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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2016-08-24, Page 5Wednesday, August 24, 2016 • Huron Expositor 5 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com Emotional, historic Tragically Hip show Jane Stevenson The Tragically Hip's long goodbye to Canada has finally come to an emotional, historic end. Or has it? The Hip, who've been touring across Canada since late July when their 15 -date Man Machine Poem tour launched in Victoria, B.C., have never said it's their last tour ever but given lead singer Gord Downie's terminal brain tumour diagnosis in December (with sur- gery, radiation and chemo that followed) we've all just assumed it was. However, guitarist Rob Baker offered up a ray of hope last week when he responded to this Twitter post: "Nothing would make me happier than @ thehipdotcom/@tthbaker dropping a "we never said anything about this being the end" bomb in Kingston." Baker replied on his Twitter account: "We've never said anything about it." And TSN's Bob McKen- zie tweeted Saturday that Downie has "an intrigu- ing solo project that will happen in the next cou- ple of months" Whatever the future, The Hip finally came home on Saturday night to play to an intimate crowd, relatively speak- ing, of about 6,700 SET LIST Fifty -Mission Cap Courage Wheat Kings At the Hundredth Meridian In A World Possessed By The Human Mind What Blue Tired As Fuck (including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who pre- viously tweeted "Gord Downie is a true original who has been writing Canada's soundtrack for more than 30 years. #Courage") at Kingston's Rogers K -Rock Centre while outside thousands gathered in Springer Mar- ket Square where a large LED screen had been set up. The group kicked off their performance - that was preceded by a spon- taneous rendition of 0 Canada, waving of large Canadian flags, and "Hip! Hip! Hip!" or "Gord! Gord! Gord!" chants - with fan favour- ites Fifty -Mission Cap, Courage, the latter dur- ing which cardboard maple leafs were handed out for the audience to hold up with the #Cour- age4Gord hashtag, Wheat Kings and At The Hundredth Meridian, the latter which saw Downie fully engaged. Decked out in a silver metallic leather suit, taupe hat with feathers and his now famous JAWS T-shirt (some peo- ple in the crowd had their own version of Downie's ensemble), the singer seemed to forget a few words to Courage but no one seemed to care. "The Prime Minister's got me," were Downie's first spoken words of the night a bit later in the set. "His work with First Machine Intermission My Music At Work Lake Fever Toronto #4 Putting Down Twist My Arm Three Pistols Fiddler's Green Little Bones Nations. He's going to take us everywhere." The same could have been said by Downie and The Hip. By song five, the band delved into new material from their latest album, Man Machine Poem, with In A World Possessed By The Human Mind, that was followed by What Blue, Tired as F --k, and Machine. But it was The Hip's return to the stage after a brief thunder and light- ning video display on the video screens above then that set the crowd off again as Downie reap- peared in a hot pink metallic leather ensemble and black hat with feath- ers for My Music At Work, Lake Fever, Toronto #4, Putting Down, Twist My Arm, Three Pistols and the super emotional Fid- dler's Green. At one point, Downie joked about his scarf being "two tube socks tied together," and that it only took him "28 years to figure out" he needed to keep his voice warm. "Thanks for pushing me!" he said. But it was the barn - burner Little Bones that everyone went nuts for and - after a third outfit change into a colour - flecked silver suit - Poets. The first encore, which began after Downie hugged and kissed his bandmates and told the crowd they Intermission The Last of the Unplucked Gems Something On Poets Bobcaygeon Fireworks ENCORE New Orleans is Sinking Boots or Hearts were glad to be back in Kingston, - "We started here!" - with another crowd favourite New Orleans is Sinking that was followed by a simi- lar crowdpleaser, Blow At High Dough. The much anticipated performance was broad- casted commerical -free nationally across the country on CBC's various TV radio and Internet platforms with 420 com- munity viewing events confirmed throughout Canada as of this past Friday. Just think about it. A big portion of the the country watching a homegrown group - Downie, Baker, guitarist Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drum- mer Johnny Fay - together on a small stage, quite possibly playing their last show together. It just seemed right: The Hip - with Downie, in his current dandy phase - at home while we all watched. "Canada's band," as the group who formed in Kingston in 1984, were coined after 30 plus years and 14 studio albums of writing about small towns and hockey heroes while delivering blister- ing bluesy rock shows led by the always unpredict- able Downie who seemed to enter another zone on stage, deserved no less. The unifying moment Blow At High Dough SECOND ENCORE Nautical Disaster Scared Grace, Too THIRD ENCORE Locked in the Trunk of a Car Gift Shop Ahead by a Centu for the country was unmatched and moving, not only because Down- ie's illness seemingly brought us all together for the first time in a long time (maybe ever in my lifetime) but made us realize just what an artistic treasure was always there right in front of us. According to his doctor in recent interviews, Downie - a 52 -year-old father of four - was having the time of his life on tour and, in the end, isn't that really what this is all about? "Thanks for listening period. Have a nice life," said the singer before the second encore of Nauti- cal Disaster, Scared and Grace, Too (primal screams by Downie included) followed by third encore Locked in the Trunk of A Car, Gift Shop and finally Ahead by a Century. Scoreboard Seaforth Shuffleboard iar August 17 Men's high: Erich Matzold, Cor DeCorte 4 wins, Arnold Ramsey, Jim Davis, Red Vantyghem 3 wins. Women's high: Olave Little, Joyce Matzold, Audrey Hoff 3 wins, Grace Corbett 2 wins. ea orthhuronex.osi 1 HAVE AN OPINION? The Huron Expositor welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and accompanied by a phone number for information clarification. It is important to note, letters will not be printed without the author's name attached. All letters are subject to editing due to possible space restriction. Letters can be dropped off at the office, mailed or emailed: The Huron Expositor 8 Main St. P.O. Box 69 Seaforth, ON NOK 1WO Shaun.Gregory@sunmedia.ca www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com s ,