Just back from the show. To start off, Sam Roberts and Sarah Harmer
were great openers. Gord came out during Sarah Harmer's set to sing on
Silver Road, which was really good. It was also nice to have 13th row seats,
great view. Anyways, onto the Hip. They hit the stage at about 10, opened
up with Use It Up. After that it went something like Music At Work, New
Orleans, Chagrin Falls, and after that it's sketchy. Randomly, some other
songs they played were: Poets, Wheat Kings, Are You Ready, Silver Jet, Locked,
Hundredth Meridian, Fireworks, Blow At High Dough, and the encore was Grace
Too, Lake Fever, Three Pistols. All in all, one of the best Hip shows I've
been to. I'll let other people fill in some of the other details, I'm tired.
-Roy
12/30/02 - Copps Coliseum, Hamilton ON
Use it Up
Music at Work
NOIS
Fully
Chagrin Falls
Nautical
Are you Ready
Fireworks
Poets
Goodlife
Springtime
100th
wheat
Locked
Silver
Blow
E:
Grace
Lake Fever
3 Pistols
Well what a night that was. I met so many awesome
people tonight. The pre-show party with the Practically Hip had a great
turn out. They really got the grove going and everyone pumped for a great
night of hip. If I forget anyone, then I totally apologize, but it was great
meeting, Josh and his buddy in the black shirt, Angie and NewPort as well
as PRZ(can’t remember his first name) from hipbase and his fellow buddies
whom I sat beside at the show. It was also good seeing Owen, Matty, Jeffro,
Andre and his girlfriend and his die-hard hip buddy as well. Highlights of
the pre-hip party were Josh winning tickets and accommodations for the 31st
show by doing his crazy Gordie impression on the dance floor. He certainly
had me laughing!!
Showtime!! Sam Roberts totally kicked some ass tonight. I can’t remember
the name of the song, but one just seemed to get louder and faster and louder
and faster and the whole band was just rolling around, head banging everywhere
and going nuts!! It was totally awesome!! Sarah Harmer said she had a bit
of a cold but nonetheless, still a good performance on her behalf. Gordie
came out and they song Silver Road together. For once, you could actually
sorta hear Gord singing a bit on the song unlike on the MWB soundtrack.
The hip came on just before 10pm and opened with Use It Up and seemed
to proceed with the same Setlist style as they did for the In Violet Light
tour. I mean certainly no complaints at all….they were still totally into
it and the crowd was singing every song. Gord’s rant during Meridian didn’t
have the forgetting rant, but he seemed to be saying something else kinda
cool, maybe someone else can remember exactly what he was talking about.
Gord did the whole hay-wagon sssssssssound during Poets thing which was
awesome!! Highlights of the show for me, were certainly meeting all the cool
peeps at the show. The starlight backdrop for the show was really awesome
tonight! Welp, I’d write a whole lot more on the show, but I just got home,
I’m tired and sadly enough, I have to work tomorrow on New Years eve. I’m
looking forward to reading some more reviews from the show. Maybe some more
well rested people can write their stories too.
Talk Soon and stay hip.
Jamie A.K.A. THEHIP11
Hey All
This was written in the car last night, but didn't get a chance to post
until now
See you tonight!
So here we are, ten shows down.
The review starts in at a 2002 Toyota Celica. I’m on my friend’s new
note book taking advantage of how spoiled rotten the children of the 21st
century have become. To those who were in the area, we were the idiots
blasting the Doobie Brothers outside of Copps after the show. Right now
we’re just about to hit the 407. And rest assured, we will be doing the
same tomorrow. Except we’ll be on the way to the city that never sleeps,
London Ontario, and we’ll probably have the Dave Matthews Band’s Folsom
Field DVD as our background music.
A good mix tonight. Johnny and Robbie were by far the stand outs this
evening. I had never seen Mr Fay play so hard, and it’s been a while in my
eyes since Robbie’s been so creative with his playing.
Sam Roberts is still the best opener I’ve ever witnessed, whether he
was drunk or not. Another steller set from the lord and savoir of Canadian
Rock and Roll (and maybe just Rock and Roll in general)
Sam’s set:
Sunny Lemon Tina
Don’t Walk Away Eileen
This Is How I Live
Canadian Dream (I turn to my friend BJ, on his 11th Hip show, and say,
“5000 people have no idea what’s about to hit them”)
Where Have All The Good People Gone
Brother Down
Paranoia (with an incredible jam at the end)
Wasted On You Baby (I think that’s what it’s called at least)
The opener and the closer are from the North Stars EP released a couple
of years ago. If you have a copy of this and are willing to trade (seeing
as how it’s not available any more) or even sell it, I am very VERY interested.
