The Tragically Hip farewell

[red barchetta]

I'm surprised about not seeing a topic about that Canadian band from Kingston, Ontario.

In May, just as they were about to release a new album, they announced that their lead and charismatic singer, Gordon Downie had a brain cancer at a terminal stage. They announced also a few weeks later that they would go one last time touring Canada.

The band has sold 9 millions records over their 27 year career and have tour the States with over 500 shows as per Setlist.com

I saw the band just once, in the summer of '93. They had released their third album, Fully completely, probably their best.

Gord Downie is an icon in Canada. A poet and crazy on stage. Their last show was a week ago, in their hometown. It was on television across the country and on the net reaching 17,5 millions people.
https://youtu.be/PuRh6zLOVH4

[Zoom E]

I caught their show in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago. It was amazing.

While the band are huge in Canada, they are relatively unknown in the rest of the world. That's unfortunate, as their music has mainstream appeal and deserves to be widely heard.

[red barchetta]

True but still, they were touring the States a lot. They have a ton of good songs.

[SystematicThought]

Seeing him break down during Grace Too was so heartbreaking. I think Rob Baker said that they never said they were done and they still might release some music or something. I don't see it happening as the show was a great send off.

[jjrock88]

Being from Canada, I would say that the Hip are played around 25 times a day between the two rock stations in the city.  I'm not a huge fan, but I very familiar with their songs.

I did catch their farewell concert; very emotional and a great send off for the band.

[red barchetta]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMd9v-mPj7g

Taken from their last show

[eric42434224]

LOVE the Hip

[a51502112]

Good passed away last night. Fucking sad.
https://www.cbc.ca/news

[XeRocks81]

we all knew it was coming btu still   

[jingle.boy]

we all knew it was coming btu still   

Holy fuckin shit... I was just doing a lot of 'Hip stuff this morning for a DTF pal, only to read this just now.  I was watchin some videos of them a couple of hours ago, and just started ballin uncontrollable.  Guess I now know why.

This is a sad day for Canada.  Most here @ DTF won't ever realize how truly beloved The Hip were here in Canada... probably more so than Rush.

 

Edit... if anyone wants to know how loved this band was, understand that nearly 1/3 of the country watched a live broadcast of their final show from a 15-city tour last summer (AFTER Downie had be diagnosed with brain cancer).  Here's a nice compilation made of the last song from their 3rd encore, Ahead By A Century - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghLk-BhT-P8

[XeRocks81]

we all knew it was coming btu still   

Holy fuckin shit... I was just doing a lot of 'Hip stuff this morning for a DTF pal, only to read this just now.  I was watchin some videos of them a couple of hours ago, and just started ballin uncontrollable.  Guess I now know why.

This is a sad day for Canada.  Most here @ DTF won't ever realize how truly beloved The Hip were here in Canada... probably more so than Rush.

 

Edit... if anyone wants to know how loved this band was, understand that nearly 1/3 of the country watched a live broadcast of their final show from a 15-city tour last summer (AFTER Downie had be diagnosed with brain cancer).  Here's a nice compilation made of the last song from their 3rd encore, Ahead By A Century - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghLk-BhT-P8

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/gord-downie-death-political-reaction-1.4359917

The Prime Minister of Canada, crying on tv today and talking about Gord.   I could say something about another head of state in comparison but I won't.

[TAC]

I've heard of them, but I have never heard them. Just read about this on Bravewords. How sad.

[jjrock88]

sad day in Canada

[eric42434224]

HUGE fan of the Hip.  Sad day for me.  Sad day for music.  Was just listening to Road Apples this weekend in the pool.   

[jingle.boy]

The two Toronto area rock stations are playing nothing but Tragically Hip today.

Edit... make that three of the local radio stations.

[WDADU]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d18UWu4dRv4

My favourite Hip song. Rest in peace, Gord 

[RoeDent]

I hadn't heard of The Tragically Hip until reading about their farewell concert last year. It seems like Canadians truly love this band; they are a national institution. And unlike, say, Rush, their commercial success has been mainly confined to Canada, so they can claim to be Canada's own, rather than "a gift to the world", so to speak. You don't get 1/3 of a vast nation watching a live concert. You don't get a nation's Prime Minister breaking down in tears during a public address. That, to me, shows what this band meant to Canadians.

