So we got home from Darien Lake at about 4 a.m., just got up, trying to reinvent the night in my mind.   We stood near the back, it wasn't too eventful back there and the sound could have been better, but I was a slacker on ordering tics - by one 1/2 day.

I was envious of all of the folks up front, and thought that surely I would not have been so distracted by all of the assholes sporting canadian flags and over priced beers...the ones who get really excited when the lasted hit - Music @ Work is played, but know nothing of The Completists or Lake Fever (which are far superior).- if I had been closer.

Near us, they organized a small vocalization of the "anthem", but later switched to a chant that mimicked  "HIP HIP HIP"  with "BEER, BEER, BEER." There  was one guy that had a small flag taped to the back of his head with first aid tape around his forehead and his neck.   On the front he wrote "I am Canadian."   He received so much positive feed back for his creativity...

In the parking lot there was a group of about 50 sabres fans gathered on one aisle yelling at some people on the other "Let's go Sabres!"  Canadian flags were strewn every where, dragged on the ground, stepped on, getting beer spillage on, and generally displayed as a form of costume rather than nationality.   I thought to myself that it was more like a masquerade party with a Canadian theme rather than a fucking rock concert.  Don't they have any regard for the sanctity of the flag?

Last year, I was a volunteer on the medical team at woodstock - just so I could go and see the hip.  I had to drive through the crowds to get people emergency assistance -- through the Metallica and Rage crowds, too.  It often scared the hell out of me.  The vibe from the crowd last night -- with their blatant disregard for their neighbors, their messes in the parking lots, their aggressive undertones, and rowdy ass behavior, reminded me of Woodstock in many respects.  No one was looking out for each other last night.   I was about who was from Canada and fuck the rest.

As we were herded out past the over priced concessions, someone yelled "The Hip are from CANADA!"   and he got all excited.  If I had had  a sling shot...

This isn't about-where you are from.  We have already discussed that in length, but it was so annoying last night.   I used to like to come to hip shows -- some ten years ago-because of the rowdy drunk Canadian fans that came over the border, now I am growing resentful of their presence and want them to go home.  There are many respectable hip fans from Canada that I would love to stand near, any day, this isn't about them.  It is none of you.  I love Canada.   We visit several times a year, and I would consider living there if the situation was right.   It's disappointing to see this.

Luckily, the music kept me entertained, and Gord was wonderful last night. That boy really has the moves.  Look up groovy -- there's Gord.   Fireworks exploded in the distance during many of the songs, not sure if those lucky ones up front could see them.

One thing -  Betty wrote: "p.s. im looking forward to read all the Darien Lake talk. I hope you who went thought of Spaghetti when they played ABAC, that is if they played it."        They did play ABAC and I could swear that Gord announced it "this is for Betty, the coolest teenage fan we could ask for"   Did anyone else hear that?   I don't even know you.  And yes, I thought of you during that song.

I saw about three henhouse badges, one guy was very happy to be there -- sporting a hip hockey jersey -- looked familiar to me.   (If the hip don't care too much about the patriotism -- why do the create a jersey that is completely like the flag?)   Another henhouser I saw - was with a bunch of four sporting airbrushed "Canadian Icon"  tees - I hope that was sarcasm at work.

So needless to say, I was too shy to say hello.   I saw people greeting each other based on their badges, I guess I prefer to participate while lurking -- it's fun to watch - I know it seems a bit voyeuristic -- sorry.

Glad I saw the hip again despite the nationality issues.

peace everyone,
jennyg


Hi all,

Our family (husband, myself and our 10 year old son) went to the show. I thought the show was great. The crowd wasn't THAT bad. I loved the Canadian spirit running around the place and I'm from the states. Only one tiny problem (w/ an a non-Canadian) all day and night. The show was not quite what I expected-Gord seemed mellow in comparison to other shows we seen. And I expected more of M@W to be played. But all in all another terrific Hip experience.