Sarah Harmer was cool. Great voice, with a cool Aqualung tease before
Gord came out to sing Silver Road. Should however have been before Sam; for
someone so new to the business, he really is a tough act to follow. However,
if she were to come out with the rest of Weeping Tile tomorrow night … wishful
thinking
On to the boys. They were tight, no denying it. Definetly not the best
show I’ve seen, but that’s why I have tickets to night two as well. I’m
totally not complaining either; I’m leaving Hamilton very satisified.
Use It Up – Johnny breaks his first drum stick about a minute into the
set
Music - “It’s time work”
New O – Swim outro… also makes reference to the Dorsal fin… “not to me,
not to him”
Fully – so much power in this song… “I see you on your cell phone/ I
see you surrounded by your friends / I see you hiding your smile”
Chagrin – the instrumental endings tonight aren’t nearly as long as they
should be… they’re ending too abruptly… Fully was short… and Chagrin could
have been a better take… but still, dead on technically
Nautical – wish I could have made out what Gord was saying… thought it
was a cover tune… but it was a new song
Ready – “Union rules, 4th time, ‘Are You Ready?’”
Fireworks – dedicated to the people of Copps
Poets – “it’s the ssssssssssound coming down” – seems to have reworked
“Steeplechase” a bit
Goodlife
Springtime
Meridian – “Canadian Myth”… “I remember everything”…“I’ll believe in
what you do” (the closest we’ll ever get again to I’ll Believe In You”)
Wheat – thought I heard a Win-Win Situation outro, but it could have
been a Get Rich Situation… maybe I’m just having selective hearing
Locked - “’Let me out’… I think the cat wants in”
Jet
Blow – again, a bit of an abrupt ending… solid verson though
Grace - “did you hear that / tell me you heard that / tell me you
heard that so I’m not crazy”
Fever – probably the best verson I’ve heard, behind the Toronto NYD of
course
Pistols – solid… a great way to end… was hoping for another encore
But as Gord said, see you tomorrow
We shall.
Cheers from Mississauga Road and the 407
PB
Awful seats. Damn. Similar setlist to last two
shows at HOB Chicago. Gord very energetic, Rob surprisingly energetic. They're
trying hard to keep something fresh going in the later half of Meridian.
Tight show, with some jammed up bits for hardcore fans. Especially glad to
hear the spaced out version of Chagrin Falls. Some new rants, some older.
SShhhh sound was a returning veteran. Gord did a duet with S. Harmer of Silver
Road which was cool, a little odd and a lot of fun to watch. He kept making
hand movements like an opera singer, giving his voice little gremlin affectations
that he didn't during the Hip's set. On the Hip's scale of ten (any other
bands' 10 wouldn't make it up to a 1 on this scale), this was an 8.5.
-AF
Hey all just got back from hamilton
the SHow was amazing. I really cant compain about anyting except for
the crowd. I was very disappointed with them. I've been to several toronto
shows and found the crowd to be much more lively and into it. (This may
however of just been my section) My biggest disappointment was after the
encore when the lights went up, i actaully heard ppl booing. I
couldn't believe it. The boys put on a great show and just because they
only did one encore people booed. For god sake people should grow up.
However aside from that was very happy with the nmix of music they played,
show was great hopeful everyone going tonight get to enjoy the same excellent
quality of show.
Any other thoughts?
Take care
-Justin
Rory,
My wife Carolyn and I drove from Detroit, Mi. to Hamilton, Ont. to see
The Hip for our fourth time on the IVL tour. We've enjoyed all their shows
immensley, and this one was no exception.
We started the evening by going to a local bar which was having a pre-concert
party that was crammed full of excited Hip fans. While we were there we met
Jeff and Lindsey from Scarbrough, Ont.. Jeff was a seasoned fan who had
seen the Hip more than 10 times, but Lindsey said this was her first time
seeing the band live. We all got her psyched up by telling her how fun and
full of energy the band is during live performances.
We arrived at Copps Arena at 8:30 pm. where Sarah Harmer was already into
the third song of her set. Her band played well over an hour and she was
well received by the audience. I learned later that Sarah is a local girl
from Brantford, Ont. which is just west of Hamilton. I especially enjoyed
her song Silver Road. She collaborated with TTH for that one on The Men with
Brooms soundtrack. Check out the soundtrack which is very good and the bonus
is there is a new Hip song called Oh Honey which is very beautiful and melodic.
When Sarah Harmer was finished the house lights came up and it appeared
that the venue was sold out. I began asking the people around me how the
Sam Roberts' set was. Unfortunately, everyone agreed that his set was very
uninspired and lacked intensity.
