Hip fans approach fever pitch
As The Tragically Hip’s tour bus moves east across the country this summer, emotion builds like a fever. The outpouring of love for the band becomes more intense with each appearance they make.
As a nation, we love and cherish The Tragically Hip and we relish seeing Gord Downie step out on stage in those metallic suits created in collaboration with Canadian fashion designers and give it. We love that in spite of a brain cancer diagnosis only a few months ago he decided to go out on the road with his bandmates of 30 years.
It has been reported that Downie has been responding to medical treatment but for all we know, Man Machine Poem could be The Hip’s last album and this could be their final tour. Everyone who has any interest in the band has been paying attention to this tour and it has not disappointed.
It has such cultural significance that Mayor John Tory proclaimed August 10 Tragically Hip Day in the city of Toronto. It was the first of three Toronto shows at the ACC south with the latter two being on August 12 and 14. The band then moves on to Hamilton and Ottawa before the final show in Kingston, the band’s hometown, on August 20.
“The Tragically Hip have been rocking audiences since the mid-80s and have captured the heart of Canadians ever since. Although The Hip will be playing their last Toronto shows, their iconic music will continue to make its mark on Toronto’s musical and cultural scene. The Hip have accumulated 14 JUNO Awards, been inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and was one of four Canadian bands honoured with a series of postage stamps from Canada Post,” proclaimed Tory Wednesday. “After more than 30 years of dedication to music, The Hip have moved fans of all age groups. The spirit of The Tragically Hip will continue to inspire Canadian music lovers in Toronto and across the country.”
This week and next our national broadcasting corporation is dedicating an hour each day to whole Tragically Hip albums, working through the entire catalogue, asking national celebrities and regular people to weigh in on why The Hip is so dearly beloved.
In Canada, where fame is measured in underrated awards and postage stamps, we do our best by them to cultivate a sense of celebrity. They are not Canada’s most famous band in the world but they are Canada’s most famous band domestically. We take pride in our collective appreciation of their unique blend of rock and poetic Canadiana. That love and pride will be felt across the province next week when people get together to watch the final concert on August 20. It will be broadcast live on CBC and live-streamed at locations around the Georgian Triangle including Wasaga Beach Playland Park at 8 p.m. and in the events plaza at Blue Mountain Village at 8:30 p.m.