RIP Gord, and my condolences to all Canadians.

[a51502112]

Good passed away last night. Fucking sad.
https://www.cbc.ca/news

I mean't to spell Gord. Godamn auto correct.

[ytserush]

Should be a national day of mourning in Canada.

Another national treasure gone....

Sad news.

[soupytwist]

Being from the UK I hadn't really heard of this band until someone a few years ago was hyping them up on a Pearl Jam forum I visit (I'd say The Hip are like a cross between PJ and REM) that was around the time 'World Container' came out.  I went out and brought 'Yer Favs' (double hits album) and fell in love, brought all there back catalogue and seen them twice in tiny venues in London when they came over.   Really sad day,  Gord was a great frontman and quite an entertainer on stage.

[jingle.boy]

Some of the things that I heard said about Gord yesterday...

"He wrote the soundtrack to Canada"

"Imagine Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Michael Stipe combined into one sensitive, oblique poet-philosopher, and you’re getting close."  --> NY Times

"He's a National hero" --> Geddy Lee

"Few Canadians touched this country like Gord Downie."

"Dear world. Canada is closed. We have had a death in the family."

[Stadler]

Obviously heard of them.   But honestly, I can't say I know even one song.  I googled "New Orleans Is Sinking", "Ahead By A Century" and one other (I think "Courage") and none of it was familiar... any hints as to what this American metal-head would recognize? 

And no, none of this is meant condescendingly; I fully get the impact he's had on his home country, and totally respect that (and admire it).  This is all on me.

[jingle.boy]

The Hip's songs are so incredibly "Canadian" - lyrical references, song titles, tone, delivery etc... - it's not entirely unsurprising they never had any meaningful success outside of Canada.  Of their 8M in album sales, over 6M were in Canada.

It's funny... a buddy of mine and I had a discussion last summer about what is their 'flagship' song.  They don't have one really.  Rush has Tom Sawyer and Spirit of Radio that EVERYONE knows and likely all would acknowledge as *the* song(s).  But - even for us Canadians - there is no one single song that stands out.  The three you referenced would be up there, along with 50 Mission Cap, Blow At High Dough, Little Bones, Lookin For A Place to Happen, and Scared.

If you don't know those, I can't think of anything that you would know/like.

[soupytwist]

The Hip's songs are so incredibly "Canadian" - lyrical references, song titles, tone, delivery etc... - it's not entirely unsurprising they never had any meaningful success outside of Canada.  Of their 8M in album sales, over 6M were in Canada.

It's funny... a buddy of mine and I had a discussion last summer about what is their 'flagship' song.  They don't have one really.  Rush has Tom Sawyer and Spirit of Radio that EVERYONE knows and likely all would acknowledge as *the* song(s).  But - even for us Canadians - there is no one single song that stands out.  The three you referenced would be up there, along with 50 Mission Cap, Blow At High Dough, Little Bones, Lookin For A Place to Happen, and Scared.

If you don't know those, I can't think of anything that you would know/like.

I always got the sense 'Bobcaygeon' was there unofficial signature song?   In the poll topping, fan favorite style.

[jingle.boy]

The Hip's songs are so incredibly "Canadian" - lyrical references, song titles, tone, delivery etc... - it's not entirely unsurprising they never had any meaningful success outside of Canada.  Of their 8M in album sales, over 6M were in Canada.

It's funny... a buddy of mine and I had a discussion last summer about what is their 'flagship' song.  They don't have one really.  Rush has Tom Sawyer and Spirit of Radio that EVERYONE knows and likely all would acknowledge as *the* song(s).  But - even for us Canadians - there is no one single song that stands out.  The three you referenced would be up there, along with 50 Mission Cap, Blow At High Dough, Little Bones, Lookin For A Place to Happen, and Scared.

If you don't know those, I can't think of anything that you would know/like.

I always got the sense 'Bobcaygeon' was there unofficial signature song?   In the poll topping, fan favorite style.

Could be... but it could be any number of a dozen or so songs.  Ask 12 'Hip fans, and I pretty much guarantee you'll get at least 8 different answers as to what their "signature" song is.

[red barchetta]

A great tribute guys.  Downie was such a unique frontman.  It's a big big lost.  Probably the most popular band in Canada ever.  Rush is the most popular Canadian band in the world ever.