Our seats were located in the "nose bleed" section in the far back right
corner of the upper balcony, three rows from the top. Carolyn and I were
prepared because we brought two small pairs of binoculars so we could see
the action better. I struck up a conversation with the young couple next to
us, Chris and Dawn, who were also huge Tragically Hip fans. We talked
about our favorite songs and previous shows we had seen. Chris mentioned that
he was a drummer and enjoyed playing Hip songs. I told him he should check
out your website, Rory, which we all know is loaded with great info. He was
already familiar with it and said that you had directed him where to find
drumming info on the Hip. Very Cool !!!
TTH started their show at about 9:50 pm.. They were greeted to a thunderous
roar as they came on stage. The first few songs featured some cool lighting
effects that I have not seen The Hip use before. Gord D. was wearing his
green shirt and during one song all the lights were turned out except for
the one one on him. Suddenly you could only see the outline of his body while
he sang, and the lighting effect turned him into a neon green sparkling orb.
It looked very cool and sci-fi. Also, the back drop behind the band looked
like a clear night sky filled with stars. It appeared that the stars formed
some subliminal letters. I thought it spelled out 'LIFE', but Carolyn and
I were just not sure.
The Hip played a great 16 song set and a very powerful 3 song encore.
Some of the highlights included a mid-song rant during Poets in which Gord
D. seemed to be spewing a non-stop 2 minute stream of conciousness idea.
He spoke so fast that he hardly took a breath. I'm sorry I couldn't make
out what he was saying. A couple of songs later, after the great last verse
in 100th Meridian, Gord began repeating over and over again " I believe in
what you do", until it ended. During Silver Jet Paul added a Beatle-esque
type background vocal which really enhanced the song and made it quite different
from the CD. The last song before the encore was Blow at High Dough. While
the band played the opening cords, Gord D. jumped on an imaginary motorcycle
and made it look as if he was riding out of town. To end the same song he
fell over and lay motionless for a few moments, as if to say I've "Used It
All Up". When the song ended Gord stood up and the band left the stage.
When the lights came up for the encore which started with Grace,too, all
the band members were in place and Gord D. did a great little tap dance parody
in front of his mikestand. I've heard that song a number of times live,
but the band really blew me away with that one. The show ended at 11:30
pm. and was really a great one.
Just one final thing to mention. Robbie's guitar playing was awesome.
I've never seen him so active on stage. He was all over the place, playing
with other band members and playing to the audience while throwing his long
hair. Paul was superb. I've always felt the songs would not be as good without
his vocals. Of course, the backbone of the Hip's sound comes from Johnny Fay
and Gord S.. They laid down a heavy beat which vibrated through my body. I
love watching Gord S. pluck his bass while his head bobs to the beat and he
sings his vocals. Johnny, for his part, is making his drumming stand out.
He seems to really put an effort into it, while enjoying what he's doing.
Kudos to TTH. I look forward to either a continuation of the IVL tour
or some more new material in the future.
Best Wishes,
Hugh
1. Use It Up
9. Poets
2. Music @ Work
10. Good Life
3. NOIS
11. Springtime in Vienna
4. Fully Completely
12. 100th Meridian
5. Chagrin Falls
13. Wheat Kings
6. Nautical Disaster
14. Locked in the Trunk of a Car
7. Are You Ready?
15. Silver Jet
8. Fireworks
16. Blow at High Dough
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Encore
1. Grace,too
2. Lake Fever
3. Three Pistols
Well, just arriving home from the 2 shows.
I have to say I was disappointed with night #1. Not by the band, but by
the crowd. I'm not too sure if anyone else noticed, but the alcohol was being
served to everyone(especially the 16 year old kids). I was in the 19th row.
I had kids puking in front of me, in behind me, in the hallways, in the bathroom,
on the steps to leave, and outside waiting for a cab. It put a damper on
the show, to say the least. Not sure if anyone else noticed, but Gord said
a couple times: "I can see her, I can still see her". I believe he was refering
to the young girl in the first couple rows that was throwing up in her beer
glass all night, but refused to leave when asked by the security guard(I
know this because a friend of mine was sitting right behind her). Anyways,
I know this isn't much of a review for the show, but #2 will be better.
-Andre C.
Well boys & girls, another
Hip show is over and here's my review:
First of all, the pre-show party at the tonic lounge was very good and
it had a great turn out. I didn't really meet anybody there; I was the one
standing at the front with the orange hat and hip jersey. I as well had
to work New Years Eve so I couldn’t go to the 31st show. Congrats to Josh
who won the tickets for the second night doing his impression of Gordie.
Once the party was over, it was on to Copps where Sam Roberts had just
begun to play. Sam and his band played very well through their whole set
including a new song called “Canadian Dream”. I really liked the jams they
played during some of the songs.
Sarah Harmer said she felt a little under the weather but it didn’t affect
her voice. She played very well also. Inviting Gord out for “Silver Road”
was one of the highlights of her set along with her well known pieces.
