Wow. *Three* hours of Hip. Not only that, but High Quality Hip. Wow.
At around 8:00 in the pm, five lads from Kingston took to the stage in Edmonton. One of them stepped to a microphone, waved, and said three words: "music at work". They blitzed into My Music At Work, and didn't look back from there. I usually find that the Hip use the first song to kind of warm up, and get their groove going, but tonight proved to be the exception to that rule. MM@W was quite easily the best version that I've heard so far.
They segued nicely into Grace, Too, which was flawless. The line was "Tragically Hip". That's about all that I remember. Gord had some ranting going on during it, but even though I was seventh row floor, I couldn't make it out (damnation, those seats were good!!!! I could actually see them!!!!!).
After this was, I believe, Tiger the Lion, which I think is getting better all the time. It was spirited and raucous.
Forgive me if I don't go into too much detail, but my memory is lacking at the moment, and I didn't make a setlist.
Highlights:
Opiated (!!!) - Wow. Absolutely wonderful job on this one, even if Gord started out singing "he bought a nice blue sui-".
Unplucked Gems - Just gorgeous. They really drew it out, and made it very pretty.
Gift Shop - the first time that I've ever heard it sound better live than in the studio. They've been working on the beginning, with some funky space-guitar sounds, and it took me a while to figure out what song it was. Beautiful.
Every single song was perfect. I've never heard the band sound this tight!
Daredevil (!!!) - Whoa. Just unbelievable! They've also been tooling with the beginning on this one, and Johnny and Bobby did a little duel for about three minutes before this started. It sounded a lot like Antares, to my ears, and I was just astounded at the level of talent present in this band.
Thugs (!!!) - They did it perfectly, for me. While I like the jangly guitars heard on '93 boots, this was very Day For Night-y. It had less of a pop edge to it, and it sounded darker than I've heard it before. I loved it!
ABAC - Stunning in its perfection.
Fire in the Hole - great way to end the second set. It started off with "I was in this tiny cathedral", but somehow ended up having something to do with WWII and Winston Churchill. I couldn't make out quite how.
IOD(!!!) - *swoon* I have always loved this song, and they made it even better.
Scared - Kate took the "and there's a precious few..." lines, and surprised the heck out of me by doing them really, really well.
Sherpa - I just love this song.
Gord inverting the mic stand and doing a soft shoe routine during one of the songs.
Bobby's solos. There seemed to be one in every single song, and he very much deserved having them. He was just on fire, and was bringing life out of his guitars. He was great!
Johnny's drumming impressed me, also. Everyone was just in sync tonight. Mayhaps the moon was in the right position, but wow! This was quite easily the perfect concert! I didn't see any tapers, but if someone did tape this show, I would be extremely appreciative if they could get in touch with me!
I didn't keep this in the exact order, but here's the songs that were played tonight:
NOIS
Opiated
Little Bones
Twist my arm
Unplucked
100th
Wheat Kings
Fully
Locked
Courage
Pigeon Camera
Grace, Too
Daredevil
Fire in the Hole
Thugs
IOD
Scared
Gift Shop
ABAC
Sherpa
Poets
Something On
Save the Planet
Fireworks
Chagrin Falls
Escape
MM@W
Tiger
Lake Fever
Putting Down
Freak Turbulence
Wild Mountain Honey
I think that's about it. If my brain can remember more in the morning, I'll post more. This was simply an Amazing, Wonderful show. The greatest band in the entire world is the Tragically Hip, and they definitely showed why tonight. It's just too bad I can't put into words how amazing the show actually was. :)
Hip Warden
=================================================================================
Just got back from the show. Here's what songs they played (almost
completely out of order, I'm sure):
M@W - "It's time to go to work."