Trish


This is my first time posting a message on the henhouse. My name is Roy and  i'm a 15 year old from Ontario. I was at the Darien show, right up against  the front rail on the lawn. Pretty crazy night. When the Hip were about to go on, many people around me were talking about jumping the rails, and storming the stage. I wasn't going anywhere(There would be no point! You'd get caught by security the second you were over the first rail!). I saw one girl go, and she was snatched by security and escorted away. Nobody attempted after that. The Hip were AMAZING, but I thought the sound could have been better. Not loud enough from where I was. Glad to hear Emperor Penguin, one of my all time faves. What was the deal with the setup for exiting the show? It took me nearly
two hours just to leave the parking lot! I wanted to camp there, but $60 american per night with a two night minimum stay just wasn't in my price range.

So long for now.
     Roy


welllllll, I noticed two things; 1 was that there were WWWWWAAAAYYY less flags at Darien than at Pine knob, and 2, 10out of 10 people that caused problems were drunk and it was about a good 60-40 split. Canadians being the latter representative. I was in the 9th row  I saw the fireworks, it was cool. Did anyone else notice that Kate sang ONLY backups. In past shows she would have pulled a couple lines out, but she was on the back burner. Thereby representing the fact that the Hip will not be a 7 piece band, and this is just a tour thing.
Pat

There was definitely a lot of pro-Canada shit going on, but I would say it was not as bad as the Pine Knob show... I was severely dissappointed at that show... between the flag being used as a piece of clothing, to the blatant disregard of fellow fans... I thought yesterday's show was much more...friendly.
On to the show... With what was probably my last show until the Canadian tour, I was keeping my fingers crossed for something like Opiated or Long Time Running.  And while I didn't get either, I was thrilled to hear Emporer Penguin & Wheat Kings.  Pigeon Camera was cool...
As someone else said... not a whole lot off the new album, which was dissappointing.  I've really been getting a kick out of seeing the progression of the new songs over the last month or so....
The sound was weak at the back of the venue.  It seemed to get better during the show, but was not very loud.
And Gord seemed very subdued.  Actually, the whole band did... I usually enjoy watching Gord Sinclair and Bobby Baker perform, they can be more animated than Gord D if you're watching at the right time.... but they even seemed subdued....
But... still a great show.... Haven't seen a bad one from the Hip yet.  I'd highly recommend them... :)

tiger, fully, puttin, gift, pigeon, poets, lake, fireworks, springtime, completist, courage, emperor, abac, wheat, nautical, music....enc1, bob, 100th....enc2, bones.....very good show, i liked gord dancing on the row of monitors during courage, and Kate sang NO verses of any songs, just backup
vocals

Sweet show.........just got home.

Anyways, thought I'd sum up the show in a highlight/lowlight kinda way..........

Lowlights:

-Missing Pat at the party before the show (WHERE WERE YOU PARKED GUY?!!?!?).
-Watching a real good security guard, #164 I believe, beat the tar out of some guy in a red sweat shirt. My big beef was the guy was passed out, and about 2 feet shorter than this security guard, as well as about 150 pounds less than him. The security guard bashed his head into the steel bars on the outside of section 305, and proceeded to give him 2 haymakers. He then promptly tossed this guy out of the theatre. What a hero. Darien Lake security otta sell this guys jersey at the souvenir booths. Needless to say, it left a real sour taste in my mouth to see this happen, and a lot of people around this incident let the security guard know much his actions were appreciated. It was shocking to see somebody do this to another person. The poor guy was passed out drunk! I have no pity for the guy being passed out, but man, this was totally BRUTAL!!!
-The Hip not playing Escape (see highlights)

Highlights:

-Meeting some real cool people from Erie, Pennsylvania (Phil, John and Carrie). Had a blast hangnig out with them all day as I looked for Pat. I'm hoping we can hook up in the fall down in Pittsburgh for a show, some sailing and whatever else Phil can talk me in to...........;)
-Hearing the Hip play Emperor Penguin (always a treat to hear live, and well makes up for not hearing Escape).
-Seeing so many people at the show have a  good time, and be totally into it, without being drunk (much better than the Pine Knob debacle).

To be quiet honest, I've never enjoyed a Hip conecrt quite as much as this one (including the whole day itself). It wasn't my favourite show, but the whole day, and the vibe made it a blast.

I didn't write down the setlist, I'm sure Pat can fix that up some time soon.

