01: Yer Not The Ocean
02: My Music At Work
03: Grace, Too
04: Ahead By A Century
05: In View
06: Gift Shop
07: Courage
08: World Container
09: Poets
10: Fully Completely
11: Bobcaygeon
12: Family Band
13: New Orleans Is Sinking

The Province

The Hip are the highlight

Sure, Coldplay is playing at Pemberton. But the festival’s peak for many was Saturday night’s set by the Tragically Hip.

The beloved act has played its share of mega shows and really knows how to take the energy to the next level from the opening notes.

Much of this appeal comes from the fact that the Kingston band provided the soundtrack to so many Canucks’ first kisses, drunks, road trips and grad weekends. And the rest can be credited to the bizarre, yet effective, antics of lead singer Gord Downie.

He was in awesome form; executing some leaps that came straight out of the Simpsons, traversing the stage like the chief of staff at the Ministry of Silly Walks and so forth. All the while with that distinct voice laying down those stream-of-consciousness lyrics.

The audience was by far the largest for any band so far — even the Bacardi B-Live tent had probably emptied. Because everyone just had to be there to sing along to “Courage,” “Music at Work” and many more.

It was a sweaty, hit-laden concert by the band that everyone at Pemberton had come to see; even if they didn’t know it at the time.

Live Nation’s Shane Bourbonnais had said he felt that the Hip had to be at the Pemberton Festival. It surely seemed to be a match made in music.

Perhaps the band should come next year and do one of its albums from beginning to end. Such gigs are the rage at major festivals everywhere now. Fans who bought early-bird tickets could vote on which album it would be.

Honestly, the only losers in this was Vancouver’s Black Mountain, which had to start when the Hip was chugging full steam on “Poets.”

From The Vancouver Sun.

There are few things more quintessentially Canadian than the cryptic rock sounds of the Tragically Hip mixed with the smell of sweat and beer in the air, and a remote outdoor setting.

By the time the Canadian rock icons took to the main stage Saturday around 6 p.m., it looked as though nearly all of the 40,000 people on the festival grounds had crawled out of their tents, shaken off the effects of the night before and were ready to get back at it. The Hip may well have attracted the biggest crowd so far at this event.

Frontman Gord Downie was drenched in sweat by the third tune, as the sun re-emerged from behind the clouds and people stripped off their jackets and sweatshirts.The Kingston boys were clearly out to make the most of their 60 minutes on stage, playing a series of crowd favourites from their older albums, with a minimal selection from the newer World Container.

Among the crowd-pleasers were Grace Too, Ahead by a Century, and the rousing Hip classic, Courage — which had people crowd surfing and fist-pumping with frenzied energy.

Downie was up to his usual theatrics, acting like a monkey and putting a white handkerchief over his eyes as he pretended to drive blind (please don’t ask me what that’s all about).

Even if it was confounding, it was intriguing to watch and a joy to listen to.

There’s no denying the Hip’s songs have become a staple soundtrack for Canadian summer nights spent in the great outdoors. Even if you’ve never been a fan, chances are someone in the next cabin or campground has been blaring the Hip’s guitar rock late into the night.
© Vancouver Sun