Tiger
Grace
Escape
ABAC
Fully
Down
IOD
Meridian
Opiated
Gift
Gems
Fireworks
Thugs
Honey
Bones
Locked
Scared (I know this started the 2nd set)
Twist
Pigeon
DD (with long, slow intro. like it was originally written)
Courage
Something
Fever
Sherpa
Poets
Freak
Chagrin
Fire - "It's time for the big finale"
Encore: Planet
Wheat
New O
A few comments: Highlights were IOD and when Kate finally took her jacket off. A good show (incredibly long), but frankly, I was a little disappointed with the setlist. No huge surprises, except for Gems and Thugs. Seems to me like we got the weakest setlist of the tour so far (two of my least-favourite songs, Sherpa and Honey were both played). Don't get me wrong, a weak Hip set list is still a pretty kick-ass one, but other than Gems and Thugs, there were no songs that made me say "oh my god, they're playing it!!" As in "oh my god they're playing Boots or Hearts, or Inch an Hour!" I just didn't really get excited over Sherpa or DD. Lots of mellow songs too (it even seemed like they played Chagrin mellower than usual too). I'm also kind of disappointed that they played both Bones and New O. Every time I've seen them at SKyreach Centre/Coliseum, they've done Bones. It just seems like they play those songs because they're expected. I just wish they wouldn't because I don't think they HAVE to play those songs every night anymore. Plus, I'd rather hear Inch or Looking instead.
Other noteworthy things: Johnny kicked ass (as usual); at the beginning of IOD, Gord had no clue how the song started. He kind of looked around helplessly, and Kate came over and probably shouted in his ear, "puffy lips....." I think this was the loudest crowd I've heard in Edmonton for a Hip show.
My side of the stage was the only one with people standing or dancing. I'm sure glad I wasn't on the other side. It looked like everyone was sitting the entire night. Warden, sounds like I was within spitting distance from you.
Anyone know if the hockey jerseys that they're selling at the shows ($125) are any different than the ones on the web site ($100)?
Apparently seeing the glass as being half-empty tonight,
Rick
=================================================================================
Hip hoppin'
Canuck rockers at Skyreach
By MIKE ROSS
Edmonton Sun
THE TRAGICALLY HIP
Skyreach Centre, Edmonton
Tuesday, November 21, 2000
EDMONTON -- For the Tragically Hip's 12th
appearance around these parts - it might be more;
the facts are lost in the mists of history - the band
managed to top itself.
This is no easy task for this enigma wrapped in a
riddle wrapped in a rock band and led by a guy
who, if he wasn't the lead singer in a rock band,
could be a ranting street person. Either that or a
college professor.
In any case, "An Evening With the Tragically
Hip" may have been the best concert they've ever
delivered. The 13,000 fans who turned up in
Skyreach Centre last night clearly thought so. It
was certainly the longest Hip concert ever seen. It
was more like two concerts: two sets of the Hip,
the whole Hip and nothing but the Hip. Leave 'em
wanting less, as they say.
Standing in what appeared to be a UFO crop
circle in the middle of a wheat field, the band
served up an enhanced version of itself -
whatever that is. We're still not quite sure.
Pronouncements that they're the "greatest band in
Canada" don't really tell the story. Without any
outside influences, as if they'd developed in a
vacuum, this band has quietly (relatively speaking)
evolved into a phenomenon. They're good,
red-blooded, hockey-loving Canadian boys who
write songs that transcend the simple rock riffs
they're essentially made of. It's a pretty cool trick.
Some people don't understand the band, and
never will.
The fans get it. Boy, do they ever.
The show last night revealed a greater range of
dynamics this band is capable of - moods more
pronounced, textures broadened, messages more
cryptic, Gord Downie more enigmatiiwc than
ever.
"Let's go to work, all right?" was the first thing he
said. Then he began to mumble incoherently - and
not for the first time - as the strains of My Music
@ Work fired up behind him. He changed the
first lyric of Grace, Too from "he said I'm
famously rich" to "he said I'm Tragically Hip."
That got a big hand.
The crowd was on its feet from the first note,
shouting out the familiar songs: "Two-fifty for an
eyeball and a buck and a half for an ear," and so
on, joyously rocking out to the rest.
The "enhanced" version of the Hip heard last
night was thanks in part to former Bourbon
Tabernacle Choir members, singer Kate Fenner
and keyboardist Chris Brown sitting in. Shots of
Hammond organ, piano and clavinet added nicely
to the counterpoint of guitarists Paul Langlois and
Rob Baker. The resulting wall of sound was
hypnotic.
During the second set opening of Scared, Fenner
sang part of the lead - just a few bars, but a huge
cheer erupted in each case. Nothing against
Downie - who was in fine voice - but it was a
refreshing change.