One thing that really struck me tonight was how fast the show flew by. Is it just me, or does it seem like the Hip are done way too fast. THey played their usual number of tracks, as well as a normal time length, but it just seems to fly by............

I dunno,
Off to bed...........

Jason


Hey folks. Just wanted to say I had a fantastic time at Darien Lake meeting fellow henhousers.
Thanks you all for making it a memorable weekend! The show was great, especially Pigeon Camera and Springtime, which has slowly evolved into my favorite live song. I didn't really hear Kate's vocals at all, which was ok by me. Hope to do this again someday.
James

As far as the show went, I enjoyed myself.  Yeah, the sound wasn't that great; yeah, my seat wasn't the greatest (at least I was inside the tent); and yeah, I didn't get to meet any of my fellow henhousers.  But I was at a Hip show for the first time since October '98 and I was loving it!  Got my first "Emperor Penguin" and "Wheat Kings".  Just for the record, I'd like to state that I called "Wheat Kings" before the first note.  I stood there saying to myself, "How 'bout 'Wheat Kings' right now?  I could really use a 'Wheat Kings'."  No sooner did I say it when the first notes came pouring out of the acoustic.  Awesome!!  I loved doing the Livi-thing and looking out over the crowd.  The fireworks that were sporadically occurring off in the ferris wheel distance were a nice touch, even if the Hip didn't have anything to do with it.
During "Bobcaygeon" I kept glancing over my shoulder during "I saw the constellations reveal themselves one star at a time" on the slight chance that I would catch some fireworks exploding in the distance at just the right time.  I noticed the guy next to me was doing the same thing.  Didn't get it though.
One thing that I did notice for the very first time is how great a bassist Gord S. is.  I stood there staring at him a lot of the show. The bass line melody that he plays in "The Completist" is what makes that song  (I almost put an IMO in there but stopped myself for fear of the wrath of Ms. PhQ.  Like that?).
Back on the flag-waving thing.  I forget who mentioned it (Livi maybe?), but if Gordon doesn't see the Hip as a flag-waving kind of band, why do they sell those hockey jerseys with the maple leaf on them?  Seems a bit hypocrytical if you ask me.  Just something I thought about as I was checking out the merch stand last night.
All-in-all, I had a great time.  I hope the rain didn't kill too many people's good time (especially you tent campers!  I'm all too familiar with tenting in the rain!).  Hopefully, the boys will make a trip
through Syracuse again this fall/winter and hopefully I'll be able to meet some of you at said show.
If you're going to Hartford or Vermont, have a blast for me.  I've been bitten by the Hip show bug and am jealous of all that are going to those shows.

Kohls

P.S.  Speaking of hypocritical, I bought my Iron Maiden tickets today
for August 16th at "the Lake".  UP THE IRONS!!!


Hey all,
This isn't gonna be a review of the boys' show at Darien Lake--everyone else has done a perfect job of doing that.
No, if you'll indulge me for a few paragraphs, this is gonna be a more personal review of the night.

The week leading up to Darien Lake had, in a word, sucked. Besides being a long, arduous week at work, the week saw the ending of a potentially beautiful relationship. The week was so long it hurt, filled with it's not your fault, with I'm sorry to have hurt you, with I can't handle this weird thing we have. So for much of the week, everything was bleak and I felt like a jerk.

Then came Saturday and the show.

I didn't have an epiphnay during the show or anything. The answer to all the riddles swimming around my mind didn't magically appear. No, Saturday was just pure fun, a release, a chance to get lost in the music I love more than anything else in the world.

It was a chance to hear Emperor Penguin, my all-time favorite song, for the first time in eight concerts. It was a chance to enjoy the cornecopia of people that can only congregate at a Hip show. It was a chance to have fun for the first time in what seemed forever.

The last five songs ÷ Penguin, ABAC, Wheat Kings, Nautical and MM@W ÷ were as good a string as I've heard at a hip show. And Livi, as a backdoor answer to your question, Wheat Kings struck me on Saturday, if just for the two lines:

You can't be fond of living in the past cause if you are then there's no way that your gonna last.

