Gord Downie, lead singer of the Tragically Hip, has been diagnosed with a form of terminal brain cancer. The band has posted on their website, that in recent months all have been struggling with this news as you could imagine. They have decided to share this very difficult news with their fans after keeping things private among family and close friends.
They do intend to do one last tour as Gord feels it is important not just for the fans, but himself and bandmates. Dates will be announced soon.
The Hip are probably the most quintessential Canadian band today, even without any radio play of recently released material. With the exception of a few markets in the US and Europe, they never really broke outside of Canada, however when the Hip put on shows up here it is almost a whole festival feel. You don’t have to be a big fan to pick up on the vibe from the stage and in the crowd.
It has been a few years since I’ve been to a Tragically Hip show, but I’ll be marking my calendar as soon as dates are announced. I am not what you would call a huge fan or anything, but that being said I just cannot imagine the Canadian music scene without the Hip.
Hang tough Gord, keeping you and your family in our thoughts.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/gord-downie-cancer-1.3596839
I have quite a few CD's which I really enjoy.
Was fortunate enough to see them in Cleveland a year or so ago. Gord was one animated singer. He carried on two imaginary side conversations while singing most songs, one of the strangest things I've seen. I asked some other fans about that the next day, they said that was nothing compared to some of his antics.
Sad news indeed.
What an awful year. 🙁
What an awful year. 🙁
Definitely.
Sad news. One of my all time favorites. I've been a fan since 1989. I don't know what to say.
Horrible news.
I never owned anything of theirs, but enjoyed a lot of what I heard from them. Always saw them as the Canadian R.E.M. I don't know why, but that's how I always classified them.
Horrible news.
I never owned anything of theirs, but enjoyed a lot of what I heard from them. Always saw them as the Canadian R.E.M. I don't know why, but that's how I always classified them.
I could see it although obviously heavier in sound.
The wild part is that the demand for the tour will be so huge in Canada that they will likely have to do stadiums as multiple nights would make the tour longer and be harder on Gord. Stadiums in Canada while playing clubs in the US. Can't think of another example like that.
Just got this in an email, no States dates :
Man Machine Poem Tour
In support of the 14th studio album release, the Man Machine Poem Tour will kick off on July 22 in Victoria, BC and wrap up in Kingston, ON on August 20. Tickets for the Man Machine Poem Tour will be available on Friday, June 3 at 10am local time. There will be a registered users pre-sale on Monday, May 30 at 10am local time. The password for this pre-sale will be sent via email prior to May 30.
The Tragically Hip – Man Machine Poem Tour
Friday, July 22 Victoria, BC Save On Foods Memorial Centre
Sunday, July 24 Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
Thursday, July 28 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Monday, August 1 Calgary, AB Scotiabank Saddledome
Friday, August 5 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
Monday, August 8 London, ON Budweiser Gardens
Wednesday, August 10 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Friday, August 12 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
Tuesday, August 16 Hamilton, ON FirstOntario Centre
Thursday, August 18 Ottawa, ON Canadian Tire Centre
Saturday, August 20 Kingston, ON Rogers K-Rock Centre
The Kingston show will be epic. I mean all of them will be great, but to end the tour in Kingston given the circumstances. It will be emotional but in a good way.
Surprised that they didn't go with bigger venues than the arenas. At least in some markets. Ottawa could easily have been TD Place and still would have sold out.
The whole thing is sad.
Not that long ago The Hip played in an auditorium here in Edmonton (mind you a four night stand ) , their popularity has diminished a little over the years so I'm not sure they would even come close to selling out stadiums , in the west anyways , The last time they played here 9000 attended which is very good but they would have to sell a lot more than that to fill Rexall , l think arenas will be much better than a partially filled stadium , as tragic as this news is I'm not sure that will translate into ticiket sales ( I hope I'm wrong ) .
[Edited on 5/25/2016 by dimplesjbc]
[Edited on 5/25/2016 by dimplesjbc]
I've been a moderate Tragically Hip fan for years as I live very close to Canada and so have heard some of their tunes since my teen years on the local classic rock stations here in upstate, NY. Lately I've heard more of their stuff as I've discovered CBC 2 radio where much of their catalog can be heard. In fact this morning they played a Hip tune I'd never heard that was just great. Something about the great prairies of western Canada....It's awesome and wish I could remember name.
CBC 2 has been speaking all week about this sad news and today mentioned that the dates of the upcoming tour have been released. Kingston, ON is not far at all from me and I should make an effort to see "The Hip" one time before the end. I suspect, however, that tickets will be impossible to come by.
Ottawa will sell for sure and the difference from 18000 to 30000 would sell. They often play two nights at the CDN Tire Center. TD Place would work for sure and so much better. Maybe not all markets are the same. I do think the fact that it will be the last tour will bring extra sales.
Chain's already coming up to Kingston. 😉
Those shows will be crazy.
Well it looks like what I thought would happen, happened and the demand for tickets brought out the scalpers with most ending up on stubhub and the like.
However CBC may broadcast their final show in Kingston, On.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/tragically-hip-kingston-broadcast-cbc-1.3609414
Reading some of the comments from people pissed about the presale sound just like what we talk about here all the time - and at this point in history, should not be shocking to anyone.
