ACROSS CANADA, A HIP FAREWELL
KINGSTON, Ont. — On Saturday, the eastern Ontario city of Kingston was Hip-town.
Hordes of music fans gathered in the hometown of the Tragically Hip for the final stop of their Man Machine Poem tour.
They came expecting an emotional farewell, given that lead singer Gord Downie revealed this year that he’s battling terminal brain cancer.
Tens of thousands of fans — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among them — were in Kingston for the concert.
Concert viewing parties (the concert was aired on CBC) were held across Canada and internationally — at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the Canada Olympic House hosted a party for Canadian athletes along with their family and friends. Canadians Abroad of Southern California had a viewing party in Los Angeles.
At their concert, the Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics. The band started their set with four straight hits from the classic album Fully Completely: opener 50 Mission Cap, followed by Courage (for Hugh MacLennan), Wheat Kings and At the Hundredth Meridian.
The Hip then segued into their latest album Man Machine Poem, with four tracks including the single In a World Possessed by the Human Mind.
Before Machine, Downie launched into one of his trademark onstage rants, calling out to Trudeau.
Trudeau’s official photographer tweeted a photo of the prime minister and Downie embracing before the concert.
“Well, you know, prime minister Trudeau’s got me, his work with First Nations. He’s got everybody. He’s going to take us where we need to go,” Downie said from the stage.
“It’s going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there,” he continued, “but it isn’t cool and everybody knows that. It’s really, really bad, but we’re going to figure it out, you’re going to figure it out.”
As the Hip started to play their hit single Bobcaygeon, people in the small Ontario community of Bobcaygeon rose to their feet.
Those gathered for the viewing party knew instantly what song was about to play.
They brought out their cellphones and cameras and as Downie sang the lyrics “It was in Bobcaygeon, I saw the constellations,” the crowd went wild.
More than 6,000 people either stood or sat on lawn chairs along Bolton Street, the town’s main street, where adults and children took in the show on three jumbo screens.
In Kingston, residents wanted to make sure their send-off would not be forgotten.
Reminders of the prolific Canadian band were found throughout the city’s downtown.
Restaurants wiped away daily specials on their sandwich boards to give nods to Hip fans.
Even the public transit system pulled out all the stops with a “Welcome Home, Hip” message that flashed across the bus route sign. Rides were free to help ease the onslaught of visitor traffic.
Locals couldn’t stop talking about the Hip, either. “It’s the hometown people that keep them going,” said local native Chris Harris.
Early in the afternoon, he passed around a marker so visitors could write notes to the Hip on a wall outside the city’s market square. By midday, the wall was filled and city organizers scrambled to bring in more paper to accommodate all the messages.
“The Tragically Hip has been the soundtrack to the best years of my life,” read a note signed by Natalie from Prince Edward Island.
In Vancouver, people streamed into the Playhouse Theatre that seats upwards to 600.
“It sounds cliche, however, they have been the soundtrack to many crucial moments in my life, so I wanted to be a part of it and say goodbye to Gord,” Sonya Howard, who saw the Hip in concert as a teen, said in Vancouver.
“He’s been such an integral part I think of the Canadian music scene... It’s just sad he won’t be here to keep sharing his gift.”