So to the band and everyone at the show, thanks for the therapy I needed. To all the henhouses, apologies for not seeing you before/during/after the show. Another day, another pilgrimege.

later all
brian


Good Evening All or better Yet Good Morning.  12:22 Am Monday morning July 31st.....

Just getting home from a very long long road trip from Maine to see The Tragically Hip for the 3rd time on this U.S. tour.  Fran and I had a great time at the show!  A very nice place to party before the show with no hassle at all from any one.  We did get a pretty good thunderstorm about 5 pm that afternoon before the show but the rain let up for the concert. We had great seats in the 11th row with about 16,000 other Hip Fans.  Just a couple more than the 900 or so at the Somerville Theatre shows in Boston.  Overall it was a good show with only 4 songs from the new album and only 3 songs for encores.  As Gordie put it "It was time for the roller coasters to rest"!  I think it was more like they had to be done by 11 as we were walking out the gates at 11:03!  We pretty much ran to the car and were out of the parking lot in about 5 minutes and on the way to our hotel in Rochester.  I do want to put in a good word for Guster though as they were excellent.  Not many of the Hip fans knew their music but we sure did.  We look forward to seeing them again at Bolton Valley VT with the Hip again on Sat.  That's after we see the Hip again on Friday night in Hartford CT.  It was really nice to meet you Eric and I hope the tape comes out ok....
Now on to the setlist for those of you that have not seen it.....

Tiger The Lion
Fully Completely
Puttin Down
Gift Shop
Pigeon Camera
Poets
Lake Fever
Fireworks
Springtime in Vienna
The Completists
Courage
Emperor Penquin
Ahead By A Century
Wheat Kings! (We thought of you Sonny!!)
Nautical Disaster
My Music At Work
--------------------
Bobcaygeon
At The Hundred Meridian (The Place was rocking!!)
--------------------
Little Bones

You all have a great Monday.........
Bob
Fun was had by all and look forward to the 2 shows coming up this weekend.....


The show was fantastic. Missed Chris and Kate, but was able to catch Guster. I'm not a mega-fan - haven't bought any of their stuff, but I've been familiar with them since their "Airport Song" was on The Buzz (Vermont radio). They are growing on me in a large way. Wild to see that drummer banging away with his hands. He must get a neat numbing sensation out of it. I wonder if he's damaging his nerve endings? Maybe he could sideline as a circus freak - you know - along the lines of Set Fire to My Hands! Watch me Burn and NOT Flinch! Whappity Tappity Tap Tap.

The Hip, well, it's pretty much been said already. The show was great. My neighbors were fantastic (except for a rather wide man a few rows up, but I took care of him). I was disappointed with the sound though. I was in the seated area, which was covered by a tent, and was not exactly great for acoustics. A lot of echo. Couldn't hear any rants or intros. Couldn't hear Chris or Kate (feel free to draw your own conclusion on that one) After the show, some people that we spoke to that were in the lawn area said the sound was great. Despite the sound, I grooved all the same. The fireworks in the distance were brilliant, they fit the mood. There was one point where the lighting was just so, Johnny (in all his glory) was reflected on the wall of the tent, just as if you were doing hand-animals with a slide projector. I enjoyed that for a bit. I like the quirks.

I have to say, the whole set-up got me thinking. I like this idea of having seating down front, and general admission at the back. I never have, and never will be a crowd-surfer. I wear glasses - in a crowd surfing situation, I'm pretty sure they'd be lost or bust. Not just the glasses keep me away from the mosh-pit though. I think people are crazy when it comes to that stuff. How can you actually enjoy the show if you're worried about getting someone's foot in your mouth? And who wants to be groped like that? But I was thinking that it would be neat if bands could request that kind of set-up at their shows. Even if it's a smaller venue. It can't cost that much for a club to get seats that are removable. Just seems to me that quite often, older, wimpy fans of the band like myself can't get close to the stage because it's too much of a drag to have to be constantly worried about your surroundings and what's flying overhead. Don't get me wrong - the seats could be on a first come-first serve basis, they could still be gen-admin. I'm just sayin' - I've never been in the situation myself, the shows that I manage to get to are rarely completely gen-admin, but I've read some people's stuff complaining about it. Just not a fan of crowd-surfing at Hip shows. It doesn't really fit.