The familiar hits - highlights like Ahead by a
Century and At the Hundredth Meridian coming
back to back - were greeted as enthusiastically as
the more offbeat moments. While speeding
through Little Bones, say, the band seemed to dig
deeper into the obscure tunes. Escape is at Hand
for the Travelling Man was an interesting
diversion, followed by the new tune, Tiger the
Lion, a especially cryptic song from the new
album, Music @ Work. As green lights strobed
around the faux wheatfield, Downie sang
passionately, lyrics paraphrased from a biography
of composer John Cage. When you have to
footnote a rock song, you know you're getting
into pretty deep territory.
It's evidence that the Hip is growing away from
the beer-swilling, head-banging, soccer hooligan
scene of its past. And the fans don't seem to mind
a bit.
=================================================================================
We only got one encore. We only deserved one encore. In the Workplace,
everyone was standing still except for a guy
in a red shirt and a guy in an orange shirt, who both seemed to actually
be enjoying themselves. (By grooving a little, not by slamming themselves
against people.) People in the Workplace (in front of the front row) were
SITTING down. Sitting down at a Hip concert. Blasphemy. :) I've also
clearly been studying too much, because as I looked down on the floor rows
(most standing completely still; no hip shaking or anything) I thought
that if sound waves were visible, Eisenstein would have loved to have filmed
it. Conflict of movements and all that. What the crowds in the Arizona
Hip shows lacked in knowledge of the band,
they more than made up in enthusiasm. This didn't happen here. A lot
of people only clapped and cheered for the big radio hits. As for the band,
they weren't as on as I've seen them, but I've never been to a bad Hip
concert and this one didn't even come close to approaching bad. The extended
jams were awesome and unexpected. It was great to see the guys simply as
musicians. Many of the songs were beautiful, but the crowd was clearly
there for the rockers. Most of the people around me were sitting
down during Scared and the other "softer" songs. We think that they
may have thrown some Tegan and Sara as a jam, but the girl behind us just
got louder and louder singing the wrong words in the wrong beat and the
wrong tone and screaming like... oh my god... I can't even describe the
sound of her screaming so Gord was a little drowned out. Luckily, the girl
behind us only pretended to know the words to the aforementioned big radio
hits. She didn't even attempt the lesser-known songs. (Thank
god.) I'm loving the lights at the lights (except for the strobe which
I thought was going to send me into a seizure). It was a great
performance, too bad about the crowd. I don't have any specific examples
of songs or anything right now. I need to wake up a bit. Okay, late for
school. Got to go. Possibly more later.
Calgary tomorrow. Better crowd hopefully.
Erin
=================================================================================
Praise the Gord
By STEVE TILLEY
-- Edmonton Sun
Some random observations and consternations
from last night's Tragically Hip concert:
THEY WERE THE BEST OF SEATS,
THEY WERE THE WORST OF SEATS --
Ten lucky concertgoers who made donations to
the food bank at the door were drawn at random
by the folks at The Bear and given seats in a
special section literally at the foot of the stage.
Close enough to feel Gord sweat, for sure. On
the flipside, you have to feel for the people who
bought seats in the sections that were released at
the very end of sales. They ended up behind the
stage, peering through a gap between a black
curtain and some cabling in order to watch the
back of the band members' heads. Now that's
tragic.
TAI CHI, THE DOWNIE WAY -- If you
think about it, Gord Downie's trademark flailing
body movements could actually constitute an
exercise regimen. Some of the moves
demonstrated last night included the Shooting Gun
(mimicking a pistol with one's finger), the Pulsing
Peace Sign (waving two fingers at the heavens),
the Italian Chef (fingers touching thumb in a mama
mia gesture), the Hangman (pretending there's a
rope yanking at your neck) and the Ministry of
Silly Walks (striding in place, legs flailing
outwards). Feel the burn!
WOW, THAT'S MORE THAN A
GAME-WORN GRETZKY -- One of the hot
Hip merchandise items being hawked last night
was a $125 hockey jersey with a Maple Leaf
containing the band's name. The merchandise
vendors said it was priced out of some fans'
budgets, though. Go figure! A hot seller proved to
be a long-sleeved black shirt with the band's
name on its sleeve, for a mere $45.
HEY, THAT'S NOT HIP -- While fans inside
lapped up the music, at least one concertgoer left
in a pout. An angry patron kicked in a glass door
along Skyreach Centre's south end, leaving
staffers to clean up the mess. Witnesses said they
weren't sure what the guy was cranky about.
