hitting the stage as the crowd gathered, the Fernie band kicking off with a cover of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth”, before launching into the explosive “New Black”.

From there the band hardly slowed down, Tim Newton’s blurry hands over the banjo and Sage McBride’s finger flying over keys on songs, while their voiced intertwined, on songs like “The Bear” and “Archipelago”.

With a new album, Blurry Vision, on the horizon, the band teased a couple songs from it; a heartbreaking tune called “Days We Have Left” and “Nothing For A While”, which was a nearly seven minute tour de force that somehow managed to ramp up the already-high energy. And that energy carried through to the last couple songs, the frenzied “Cabin Fever” and a raucous “Sing to the Night” to cap off their set.

After a pretty quick turnaround, Elliott BROOD hit the stage, the trio of Mark Sasso, Casey Laforet, and Stephen Pitkin starting strong with a couple big singalongs and perennial faves, “Without You” and their cross-country hit, “Oh, Alberta”.

With a set that spanned their 20 year career, the band went back to their early days for songs like “Only at Home” and the gritty “Wolfgang”, to newer “Bird Dog” and “Out Walkin’”. Other highlights included the soaring “Northern Air”, another raucous singalong to “The Valley Town”, and a deceptively jaunty song about murder, “Dig a Little Hole”.

Not to be outdone, they also teased a few songs from their own upcoming album, Town, with “Stars Align”, “Dried Up” and “Rose City”, an ode their home town of Windsor, Ontario — Casey introducing it with a wry smile, claiming it was about the best city in Canada, which predictably got a… mixed reaction from the crowd.

As the set drew to an end, the band invited Shred Kelly back on stage for a fun cover of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls”, before unveiling a surprise for the audience. In a move they haven't done in quite some time, they passed out their iconic wooden spoons & tin pans throughout the crowd, so folks could join in on the percussion (and of course, yelling along) to “Write It All Down For You”.

That ended the main set, but both bands were quickly back before the curfew for one last singalong, “Miss You Now”, a heart filled song to cap off the night.

Both bands on their own have a fun and vibrant live show, but putting them together brought out the best in each. Hopefully this tour won’t be the last time they all share the stage together.

Shred Kelly setlist
For What It's Worth [Buffalo Springfield cover]
New Black
Jupiter (Any Other Way)
The Bear
Long Way from Your Heart
Take Me Home
Days We Have Left
Archipelago
Nothing For A While
Didn't Know
Cabin Fever
Sing to the Night

Elliott BROOD setlist
Without Again
Oh, Alberta
Out Walkin’
Dog a Little Hole
Better Times
Stars Align
Wolfgang
Bird Dog
Northern Air
Only at Home
Nothing Left
Rose City
Dried Up
The Valley Town
The Bridge
Fat Bottom Girls [Queen cover w/ Shred Kelly]
Write It All Down For You
(encore)
Miss You Now