All in all, a fantastic time. and I can't wait for Bolton next week
The End.

Steph


I had an amazing time at the show, only drank 2 beers (just so you know my perspective). I was in row 5, sec 101 - which was really only 1 row away from the stage cause of the curvature, folding chairs rather than cemented seats to the ground.  Totally amazing view - and the crowd around us was just amazing.  They were very courteous, no beer spills, no rude behaviour etc.  Some quality fans.  I think the security of our area did help a lot though.  You couldn't get into the area without a wristband, and they had some huge dudes working the show.

Highlights were - Paul coming out during Chris & Kate's set to play along... THEN his brother Dan coming out with the Sax during Guster's set!  How amazing that was I tell you. The Hip were ON FIRE that night - I think their families all being there kinda pumped them up.  Gord changed a lot of words around, something I've noticed from the other shows this year... When Wheat Kings started up, it was an AMAZING view from up front, looking out over the calm ocean of fans, lighters up high - hopefully that picture turned out well.  Nautical Disaster was incredible, and they always play it for Lisa & I (it seems that way anyways) as its the song I used to turn her onto the Hip.

I got several pictures - I'll have them loaded up at http://thehip.cit.buffalo.edu/ by tomorrow.  There's a couple good ones.

Disappointments - not many, parking - screwed up and ended up in the overflow lot (but turned into a good thing as we hung out with some cool fans until everything cleared out)... Also, not getting a chance to meet up with any henhousers - I had higher priority things to deal with - like moving into a new place where my future wife and I will be starting out soon...

There was an article in the Buffalo News' "Gusto" section on Friday - I was quoted in the article, along with a link to my website - so that was way cool - check out: http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial/20000728/1023329.asp

If anyone saw the NY license plates "THE H1P" up in the front, that was me.  :)  As soon as someone has a copy of this show, they better send one my way!

Stay Hip,
RoadApple


Good Morning:
All my fellow Hip crazy friends,
We are home safe and sound from the show, kids were very anxious, New Orleans is maybe sinking, but Watertown was definately Flooded. And how come nobody told me there are no liquor stores open on Sundays in the States! The campground situation was AWESOME, never had so many 3:00 am bedtimes! Except for those NAZI security park police, what's the matter with a 6 foot
campfire if you're sitting around watchin it!
I have to agree about the distractions at the concert. I loved seeing the guys at such a packed place (26,000) and I did Livi's turn on WheatKings to take in all the Zippo lighters (thanks Livi) And also thanks for the badges, almost got Sandy and I into backstage (almost) But the security had definately taken the bitchy pill and only if you showed them your smile could you leave your seat to get a better picture, way to many people were bring carried out around me, really up set me. But all in all, I'd do it again! I really loved meeting those of you that showed for the campfire, the sing song didn't really happen with me, the only guitar (without a rhythm at this point) really missed Brian and Livi, but let's plan to do it again!!!
tina

Man, what a weekend! Pardon me if this post is disjointed - I'm still kind of tired.  Tina covered a lot of what went on, but here's some more bits and pieces.

Talk about meeting a ton of people!  Henhousers and non-henhousers alike, as well as assorted other campers who'd never even heard of the Hip (but have now, thanks to us!)

James and (lurker) Mavis, it was great to meet you (and your interesting group of friends!)  For everyone else, both James and Mavis are both real cuties :)

Then there's Ron, David (Hip Images) and their non-henhouser buddy Joe. Wow.  I never laughed so much in my life!  You guys are *way* cool. And hey, Ronnie baby, howcum you never told us what a good singer you are??  Wow again. A man of many talents, let me tell you!

We also briefly  met Chris (Reactor5) and Angie, and the (now) infamous meghan!  Nice to see all of you as well.

Steph, sorry for not being there when you arrived - it's a long story, but Tina and I were tracking down some passes to the show that were supposed to be waiting for her here, there and everywhere!  It took us a lot longer than we thought since we had to run around all over the place.  Too bad you couldn't come back to the site afterward.  Another time for sure!

