Aug 20th Tragically Hip Concert

[Mr Dee]

What a touching and memorable performance by the Tragically Hip last night!!

A great show by our own Canadian band. 

 

Tragically Hip's Gord Downie uses Kingston show to call for action on Indigenous issues
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke briefly with the CBC’s Ron MacLean about the Tragically Hip on Saturday night, ahead of a shout-out by singer Gord Downie.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/tragically-hip-s-gord-downie-calls-out-to-trudeau-during-tour-finale-1.3729651

Edited August 21, 2016 by Mr Dee

[Goalie]

I was watching WWE NXT last night downstairs and when i came up the stairs my GF had it on CBC for a moment and from what I heard, I dunno, I'm not the biggest HIP fan, but... what i heard last night wasn't good, It may have just been the 15 minutes i saw but i really didn't think they were that good. I know, i get it, they are legends, they are Canadiana or whatever, but... from what i SAW, that performance last night, wasn't their best. I'm not a huge hip fan but one of the first concerts i ever went to was the HIP, we got free tix from a radio station and a bunch of us went, wasn't a huge fan, it was a great concert but at the same time, I still wasn't a huge fan. Just something about them? I dunno what, but while they were very good live years and years and years ago, last night? In my opinion, it wasn't their best performance. 

[Rich]

Gord struggled with his vocals for sure. But that could have been anything from age to his treatment to over straining from the tour. 

In fact his voice, while unique, has never been his strong point. It has been his lyrics, his story telling, and his unique stage presence. 

I grew up with The Hip in their prime through my teens and twenties.  And for that whole generation, the night was a reminder and celebration of how many amazing songs and hits they put out over the years and how we grew up and experienced those songs through the memories of the past. 

[Goalie]

Yeah thought the Vocals were definitely off, It's understandable, I didn't grow up listening to them so i have no real attachment to them, I get that there are people who did and that's fine with me, It's all good, was just point out that i thought the show i saw many years ago was much better than the one last night. 

 

I guess for a guy like me, probably a wee bit younger than a few of you guys here, i guess i just don't have the same attachment, I guess some of you might say the same if i mentioned bands like Nirvana or even Bad Religion or Blind Melon. 

[Rich]

8 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Yeah thought the Vocals were definitely off, It's understandable, I didn't grow up listening to them so i have no real attachment to them, I get that there are people who did and that's fine with me, It's all good, was just point out that i thought the show i saw many years ago was much better than the one last night. 

 

I guess for a guy like me, probably a wee bit younger than a few of you guys here, i guess i just don't have the same attachment, I guess some of you might say the same if i mentioned bands like Nirvana or even Bad Religion or Blind Melon. 

I grew up with those bands too.  Nevermind was released 1991, same year as Road Apples from The Hip.   Blind Melon's first CD was 1992.  

All those were around the time I graduated High School.

[Mr Dee]

1 hour ago, Rich said:

It has been his lyrics, his story telling, and his unique stage presence. 

And for that whole generation, the night was a reminder and celebration of how many amazing songs and hits they put out over the years and how we grew up and experienced those songs through the memories of the past. 

You're exactly right. They have an amazing catalogue of well known songs that have touched millions of fans and I'm sure with CBC's broadcast CBC had quite the audience for this show.

It shouldn't be viewed as merely a broadcasted concert, but rather a sharing of a band, and especially one man's commitment to say farewell and thank you. It must take phenomenal courage to carry on and perform and I salute Gord Downie and will try to draw courage and enlightment from this performance. 

It wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be. It was what we are...flawed.

For those who missed it, especially with fellow fans, you missed something special. For those who saw it, you already know, and will not soon forget the images of Gord Downie and the band as they said goodbye.

[kelownabomberfan]

I watched some of the concert, and agree with Goalie that Downie wasn't his best, but have to cut the guy a ton of slack.  I was not surprised to see Trudeau front and center at this event, as of course he had to be there to get maximum free exposure and appear hip (pun intended) and cool to people who lap up his continuous vacuous gestures.  I was flipping back and forth between the Rider game and the concert, and was really not happy when Gord started praising Trudeau, as I generally don't like it when rock bands or actors use their public stage to try and push political agendas.  I get drawing attention to First Nations issues, but pumping a political leader on national TV is in poor taste, no matter who it might be.    I could only imagine the outrage from the lunatic left if Gord had gone on some anti-Trudeau tirade and told everyone to support Rona Ambrose.  That would have been hilarious!!  "You see that guy there?  Not much going on in his head right now.  Just about zero.  Deficits?  Budgets?  They take care of themselves".  HA!