Then it was on to the Hip show. Before they came out on stage, it was
great to see the fans get into it by doing the wave on both the upper and
lower levels (I hope all of you participated, I did where I was in sec. 209,
row 2). And then the hip came out around 10 o’clock and opened with “Use
it up”. I thought it was going to be a similar setlist to the first hummingbird
centre show just because of the first three songs. M@W was next with its
extended play at the end. NOIS was next and it set the pace for the whole
night. It was great to see songs that I haven’t seen performed live before
including “Chagrin Falls” & “Three Pistols”. “Chagrin Falls” had a
nice, soft ending to it. Songs that stood out to me as I was pretty much
dancing the whole show: Use it up, Fully Completely, 100th Meridian, Springtime,
Good life, Wheat Kings, Grace Too, Blow at high dough……
Gord Sinclair was really moving around a lot during M@W and NOIS. Robby
was at his best when it came to Good Life and 100th Meridian. There were
points where he’d wonder over in front of Johnny and in between Downie and
Sinclair. And then there was Gordie with his antics on stage: at the end
of one of their songs, he was removing his guitar when it got caught with
the mic stand and had it crash to the stage. Pretending the edge of the
stage was a boat and he was paddling with the mic stand. And of course pretending
to get hit in the crotch by the microphone during “Blow at high dough” and
falling to the stage which was pretty funny. The lighting was great during
“Nautical Disaster”, “Lake Fever”, “Use It Up” and of course the starlit
background for a number of songs. There were a lot of other highlights from
the show that I can’t quite remember at this time but all in all, it was
a great show in the hammer.
P.S. Did anyone notice the miniature disco balls hanging from the ceiling
and what their significance was?......just for show I guess.
-The Wheat King
Hey, I wanted to send in my review of the concert
for your site, but I didn't see somewhere to do it, hopefully I'm sending
this in the right way:
This was my first Hip concert, and probably my last. Everyone I talked to
told me the hip but on an awsome live show, and yes, they did do well with
what they played. But I felt ripped off that the band only played for about
an hour and a half. In case anyone hadn't noticed, concert tickets aren't
cheap. When I go to a concert I expect the headliner to play for about 2
hours, and with such a huge selection of great material to pick from, the
hip could have easily filled more than that without a problem. But they didn't.
I'll never pay more than $15 for a ticket to go see the hip again, knowing
now how long they play for.
From,
Michael White
Rory:
Well as mentioned by everyone the hip shows were amazing. In an article noted
by Hugh on the nite of the 30th, the bands playing could not have been more
tight, it was remarkable! Myself being a drummer of 11 years have never seen
such phenomenal drumming by Johnny! Obviously the whole band was amazing
however on both the 30th and 31st, Johnny was the man. Throwing amazing and
powerful cymbal accents syncopated with floor tom fills like i've never seen.
The power was awesome thirty seconds in too the opening set, he broke a drumstick
and threw it away non chalantly, grabbing another and proceeding to rip out
an amazing groove. For the record Johnny is quite possibly the best drummer
i've ever seen, not in terms of remarkable fills as such, but rather in terms
of power and selection of fills! Two thumbs up!
Moving on to the the opening bands. Sarah Harmer was quite good, not a group
which was particularly exciting to watch on stage, but nonetheless
a very tight band with remarkable vocals. Moving on to Sam Roberts, I have
read reviews and the majority seemed to have enjoyed his performance. I on
the other hand thought it was perhaps one of the worst performances I have
ever seen, possibly worse then when By Divine Right opened for the hip at
Copp's colesium earlier. In terms of musicianship the skill was just not
there. Sam attempted to get the audience into the show on the night of the
30th however with the lackluster playing there was no chance of that. In
terms of drums which is what I know, Sam Roberts drummer was pitiful. Roberts
might as well have played with a drum machine because his drummer did nothing
exciting. Roberts drummer played straight time, with very few fills and the
odd cymbal crash followed by floor tom build ups. After seeing a band like
this is makes me wonder, how some people make it!
Finally a big thanks goes out to a set of fans on the night of the 31st.
My girlfriends and I bought tickets from a scalper which were located at
the very top of the 200's. Nosebleeds if you will. We were just greatful
to be there. However, after the two openers had finished there was a break,
it was during this break in which a really nice girl, walked passed a whole
bunch of fans in our section and approched us. She asked us if we'd like
to have a set of tickets located in the 100's which were extra's. We graciously
excepeted however, did not see her the rest of the night. So, to that very
nice girl, again thanks very much you made our New year's a little more special!
Happy New Year!
p.s Hello to Hugh and his Wife Carolyn, hope you have a great New Year!
Hip Fan, Chris!
Go back to reviews page