You've heard all about the show so I'm not going to describe it again, except to say that it went by far too quickly (damned curfew!) and I had a great time.  Highlights - Pigeon Camera, Emperor Penguin, Wheat Kings (I also did a Livi and watched the crowd at that one), Nautical(always a highlight for me), and Courage.  And Tina and I especially cheered for Paul when he sang his lines in Lake Fever, not that anyone would have noticed us!  Like I said before, I love his vocals.

All in all, a spectacular weekend.

later,

s


Wow! What a week-end, even for a lurker like myself! From the moment we arrived, the adrenaline was rising. After getting settled in our RV, James and I yanked out a map and were trying to figure out exactly where we should be headed to find Sandy and Tina when all of the sudden we heard their voices behind us. Phew, because even though they were only a few feet away our sense of direction was already lost!

From then on in it was one great meeting after another - isn't it cool to finally put faces to these names? And hospitable!! Sandy and Tina were the ultimate hosts - even offering piping hot chili! Much preferred to the soaking wet pizza we lived on all week-end (and thanks Sandy for the "cutie" remark = me blushing). We even managed to co-herse Steph and Patrick to our RV at one point and as mentioned before our friends are ummm, "interesting", but they seemed to survive (glad to hear you guys made it home safely).

Anyway - I don't think I really need to comment on the concert itself...again it was unbelievable. And I couldn't help but get shivers down my spine when Bobcageon was played as an encore. I agree with Steph - it was great to have the seating closer to the stage and the open admittance in the back, although being only 5"3 I finally grasped what ballerina's go through standing on my tippy toes. But, that didn't discourage our group one little bit. And I must admit I probably was one of those freaking, annoying Canadians (flag and all) - so apologies all around!

All in all the week-end was a total fun-fest (wish we could convince the Hip to start a Darien Lake tradition), even my scary-as-hell skydive (what was I thinking?)...

Another great concert - it was great meeting you all! Can't wait 'till the next one!

Mavis


The hangover SLOWLY fades from the weekend adventure, or is it lack of sleep.  I have been to many Tragically Hip shows in my thirty years, but this my dear friends was the first time crossing the border, camping out, to see the boys.  Ron and I left Toronto around 6:00 p.m.  A cooler and a cornucopia of Hip CD's in hand.  We stop at the Duty Free to acquire some beverages.  A half an hour later after Ron's "they only have sixty ounce size" dilemma, we line up for our turn with Customs and Irritation.  Once across the border, we spot a fire.  Funny thing, you hardly EVER see a fire in Buffalo!  As a good photojournalist, we take a quick look.  A van on fire at a gas station.  Time to move on.  We hook up with our buddy Joe from Syracuse at the designated spot, a little late.  We get to Darien Lake at 9:30 p.m.  We set up camp (meaning: parking the Durango).  With the Hip blasting from a thousand different radios, we head back to a RV site that was in full swing.  You guessed it, Tina, Sandy, James and company.  Tina serves us some great chili, laminated Henhouse badges and copies of The Profile magazine that Livi posted.   A great evening was had by all.  I travel two hours to party with people that I have met on this list and find out that three of them live five minutes from my home.  Small world.  Saturday morning was a little rough.  Coffee and the magic hangover pills does the trick.  Ron, Joe and I head to the park.  We see the gang several times throughout the day in various lines.  Dinner time approaches along with the blackening skies.  The heavens open up and the crowd in the overflow area gets a little rowdier.  Camera in hand, I snap a couple of rolls on drunken Orillia boys.  Memories of Woodstock.  The mud slide never did appear though.  We make our way to the show just before The Hip go on.  It is a longer walk from the campsite to the venue than thought.  The show was short, but sweet.  By now you have read the setlists and such.  Personal highlights include:  the band opening with Tiger the Lion.  The shadow of Johnny on the tent roof, beating the shit out of his drum kit.  Great version of Courage.  Like everyone else, Ron and I do the  Livi 180 ÒÔ during Wheat Kings.  This really is how this song should be seen!  The girl behind me cupping me ass and than asking me if that was okay.  After the show we find our way back to the Henhouse RV Party Central.  We meet Megan briefly.  We go back to our area to an enormous fire (thanks to Joe) and all of our new friends.  We party till the wee hours and pass out in no particular order.  Sunday's drive was rough.  We were rough.  The dreaded dinner at the in-laws was rough.  I can not wait till do it ALL again.
Sleep well,
David
Hip Images