Edited August 22, 2016 by kelownabomberfan

[Mr Dee]

Oh great, one line of concert review, and the rest political shyte. 

Too bad you couldn't let it be.

[Brandon]

The fact that he was even on stage doing any kind of show is amazing in it's own.   I knew someone who battled the same battle he did and it was a complete struggle to even do basic daily routines.     Absolutely amazing that he could do a tour.

[kelownabomberfan]

37 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

Oh great, one line of concert review, and the rest political shyte. 

Too bad you couldn't let it be.

too bad you couldn't have a thread about the Tragically Hip without showing not one, but two pictures of our mimbo Prime Minister, and a link to an article talking about Captain selfie.  I was actually wondering if this thread was about the Hip, or about your man-crush on Justin.  in other words, if you don't want political shyte in your thread, leave the political shyte out of it to begin with.  I wasn't even going to mention Trudeau, even though I thought it was extremely in poor taste to use the CBC and the Tragically Hip's potentially last concert ever as a political soapbox, but YOU brought it into the thread.  If you don't want opinions about the poor taste shown by Trudeau to milk this event, then don't even introduce him in the first place.  Just let it be.

[iso_55]

I listened to a bit of the concert as well & I thought CBC did a lousy job on the sound production for tv. The instruments drowned out Downie's  vocals. Yeah, he was off on his pitch but considering his health I think he really worked hard last night. The CBC spoiled the concert for me.

[Mr Dee]

What's the matter with you? That posting is nowhere near a political post. It was an event that drew 11.7 million viewers. ONE of the viewers was the PM. Of course that will get noticed. Just because you have a natural hate for the guy doesn't change the fact he was attending a concert...on a farewell tour fo Canada's favourite band. The only one spouting political nonsense, again, is you. You just can't help yourself.

Leave it for what it was...a great farewell show, shared by millions of Canadians, even if you're not one.

[Jpan85]

PM was invited by Gord to the concert. The man is dying let he say what ever the hell he wants. It did not matter what they sounded like last night was not the point of tour or broadcast it was one last chance for Canada to thank Gord and the boys for what they have done meant to the country.

[iso_55]

1 hour ago, Jpan85 said:

PM was invited by Gord to the concert. The man is dying let he say what ever the hell he wants. It did not matter what they sounded like last night was not the point of tour or broadcast it was one last chance for Canada to thank Gord and the boys for what they have done meant to the country.

Well, why broadcast the event if it's sub par? I think what the band did was unbelievable but the sound was terrible. Do you think if the sound was like that in the arena, the fans who paid big bucks for tickets wouldn't have complained? I get the love for the band & they went out & rocked but it doesn't mean that people on tv shouldn't see a great concert.

[kelownabomberfan]

2 hours ago, Jpan85 said:

 The man is dying let he say what ever the hell he wants.

on this we can agree.  let him say what he wants, and I'm glad that he made a plea to Canadians watching to take action on Indigenous issues.  I can't argue with that at all.  I didn't know that Trudeau had been invited, but I doubt that really would have made a difference in him being there.  Glad that his personal photographer was there to capture Trudeau in all the great poses, so that his propagandists across Canada could sneak them into threads about the Hip concert.

Edited August 22, 2016 by kelownabomberfan

[kelownabomberfan]

2 hours ago, Mr Dee said:

 

Leave it for what it was...a great farewell show, shared by millions of Canadians, even if you're not one.

You are right, it could be enjoyed by millions of Canadians, even the ones who aren't Trudeau fanbois.  I really liked Downie's speech at the end, and it was funny when he said that he was going to pretend to leave, and then come back again after everyone cheered.  That was true Canadian folksieness.  I am glad the CBC broadcast the final show, as I never got to go to a live Hip concert.  I had a chance back in 1989 when they played Mac Hall at the University of Calgary, (New Orleans is Sinking had just come out) but decided not to go due mainly to just plain cheapness.  Always regretted that decision, and now its kind of sad that I'll never see them live again, even with the distasteful Trudeau political propaganda. 

