Of Monsters and Men returned to Vancouver on June 25 with a packed show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, bringing their mix of indie folk, rock and cinematic pop to a crowd that was more than ready to welcome them back. After years away from the live stage, the Icelandic band showed no signs of rust, delivering a performance that moved easily between quiet, atmospheric moments and full-room singalongs.

The evening opened with American indie folk singer-songwriter, August Ponthier, who shared songs from their debut album Everywhere Isn’t Texas, as well as new unreleased material.

At 9p.m., the lights dropped and Of Monsters And Men emerged from the shadows, surrounded by haze and an eerie wash of light that matched the darker mood of their newer material.

The set leaned heavily on songs from their latest album, All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, giving fans a chance to hear how the band’s sound has developed since their breakthrough. Tracks like “The Actor” and “Ordinary Creature” brought a more layered, reflective side of the group, yet they fit comfortably alongside older favourites.

Of course, the biggest reactions came when the band reached back into their catalogue. Both “King and Lionheart” and “Dirty Paws” had the audience singing along. Then came “Little Talks,” still one of the band’s biggest hits and an undeniable highlight of the night. The familiar opening instantly brought the room together, with the crowd handling a lot of the vocals.

At the centre of it all were Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and Ragnar Þórhallsson, whose voices remain the band’s greatest strength. Their harmonies, paired with the group’s dynamic musicianship, made the long-awaited return feel completely worth the wait.

Check out our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

OF MONSTERS AND MEN

AUGUST PONTHIER

All Photo Credit: Caroline Charruyer

Some nights disappear by the time you get home. This wasn’t one of them. From the first note to the final encore, Canada Life Centre never stopped singing with Creed. Beat after beat, lyric after lyric, hundreds of voices carried the night. If you weren’t there, you genuinely missed something special.

Opening the night was Mammoth. Before jumping into the set, Wolfgang Van Halen asked the crowd how many had seen the band before and how many were first-timers. The cheers landed almost perfectly down the middle.

I also found out he was Eddie Van Halen’s son, my expectations shot through the roof. That’s a heavy name to carry. Songs like “The End,” “The Spell,” “Distance,” and “I Really Wanna” showed exactly why Mammoth is building its own reputation. By the end of the set, he wasn’t just Eddie’s son, he was Wolfgang Van Halen.

Next came Big Wreck, a band that somehow gets even better live. Ian Thornley’s guitar work was effortless, floating between delicate melodies without missing a beat. “The Oaf,” “Come Again,” and “Albatross” sounded massive. Every instrument cut through cleanly, every lyric landed. Big Wreck are definitely one of Canada’s strongest live rock bands.

Then everything shifted. Long before the lights dropped, the arena had already decided who they came for.
“Creed! Creed! Creed!”
The chant rolled across the building before the band even stepped on stage. The opening blast of “Bullets” hit with fire shooting into the air, smoke pouring across the stage. They played like a band with something left to prove. Audiences were locked in just like the band.

The set moved through “Weathered,” “On My Sleeve,” “My Own Prison,” “What If,” “One,” “What’s This Life For,” and “With Arms Wide Open.” Every chorus came back twice as loud as it left the stage. Thousands of phone lights lit up the arena.

After a short pause, the encore delivered exactly what everyone had been waiting for. “One Last Breath.” The crowd barely let Stapp finish a line before taking over. Then came “My Sacrifice,” and for a few minutes, the band almost disappeared beneath the voices around them. That’s what made this show hit differently. The show was about hearing songs that still connect, still fill arenas, and still have thousands of people screaming every word like they were written yesterday.

Check our our favourite photos of the night below or head to our Facebook page for the full gallery!

CREED

BIG WRECK

MAMMOTH

All Photo Credit: Nischal Karki