Silverchair and Powderfinger made major headlines earlier this year when they announced their absolutely massive Across The Great Divide tour, joining forces to play over 30 shows in two months. After launching the tour in Newcastle on Wednesday night, they made their first capital city stop at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Friday night, and proved that, despite their veteran status (both bands have over 10 years in the music industry), they can both put on as good a show as ever.

An accident on the Gateway Motorway meant that when opening act Blue King Brown took the stage, the large venue was almost empty. Support acts at the BEC get crowded into a small area on stage, but this didn’t seem to bother Blue King Brown at all, even though they are a nine piece musical collective. Their songs are a mesh of soul, funk, blues and roots and rock, and the big sound system at the BEC gives the numbers a full body. They only get six songs to play, so they strut their stuff with singles Water and Come N Check Yo Head. Second percussionist Salvador Persico gets a couple of chances to shine solo, and the whole band gels really well, despite their restricted stage space. The only sour note comes after the final song, when frontwoman Natalie Paapaa makes her fourth speech of the night about Aboriginal reconciliation; the tour is in support of this issue, and it’s definitely an issue worth making a statement about, but making that statement after the music is finished means that people will remember you for the issue, not the music.

After a long delay, the members of Silverchair (along with now regular member Paul Mac, and second keys player) hit the stage. The venue is now packed out, and lifelong fans and newcomers alike greet the boys with a raucous cheer. They open with Young Modern Station, but the levels are all wrong; Daniel Johns’ vocals and guitar are almost inaudible underneath the bass. By a couple of songs in, the levels are back to normal, and the Chair power through their set, comprising new songs and songs from the back catalogue, including classic The Door, and set-closer Freak. Visually, the band put on quite a show, but it’s a bit unbalanced. It’s clear that Johns, when it comes to playing live, really just wants to rock out with his guitar, but, while that may suit some of the older material, his newer songs have a pop sheen which gets a little lost in the translation. Straight Lines is still good, thanks to a piano line from Mac, but other new songs Reflections Of A Sound and If You Keep Losing Sleep don’t hold up as well. But it’s still a great show – the excellent sound system means Emotion Sickness still has that visceral punch, Ana’s Song (Open Fire) is as good as ever, and The Greatest View has the entire crowd singing along. Daniel Johns may not write songs like he used to, but Silverchair still know how to bring a crowd to their feet.

As a group, Powderfinger never really went looking for fame – they had it thrust upon them with their Hottest 100 double and ARIA awards. The result is that, when they take the stage, there’s a lot less fanfare in their stage setup – it’s just a regular five piece band, with new touring member Lachlan Doley on keys. Like Silverchair, they open with their new album’s first track, Head Up In The Clouds before hitting Waiting For The Sun, and big single Lost And Running. As usual, Bernard Fanning, when not playing his guitar, picks up the microphone stand, and carries it around with him on stage like a dance partner. Ian Haug and Darren Middleton are exceptional as always – Haug’s intro to the epic Thrilloilogy is stunning. The new songs are excellent live; I Don’t Remember has more energy than it’s recorded counterpart (as does big single My Happiness), and Fanning plays acoustic under a lone spotlight for the sombre Black Tears. The highlight of the set is an awesome piano-blues version of Forever Young – it’s good to see a band tinker with their songs for a different effect, and Fanning even plays the harmonica. They close their main set with Baby I’ve Got You On My Mind, which segues into a cover of The Rolling Stones’ Midnight Rambler, before back to the finish of the song.

After the break, Haug, Middleton and Fanning stand under a spotlight, with their three acoustic guitars, and play a brilliant stripped-back version of Sunsets, before being joined by the rest of the band for grand finale These Days. The Powderfinger set feels a little cut short, but judging by the standing ovation they got from large chunks of the mostly-seated crowd, these local boys are still big favourites, although it would have been nice to hear at least one song from breakthrough album Double Allergic.

These two powerhouse Australian bands have very different live shows, but the sum effect is one of the most entertaining and exciting rock shows in quite a while. Tickets for certain dates on the tour are still available, and any music fan would be well advised to catch these two bands doing what they do best. Tonight has been a show that will be remembered for a long time.