Edited August 22, 2016 by kelownabomberfan

[iso_55]

Saw them live at the Saddledome in 1997.

[kelownabomberfan]

The funny thing about the Hip was that if you wanted to see them when they toured the US it was easy to get tickets, and they'd get small draws - from what I have been told by people who have seen them live in the US.  They truly are "ours", unlike other Canadian bands like the Guess Who or Neil Young, who Americans don't even know are Canadian as they were so popular in the US too.

[sweep the leg]

Lol, I knew when I saw KBF in this thread there would be a political rant about Trudeau.

[sweep the leg]

Imo a live show generally doesn't sound that good when you're not actually there. I was at the show in Winnipeg and thought he sounded great. I watched some clips of the same show on youtube later and his voice wasn't quite as good as I remembered it.

Gord's the best though. Amazingly awkward stage movements seem to work for him.

 

[Noeller]

The CBC cuts away from the Olys, which they paid through the nose for, to show a concert which they're losing a boat load of money on (paying expenses, not taking in a single cent of income), and people are going to complain about it.....******* Christ.

Was a fantastic concert....but more than that, it was a fantastic EVENT. Had a blast watching it on Saturday. I'm never going to be considered one of those hardcore Hip fans, but I definitely love the music and it was fantastic to be a part of something with the entire country. More than 11-million people tuned in (one third of the country!!) with more than 4-million watching on TV alone. Unreal.

And really glad The People's PM, JPT, who is very much part of that generation that grew up with The Hip, was able to come and hang out.

[sweep the leg]

I consider myself a hardcore Hip fan, and I agree the entire event was amazing. Love seeing the Canadian pride!

[kelownabomberfan]

46 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

Lol, I knew when I saw KBF in this thread there would be a political rant about Trudeau.

and I knew when I saw that a Hip thread was started by Mr. Dee, that there would be a bunch of pictures of PM dingbat included with pictures of the Hip.  The link to the article was the icing on the cake.

Sorry, but I am on several other websites including political ones and this was the third site with a thread titled "Tragically Hip Concert" and yet it goes exactly to this same form - picture of Gord Downie, picture of a vacant-staring Trudeau at the Hip concert, picture of Downie/Band, followed by heart-warming picture of Downie and Trudeau embracing followed by this standard script:

The Hip concert was on last night and ZOMG!!! did you see Trudeau was there, and yeah it was sure great that we could watch them one last time and pay tribute, and ZOMG!!! did you see that part where the lead singer guy (what's his name again?) was talking about how great Trudeau is!!! ZOMG that was so awesome and he's so dreamy and stuff!!!!!

[17to85]

19 hours ago, Goalie said:

I was watching WWE NXT last night downstairs and when i came up the stairs my GF had it on CBC for a moment and from what I heard, I dunno, I'm not the biggest HIP fan, but... what i heard last night wasn't good, It may have just been the 15 minutes i saw but i really didn't think they were that good. I know, i get it, they are legends, they are Canadiana or whatever, but... from what i SAW, that performance last night, wasn't their best. I'm not a huge hip fan but one of the first concerts i ever went to was the HIP, we got free tix from a radio station and a bunch of us went, wasn't a huge fan, it was a great concert but at the same time, I still wasn't a huge fan. Just something about them? I dunno what, but while they were very good live years and years and years ago, last night? In my opinion, it wasn't their best performance. 

4 times you point out that you aren't a big fan and you wonder why you thought that the concert wasn't that great? I mean I think we've nailed down the problem here already.

Gord Downie has never had the best vocals and yeah it was a bit rough on Saturday but come on, the guy got a terminal brain cancer diagnosis, just to be up there is enough never mind all the emotions he was surely going through. As a bit of a fan I enjoyed it. I could have sat and watched them play their entire discography all night and still want more. Great send off to a great Canadian band, and good on the CBC for showing the entire thing without cutting away to a commercial once. 

[bigg jay]

22 hours ago, Goalie said:

I guess for a guy like me, probably a wee bit younger than a few of you guys here, i guess i just don't have the same attachment, I guess some of you might say the same if i mentioned bands like Nirvana or even Bad Religion or Blind Melon. 

If you had been a fan of the Hip you could have been one of 40ish people who saw Nirvana open for them back in 1989!  

Saw this on Twitter and thought it was neat.