Maybe he couldn't afford one of the hockey
jerseys.
TRISH DISHES FOOD -- Just for the record,
the cute gal in the short skirt digging through the
food donations box was not an overenthusiastic
volunteer or hungry homeless woman. That was
Trish Banack (see sidebar), who had accidentally
dropped her ticket in the box. It was found, all
was well. Whew.
GORD ALMIGHTY -- Maybe it's because he
sings like a man possessed with heavenly
goodness, but the "Gord = God" comparisons
were as common as hymns in church.
Some fans came with home-made "Gord is God"
shirts, while others unfurled a big Canadian fan
which asked, in huge black letters, "Are you really
the Messiah?"
Sadly, no answer was forthcoming. Obviously
the Gord moves in mysterious ways.
==================================================================================
Hello... This is my Edmonton Part 2 review. I now have the help of
Brian, and I've had caffeine so my brain is a *little* bit more engaged.
(I missed my class, too, so that's why I'm here. Never should have read
the Canoe review. It made me late for class.) Anyway, here are Brian's
thoughts and some more of mine, too...
The funniest moment of the concert may have been when Gord fucked up
the lyrics to Opiated and kind of stopped in mid-position while he tried
to figure it out. (Though, the incredibly stoned guy in front of us was
a close second as funniest.) Gord was wearing a white shirt; not the new
red one nor the much-sweated in green one. Thugs and the jam before Daredevil
were Brian's favourites. Johnny actually played a hand drum (bongos
or something). This time, the big crowd roar for Kate was when she
took off her black jacket; not when she did a smoking verse of Scared.
(But, like I said, everyone was sitting for Scared, anyway.) On one of
the songs from M@W (we can't remember which one; like I said, sleepy) it
was awesome at the end when Johnny did a bit of a drum solo and the strobes
were flashing on him (the rest of the stage was dark) in time to his drums.
The visual effect was perfect. (Which brings me to a correction from
my last post. I meant to say that I'm loving the lighting at the
concerts; not I'm loving the lighting at the lighting. This is where
proof reading is good.) At the end of the 2nd set, Johnny was looking
for a bit more of a crowd roar and waved his towel at the crowd just before
he exited. Wouldn't THAT be a souvenier if he threw it into the crowd?
:) Gord had a lot of rants, including one about "it makes me so sad
that I'll never see you again" (most likely very paraphrased). Here's
hoping that one's not truthful... Some people in the crowd had a
big Canadian flag (yeah, yeah) with "Are you really the messiah?" written
on it, and Gord incorporated that into his rant. Not that that should inspire
other people to bring big signs or anything. Okay, we're both going to
different poli sci classes now. I'm going to one class today, dammit!
Brian and Erin
==================================================================================
The Magically Hip
Fleece-and-flannel fans get their fix from favourite five
Sandra Sperounes, Journal Music Writer
The Edmonton Journal
Concert Review
An Evening With The Tragically
Hip
When: Tuesday
Where: Skyreach Centre
Crowd: 13,000
- - -
Imagine: Two-and-a-half hours of
live music by your favourite
artist.
No opening acts, no insidious
boob-cams. Just you, the artist
-- oh, and 12,999 other fans.
How hip is that?
Tragically Hip, of course.
The Canadian rock icons donned
their scuba gear and dove deep
into their nine-album catalogue
during their two-set, 150-minute
gig at the Skyreach on Tuesday.
(Actually, Gord Downie opted to
forgo Stockwell Day's wetsuit
and wore a pin-striped one instead.) Their fans -- decked mainly in fleece,
flannel
and hoodies -- lapped up every minute of the spectacle, often cheering
wildly
after
the first two notes of a song. At times, it felt like a special Hip edition
of Name
That Tune , complete with a manic host at the helm.
"Let's go to work!" Downie yelled as the Kingston band launched into the
first
song of their first set, My Music At Work.
Indeed, much of the first set was workmanlike as the Hip cranked out one
driving
rhythm after another. They pulled out old tunes (Fully Completely, At The
Hundredth Meridian and Grace, Too), new tracks (Putting Down, Tiger the
Lion,
Ahead By A Century), and obscure compositions (Escape Is At Hand For The
Travelling Man from 1998's Phantom Power). After awhile, the songs and
instruments started to meld into each other, but a few stood out, particulary
the
echoes of Tiger the Lion .
