Regina fans say goodbye to The Hip
Thirty songs already entrenched into the Canadian fabric were sewn even tighter by the manic and magical Gord Downie on Saturday evening.
Brain cancer be damned, the terminally ill Downie took the reins as the Tragically Hip’s frontman for likely the last time, playing a nationally broadcast show in Kingston, Ont.
Most eyes and ears in Canada made a point of bearing witness, and Regina was no exception.
Those who didn’t plan to watch likely got a taste anyway: The Hip blared from seemingly every Regina business that was open.
Equal parts poet and musician, Downie spent nearly three decades capturing the heart of a nation. In one night, he found a way to make the heart of that nation pulse harmoniously from sea to sea to sea.
“They are, in a lot of capacities, our great unifiers that bring together people who like music from various genres,” said Mike Dawson, the executive director of Sask-Music and band member of Library Voices. “They’re an incredible band, but also they’ve done so much to celebrate Canada and Canadian history in their music.”
It’s telling that a city like Regina, where the culture always seems to be catching up, sold out viewing parties for the show and many a family room was full, eyes trained on the television.
“I had to stay home and watch it because I knew I was going to cry,” says Hip superfan Nicole Robertson Smith, who has seen 23 of the band’s shows in six different countries. “I was laughing and crying and dancing.”
Many integral parts of the city’s own music scene were also sure to watch. That includes Marshall Burns of Rah Rah, who says no band has had more of an impact on his musical career than The Hip.
“I found it very emotional and I thought it was great,” he said of the show, adding there are few things that are uniquely Canadian, but without doubt the band is one.
In what was surely a surreal moment, Everett Hunter and his band Bad Luck Jonathan took the stage at the Trifecta Music Festival in Victoria Park moments after Downie gave his final goodbye.
“Definitely not an easy act to follow,” said Hunter, who was unable to watch the show because he was busy preparing for his own. “All through the setup and the day, I was thinking this is a concert the whole country is tuning into.”
It was fitting such a large crowd came out to see the local act, given The Hip’s dedication to supporting local musicians.
“Their reputation is pretty solid as far as being very in touch with the Canadian music scene,” said Burns, who got to meet Downie in Moose Jaw a few years ago.
“He was an incredibly gracious and thoughtful person. He really went out of his way to talk to us and for a long time.”