Canadian power-pop/rock band Hollerado played their last show in the Commodore as a band on Saturday night. They did not disappoint.
Guest openers Little Junior took the stage quietly at 730pm. Don’t let their fresh-out-of-highschool looks fool you, along with their minimalist gear setup; they played with solid chemistry and set the tone for the night…FUN! From their opening puink-infused ditty “Crooked Tooth”, the riffs were catchy and the lyrics delivered with teenage angst. They wrapped up their set with a cover of a Nirvana song (the specific track escapes me) which left the growing crowd with the right vibe.
Grabbing that baton and taking it to the next level, Hollerado wasted no time laying down with the driving beat to “Grief Money”. Dressed in matching black Adidas tracksuits they channelled that 90’s pop sound. At one point, lead guitarist Nixon Boyd launched a perfect rock jump off the kick drum shell. Meanwhile, bassist Dean Baxter kept it low-key on the low end of things.
The hits kept coming as the night went on and it was clear the band wanted to give their fans more than the face value of their tickets. Lead singer Menno Versteeg waxed on the fact he didn’t think they would ever play the Commodore again after his experience with MDMA, some coloured powder and how it wrecked a bunch of house monitors. He also complimented the openers; “Kids are stealing our jobs!” Chants of “ZOEY!” were started (Little Junior’s guitarist).
Halfway through “Yesterday”, Menno took his long mic cord over the pit barrier and into the crowd for an extended sing-along. Safely returning to the stage, he went on a light rant about border guards love to “mess with bands” and shared the advice of one – “You gotta open for BON JOVI”.
A few songs later, he paused for a brief Q&A,
“What is your favourite Canadian or Vancouver band?” an audience member yelled out.
“The Japandroids by far” was his response.
The love continued with a call for the crowd to turn to each other and hug strangers (they complied) and the band left the stage after “So It Goes”…of course came the obligatory raucous call for an encore.
The band returned, having doffed their tracksuit tops for oversize matching tie-dyed t-shirts.
“You realize encores are just a scam, right?”
Launching into “Got to Lose” the crowd was bouncing energetically. A second trip to the floor by Menno had him using the long mic cord for a jump-rope competition.
Upon returning, he brought the members of Little Junior out for an all-band jam of Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” followed by the loudest sing-along of the night: Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”.
Hollerado gave 110%. along with confetti and balloons. A bittersweet celebration for a farewell tour with only 2 dates left…let’s hope some kids can take their jobs and do it as well as they did.
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written by Scotty Evil
photos by Red Lenses Photography
