The Tragically Hip's Final Concert to be Aired

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/tragically-h...-1.3639948


Sooooo….. with great sadness a month or so ago, I/we learned that Gordon Downie, the lead singer for The Tragically Hip, has terminal brain cancer.  This means their last concert tour is this summer and they are hitting most of the larger Canadian cities for 15 shows.

August 20 is the date of their final concert and will be aired live, per the article.

Who are The Tragically Hip?  They are the biggest Canadian rock group of the past 30 odd years now.  For the past 20 years, you can't buy a concert ticket where I'm originally from (Buffalo, NY) because their concerts literally sell out in seconds/minutes EVERY time… No Joke…. the article I pasted above even mentions this fact as the reason they are airing it on TV: so many of their fans couldn't buy tickets because they sold out instantly.  (Aside: We grew up listening to these guys.  I never really understood why they didn't become HUGE across the entire USA… they are PHENOMENAL talents, both in the studio and live concerts.  Everyone in Canada (and everyone in Buffalo) knows who the Hip are.  If you simply say "the Hip" (even totally out of context), there isn't single soul that doesn't know EXACTLY what you're referring to… they're that big… and GREAT.  I just found out they even have a street named after them, from the article, in their hometown Kingston, a suburb of Toronto, ON.)

They are rock influenced by blues, country, southern…. and a type of alternative rock I'm having a hard time pinning down the roots of -- maybe it's because they actually created it and I grew up listening to them… maybe it's called "Canadian Alternative Modern Rock"… that's actually the best description for it.  (Edit: think of a touch of Counting Crows' first album… but the Hip were doing it much earlier… the Hip also rock way harder when they rock out.)

Everything they do (and it's been diversified rock over the years) just sounds real and professional (never cheap or cliche), and darn it, MUSICAL… the way music is supposed to sound… musical.

These guys are professional musicians and performers.

Gordon Downie, the singer, is the leader… wonderful voice, bubbly, funny, creative/spontaneous, and confident without a hint of arrogance… just there to perform for you, it is what he was born to do.  Now one last time.

(BTW, notice in the very beginning of the article, The Tragically Hip needed no introduction whatsoever… like, Neil Young or Rush, their compatriots.)

Gordo, as I like to refer to him, clearly likes to perform. Here's a sample of a song that he drives, Nautical Disaster.

Live example, turns into a madman per usual:

Studio version for reference:

It's very difficult to pick up and understand an artist's full genius and flavor from one clip and this is a relatively unconventional song (as they tended to be in those years). I very much encourage you to check out their other stuff if you tolerated this. This song is not my favorite, nor on my favorite album nor in my favorite years of theirs. Still sends shivers down my spine.

If you're a guitar nut like me, you will most enjoy their early albums:
Up To Here
Road Apples
Fully Completely

I just recently got turned on toy their music and like it alot, sorry to hear about Gordon.

Thanks Panther. Definitely one of my heroes.

Oh man: this is sad news.
I grew up in Ottawa, and loved The Tragically Hip in my younger days ie 80's and early 90's.
Thanks for sharing, Nero.

Thanks Ravi. I hope you will tune in to the concert.
Glad to hear "loved" because it is just that.

Love those early songs. Thanks Ravi.

He's one of those guys whose voice is more beautiful the more he screams. Like the faster Randy Rhoads played his guitar the more melodic it became.
Can't say that about the most.

Wow, Matt! If I didn't know better, I would have thought you were a Canadian with your admiration for this superb band! Also, I don't think the folks in Kingston would appreciate being called Torontonian suburbanites. 

Thanks Celestino!
I was hoping you'd (given you live in Canada, although from Portugal) give even more validity to their greatness. (Thanks again Ravi, too.)

As I said before I have no idea why Americans didn't pick them up. Not sure how it all works, but maybe American radio stations just didn't get sent copies of their albums or singles. Which would have been Billboard toppers!!
Make no mistake about it, if you love rock music, you love The Tragically Hip. Simple as that.

