Hip puts out live disc from ’91 Roxy show

When the red recording light flashed on at Hollywood’s storied Roxy Theatre, the pressure was on the Tragically Hip to put on a good show, guitarist Paul Langlois recalls.

It wasn’t long before those nerves receded into the background, as frontman Gord Downie punctuated the rollicking set list with ad libbed musings.

The May 3, 1991, live performance will be released as a stand-alone album on digital streaming platforms, vinyl and CD on June 24, after being remastered for the Hip’s 30th anniversary “Road Apples” box set last year.

The concert has earned coveted status among Hip collectors over the decades, both because of its storied Sunset Strip venue and Downie’s off-the-cuff charisma, said Langlois.

“As soon as we started, you kind of forget about the record- ing,” Langlois said ahead of Thursday’s announcement.

The show, which was original- ly recorded for a radio broad- cast, consists solely of the Hip’s early “rockers,” said Langlois, including “Little Bones,” “Long Time Running” and “Cordelia.”

The album also features the fabled nine-minute rendition of “New Orleans Is Sinking” known to fans as the “killer whale tank” version, a refer- ence to Downie’s midsong an- ecdote about a job cleaning an aquarium.

The rest of the band riffed be- hind Downie’s improvisational interjections, and when neces- sary, steered him back to the song, said Langlois.

“Live at the Roxy” is available for preorder. One of the tracks, “She Didn’t Know,” was re- leased for purchase or stream- ing Thursday.

Langlois said he expects lis- teners will “feel like you were there” as they rock along with the recording.