Sure it would be cool to have that last show broadcast, maybe there is enough time to work out the fine print.
I'd like to see it, but do not have CBC so would want it online as well, as long as us fans are making demands 😉
Reading some of the comments from people pissed about the presale sound just like what we talk about here all the time - and at this point in history, should not be shocking to anyone.
Sure it would be cool to have that last show broadcast, maybe there is enough time to work out the fine print.
I'd like to see it, but do not have CBC so would want it online as well, as long as us fans are making demands 😉
This was on a massive scale though. Fans completely shut out in many cases even with presale passwords. It would be like coming here and every member saying that they were shut out.
The demand is massive and the regret now is that they should have booked in larger venues. Toronto could have been one date as opposed to three. Areas with no shows could have been added. Demand in Ottawa (judging from people calling to ask if I can get them tickets 😉 ) is definitely high enough for an extra night.
Sad that illness is causing the demand.
The promoters could have done a better job with this , I remember when Tom Petty toured a few years back I scored Row 3 tix and had to pick them up at will call the day of the show as did everyone else in the first ten rows . I read today that this is being investigated by authorities , the problem is there is such a frenzy for tickets it plays right in to scalpers hands . When Paul McCartney play here a few years back the same thing happened and people were paying outrageous prices for tix , I posted an add on kiijiji telling folks to relax that the show was six months away a prices would drop , I got a couple very nasty emails from scalpers telling me I didn't know what I was talking about , I told them if that was true they would not be responding the way they are . A week before the second show I scored four tix for my cousin below face value , he was thrilled .
[Edited on 6/1/2016 by dimplesjbc]
[Edited on 6/1/2016 by dimplesjbc]
The scalpers (the actual vendors now) are pretty much unstoppable because of demand and peoples' willingness to pay.
Examples like this one get more notice as the reason for the demand is different. Plus like hockey, beer and our women - the Canadian attitude is don't mess with The Hip. Along with Tim Horton's these are vital and with draw anger when messed with.
Vultures.
Tickets scalping for the Kingston show from $5000 to $750 for $100 seats. Now no one will pay that - hopefully.
Fool the scalpers and announce that all other seats are free with donations to Gordie (to do with as he pleases) at the door using a wrist band method. First come - first serve. Anyone with presale tickets can exchange them in person for a wrist band with ID and Credit Card used. One transaction per cardholder. Stiffing the 'agencies' that have hundreds. Forcing ticketbastard and others to screw themselves. Attorney General could easily see that as a just system. But won't.
Will never happen but it could.
There are guys in Montreal that scalp tickets (mostly hockey) that the family has been doing it for generations. Sleazy business but they work hard to make a lot of money. These modern day agencies set up by real ticket brokers is BS. Plain and simple.
mail order would have been the way to go. kinda like the dead. the true fans got tickets. yes, nostalgic but more fair than this. corporate types score seats while the diehard fans get screwed. it's crap.
August 20th Kingston Show to be Broadcast on CBC
As part of the Man Machine Poem Tour, The Hip have partnered with the CBC to broadcast the August 20th show live from Kingston, Ontario.
CBC is broadcasting and streaming this commercial-free show on Saturday, August 20th at 8:30 p.m. ET across CBC Television, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio 2, CBC’s YouTube channels, and cbcmusic.ca.
CBC youtube should be available in the U.S. and Europe.
And I recently bought tickets to see Lyle Lovett on August 20.
I am glad they worked out a deal to broadcast the show.
What they should have done was put the tour on sale before announcing that Gordie is ill. The scalper interest would have been much lower and all the die hard Hip fans would have got tickets.
CBC Broadcast is great.
What they should have done was put the tour on sale before announcing that Gordie is ill. The scalper interest would have been much lower and all the die hard Hip fans would have got tickets.
I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday…. but then again let’s not forget this is a business.
What they should have done was put the tour on sale before announcing that Gordie is ill. The scalper interest would have been much lower and all the die hard Hip fans would have got tickets.
I was thinking the exact same thing yesterday…. but then again let’s not forget this is a business.
Very true but after the initial sale was followed by an announcement, the tickets would have all sold. Was a chance to put the tickets into the right hands. I have had so many people complain about tickets and when I ask how many times that they have seen the band, they say never. Wait 30 years and then complain?
But it would have been a good idea to just announce a tour. This way people that have gone to countless shows were shut out and people who are going because it is "in" got the tickets in many cases.
All my usual connections are bombarded with people looking. Ottawa could easily sell another night.
This Saturday CBC will be rebroadcasting the Kingston show commercial free.
Tune in at 8pm, 9pm Atlantic, and 9:30pm in Newfoundland to watch the final stop on the Man Machine Poem tour.
CBC will be streaming it globally on the CBC Music Youtube channel.
The Tragically Hip - A National Celebration (Rebroadcast)
Starts: June 24, 2017
Watch the official rebroadcast of CBC Music presents The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration from Kingston, Ontario.
SAT 8:00 PM
Thanks for the heads-up.
Thank you.
From what I saw last night, that was quite a show, love this band.