Sorry, I thought Kingston was closer to Toronto but I guess it's pretty far. Still in Ontario. Sorry for this misguide on that part!!!
Buffalo would be proud to be considered a suburb of Toronto. it is a great city
Certainly one of the very best perks of living in Buffalo (other than the awesome food) was the fact we could pick up Toronto/St. Catherine's radio stations so we could specifically get introduced to The Tragically Hip. (Soon/eventually, local Buffalo stations were playing them, though, too.)

Song of the day:
"Locked in the Trunk of a Car" from the Fully Completely album.

I don't know how you could be a rock fan and not like this song.
Long intro, build up, great riffs, wicked solo, and Gordon vocals. Formula for success.

No worries, Matt and I am sure the folks in Kingston won't mind.  

Also, for a rock band, they are superb, indeed, and it is great that you really enjoy their music.

"Three Pistols" from the Road Apples album

Sometime circa 2000 I woke up as my grandfather and the radio was 'that noise'. TH is one of the few bands I stumbled across and enjoy listening to. I am not so
much bewildered, as jaded to pop tastes here. I can hardly log on without an update on the overwhelming pressures just a beaver is dealing with or his sometime GF who looks all of 13. Then you hear bad news like his and want to backhand every beleiber in striking distance.

(06-19-2016, 08:49 AM)kav Wrote: Sometime circa 2000 I woke up as my grandfather and the radio was 'that noise'. TH is one of the few bands I stumbled across and enjoy listening to. I am not so
much bewildered, as jaded to pop tastes here. I can hardly log on without an update on the overwhelming pressures just a beaver is dealing with or his sometime GF who looks all of 13. Then you hear bad news like his and want to backhand every beleiber in striking distance.

Thanks Chris.  TTH, as you know, is no pop-thumping band faking music for boppers.  

(if we knew each other personally, you'd know I couldn't even pick out ANY of the following people's faces: Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift… I don't need to go on after those two… you definitely get the idea.  I'm surprised I could even remember their names (but for your allusion to JB))

(06-19-2016, 08:49 AM)kav Wrote: Sometime circa 2000 I woke up as my grandfather and the radio was 'that noise'.

I just re-read this sentence (excellent btw), and wanted to let you know your dismay began BEFORE 2000.


FWIW, I was personally hoping they'd call it the "#### Cancer Tour" but they settled on "For Gord", I guess.

Acoustic guitar for you gents.
"38 Years Old" from the Up To Here album:

Forgive the video(s).

I remember in 1967 my mother crying when Nelson Eddy died. I was again living at home during University when John Lennon was murdered. I went to a local park for a spontaneous candlelight gathering, saw a girl from a class who didn't like me, hugged and wound up spending the night in, um sensual escape. My mother commented ' I never realized The Beatles meant that much to you'. I just handed her LP of Indian love call over
and went out. Every generation has THEIR music, obnoxious wardrobes and slang. Maybe 3 percent survives to be treasured by everyone in it's time or after. Matt, grab hold of all the memories you can. Someday, you can be me and my Japanese American friend Steve when a younger cashier tried to imagine us in 60s togs. In spontaneous timing we started singing " When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now.
Will you still be sending me valentines, birthday greetings,botttle of wine? Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64............everyone in the store over 55 joined in like some flash mob for maybe a minute. Manager says 'Kav, if you weren't such a asset when the larouchies setup outside I'd probably have to say something in my supervisory capacity'.

I think all I can do at this point is share my love.
I did get to see them twice, but as I said they SELL ALL TICKETS IMMEDIATELY and so couldn't see them in Buffalo at all, or as frequently as I would have wanted.
Once in Cleveland (congrats to the LeBron and other Cavs) not far from RR Hall of Fame, and once in Las Vegas on Halloween night 2009.
Had to pick my jaw up off the floor both times.