Downie, as usual, ranted like a mumbling madman ("Amphibious vehicle!"
"Recruiting office!") and was up to his special brand of calisthenics --
either
kicking his legs out like a spastic Rockette, shaking his hand like a maraca,
or
pointing his finger like a gun. In appreciation, some fans held up a sign,
"Are You
Really The Messiah?"
Probably not, but Downie might be the next Billy Blanks if he ever decides
to
package his own line of Hippercize work-out videos. It could be the next
Tae-bo --
fun and easy exercises for thirtysomething rock fans.
Downie's antics might be old hat, but singer Kate Fenner and Chris Brown,
who
seemed to control the Hip's movements via his keyboards, were a welcome
new
addition to the band's musical closet.
Alas, Fenner and Brown were often drowned out by Johnny Fay's thundering
drums and Rob Baker's rumbling guitars. Brown's keyboards manage to hum
through on a few numbers -- including Escape Is At Hand For The Travelling
Man,
Tiger the Lion, and Putting Down -- but poor Fenner looked like she was
mouthing
the words to -- gasp! -- Kid Rock's Bawitdaba during Gift Shop.
Hopefully, Fenner's gifted voice was better showcased during the Hip's
second
set. If not, she and Brown plan to return early next year for their own
gig. If you're
hip, you won't miss it.
==================================================================================
For those of you who haven't had the boys swing your way yet... An
Evening with... tour is amasing... my only problem is they didn't play
Nautical Disaster... :o(... oh and an extra who sang the main part of my
favorite song "Scared" but you shouldn't have to worry about that... I
think she was only joining the band for the stops here in Alberta. And
if it was any of you who had the Canadian flag w/ "Are you really the Messiah?"
nice touch... but you didn't have it up long enough... I was waiting for
some light to hit it so I could get a pic... none the less... nice touch...I've
taken my rolls into work to get developed and if there are some nice ones
I will get them on disk...
-Excelsior
==================================================================================
Ok, I was fortunate enough to have witnessed two spectacular Hip shows
this past week...Edmonton & Calgary. These were numbers 10 & 11
for me. It is hard for me to even begin to describe how they moved me,
but i'll give it a shot. I'm 28 and have been a rabid Hip fan since 89
when I first heard NOIS. Up until this time two concerts have stuck out
in my mind as
special. The Henhouse 96 show in Saskatoon, and the Phantom Power 98
show in Aspen. The Saskatoon show just seemed to have everything going
for it...setlist, crowd participation, and the people I was with. The Aspen
show was special because I was on a road trip with my girlfriend, there
were maybe 3000 people there, and it was on the side of a mountain. So
in the
past week I believe I have had these shows surpassed. I have read some
peoples reviews about how either the crowd was subdued or the band was
subdued...possibly so in some parts, but from where I was standing (killer
seats for both shows) everything looked great! I think you have to remember
these are 3 hour shows and a sit down break is needed for lots of people.
I also believe the Hip are not a band that thrive off of people standing
and screaming and pumping their fists for every song. If that was the case
they wouldn't bother with songs like "Titanic Terrarium" or "Flamenco"
or even "Apartment Song".
So now on to song content of the shows. Three words...Boots Or Hearts,
Boots Or Hearts, Boots Or Hearts!!! I can now die a satisfied man after
Calgary's show. I was eagerly waiting for this song and the boys delivered.
Some of the other highlights
over the two concerts were "Titanic Terrarium","Gems","Opiated","IOD","Fire
In The Hole"(twice),"Scared","Sherpa","Blow" and all the others really.
I think the only song I would have wanted replaced by something else would
have been "Freak Turbulance"...I just don't care for it that much.
I remember discussions a long time ago about what Gord said at the end of "Greasy Jungle" and a lot of people seemed to think it was "Full city dark". I was never 100% sure until the Calgary show when Gord said it real slow and loud. Also does anyone else have the feeling this will be the last tour for the Hip? The fact that they are doing the long shows with all the old, obscure songs, and the enthusiasm they are putting forth make me think this is a farewell tour. If so I will be sad, but definately not disappointed. I have so many fantastic live memories to keep myself going.
Ciao,
Billy Stang