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The Fabulously Rich to pay tribute to Gord Downie on anniversary of his passing

It won’t be $2.50 for a highball and a buck and a half for a beer on tonight, but the spirit of the Tragically Hip will be alive at the Charlottetown Beer Garden.

Wednesday marks one year since legendary Hip frontman Gord Downie died of brain cancer.

The Fabulously Rich, a local tribute band, will take the stage to commemorate the anniversary, as well as the legalization of cannabis.

The band will have a special guest, author Michael Barclay, who wrote a book about the Tragically Hip called “The NeverEnding Present”.

He opens each show with a reading from the book.

Tickets for Wednesday’s show are $20.25. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 10 p.m.

The Fabulously Rich have another show lined up in Summerside on Saturday at the Silver Fox Curling Club.

“The Hip are kind of Canada’s band. Everybody knows the music,” said Fabulously Rich band member T.J. Lewis.

“The Hip was a major influencing factor for us all as musicians during our foundational years. It’s a band that everybody loves.”

The other four members — Dennis Ellsworth (lead vocals, guitar), Mike Montigny (bass), Trevor Campbell (lead guitar) and Greg Stapleton (drums, backing vocals) — played in a band called Adam’s Eve in high school.

When news broke that Downie had terminal brain cancer, they decided to get the band back together. When the fifth member couldn’t commit, they recruited Lewis to play rhythm guitar.

They played a one-off tribute show at Hunters Ale House in December 2016 that turned into a recurring tour.