SIX FLAGS DARIEN LAKE

Tragically Hip with Guster and Chris Brown & Kate Fenner

Despite intermittent rain showers, there was a massive turnout for Saturday's Darien Lake triple bill featuring the Tragically Hip, Guster, and the duo of Chris Brown and Kate Fenner. The large population of folks ensconced on the hill were prepared with wet weather gear, displaying the mettle of a true fan by refusing to let the elements dictate when they could see their rock and roll heroes.

When the Tragically Hip set rolled around - from the very moment that the guitar and drum techs started tuning up and doing a final check of the sound - a generous portion of the crowd had risen to its feet and set off a low level, anticipatory rumbling from throats primed for paroxysms of joy. By the time Johnny Fay's drums and Gord Sinclair's bass boomed out powerful introductory rhythms that caused a variety of internal organs to vibrate within the chest, one could easily be convinced that this crowd might get a bit excited.

Excited? They went freaking bonkers from the moment Gordon Downie, the band's charismatic lead vocalist, grabbed the microphone! Let's qualify that somehow. All over the hall, there were pockets of humanity erupting in a dervish-like frenzy as the band wended its way through crowd favorites like "Fireworks" and "Poets." The crowd also demonstrated (at the top of its lungs) fervent approval
for material drawn from the group's latest album as well, "Music At Work."

While the sheer sonic volume of the band's fans was constant and LOUD, (nearly drowning out the band at times) the audience didn't rush the stage for a bout of body surfing like their compatriots at a Deftones concert would. Still, nearly everyone was on their feet - from the beginning of the Hip's performance until everybody piled into various vehicles on their way into the night.

Brown (he of the funky keyboards and guitar) and Fenner (a stunning vocalist), in addition to opening up the concert, returned to the stage during the Hip portion of the show as backup musicians. Guster, a trio based in Massachusetts, displayed its playfully acerbic lyrics and quirk-laden riffs for a surprisingly substantial number of advocates in the audience.

- Garaud MacTaggart


I just started to get into the hip about three years ago and now it is what i listn to normally in the car. I atended my first HIP Concert on saturday at darien lake. Alot of the people were very nice(mostly people frm ontario)but many from the states as well. I loved the backdrop and the fireworks ironically shot when thy played 'fireworks' and i thought it was cool when they came back for 2 encores. Well i would like to thank the hip and the friendly ontario people for making it a great
expierience.
-Tim

Hello!
    First thing i would like to ask, how did everybody enjoy the show? Anybody see any small beach balls flying around the show? (red & white, with canadian flags on them)? *heheheh* They were our's! Also thanks to TINA & her HUSBAND. It was realy nice to meet new people!
    Well after arriving at the campgrounds friday afternoon! By friday night it wasn't too long before the campgrounds were filled with drunking canadians. (nice too see a naked guy run through our camp site, trying to hide from the rent-a-cops (Security). Anyways! Just thought i would add, the show rocked, and being 4th row was so amazing, since this being my second time seeing the hip, my first time so close up! What a great setlist, i was pretty happy with it. Man did Gordie D. ever giv'er for 100th meridian (awsome). And what did everybody think of no  NOIS being played? It would have been nice, but with a time limit on the show, probably no time for the tune. It was great too see alot of older stuff played (courage, fully, pigeon). Also in our group there were 8 of us, and we kept waving our 'glowsticks' we had (and i swear to god, gordie waved back at us).  Well just before the first encore, i treid to through my henhouse badge(glowstick) on stage, hoping Gordie would have saw it and picked it up and mabe said a rant about henhouse or something. (but it didn't make the stage). I tried again later, but failed again. = (
Too bad this weekend has come to an end already! I look forward to seeing the hip again.......(hopefully soon)
Hope everybody enjoyed this show, as much as i did!!!!!!

Reactor5 (Chris)