Magically Hip!

 By JOHN SAKAMOTO
 Toronto Sun
 At every Tragically Hip concert I've ever been to, there's always been that one instant in which
 a bunch of seemingly unrelated things rush together into a mind-boggling confluence, and you get
 to experience The Moment, the one you know will instantly come back to you every time something
 reminds you of that particular evening.
 Last night at a jam-packed Maple Leaf Gardens, The Moment came six songs in, during
 Fifty-Mission Cap, The Hip's tribute to late, great defenceman Bill Barilko. When Gord Downie got
 to the line, "The last goal he ever scored/Won the Leafs the Cup," a good portion of the 14,500
 delirious fans looked up, pointed at the 1951 Stanley Cup banner hanging from the ceiling of the
 very building in which Barilko scored the goal in question - in overtime, to beat the Habs, no
 less - and let out a cheer that was probably almost as loud as the one that greeted Barilko's
 feat.
 That was my moment, but you could've picked a dozen others.
 Like the intro to what, so far, is this tour's preferred opener, Grace, Too, when Downie
 strolled out, surveyed the storied surroundings and joked, "What a dump."
 Or the ritual singalong on a blistering Little Bones ("2.50 for a hi-ball/And a buck and a half
 for a beer ...")
 Or the way the band eased from Titanic Terrarium into Greasy Jungle as though it were the most
 natural thing in the world.
 It all proved yet again that The Tragically Hip is quite simply one of the greatest live bands
 playing anywhere.
 Mind you, it doesn't hurt to be blessed with an audience that truly deserves them.
 Meanwhile, second-billed The Odds demonstrated they're capable of playing any sized venue they
 please. Opting for an idiosyncratic 35-minute set, they steered clear of the obvious
 (Heterosexual Man) in favor of the odder stuff from their potent new album, Good Weird Feeling.
 That included tunes such as Radios Of Heaven and Eat My Brain, and a couple of smartly chosen
 oldies, notably a rousing version of Love Is The Subject, a song, we were told, "that went to No.
 1 - in Edmonton."
 Openers Change Of Heart barrelled through a gutsy half-hour set that didn't get nearly the
 reaction it deserved. But, as with any band worth its salt, they didn't let the lackadaisical
 response - or the fact the building was 90% empty when they took the stage - dampen their
 performance, preferring instead to subvert the situation with lines like, "This is dedicated to
 anyone in the greys. (Raucous cheers.) That's another cheap arena-rock trick. You just got
 suckered."
 Tragically hip, indeed.

         We get to the venue, and we get our tickets, the special ones,
 about 3 inches by 6, Gold and white, and very aesthetically pleasing.
 They reminded me of a wedding invitation. It read " a evening with the
 Tragically Hip "with guests ODDS and Change of Heart".

         Well we missed Change of Heart, and were told the volume was too low.
 This is a band who has been around for 12 years who just won a 100,000
 dollar contest for "unkown band"!! Ah Canadians ;-). We were told the
 volume was too low For Change of Heart. The Odds on the other hand suffered
 from a awful mix. Cool thing is they make their living as a cover band,
 so that they can actually record their own music and tour as the Odds.
 Each band played about 35-40 min.

         It was now 9:16 pm and the Gardens was about to rock!

         The Hip started the show with Gord Downie, vocalist, saying "What
 a Dump!" and he giggled. The crowd moaned. Such is the Enigma of Gord.
 You gotta see them live to believe it.  They kicked into  Grace Too off
 the new album. It really went over well live, with an extended jam after
 the verses, during which Gord proceeded to mime a crotch rub, followed by
 some Monkeying around. Next was Fully Completeley, followed by the
 "Inevitibility of Death you pussycats!" which was preceded by the
 statement that They were in the Navel (Toronto), had been to Kingston,
 which was the Vagina, Hamilton the Hammer, which is another name for "Cock".
 Bizaare indeedee!!

         The thing that really struck me about this band was the audience.
 They were on their feet from the get-go, singing all the words and screaming
 every time Gordie went into some wierd move or dance. It reminded me of when
 Garcia does a guitar solo and the fans tend to drown it out by sreaming
 thier approval. Luckily the sound was at the level of Mettalica or Big Sugar!

         A setlist will follow. Some other highlights were "Last of the
 Unplucked Gems", a song I never expected in an Arena (its a slow marching
 sort of tune). Of course, "50 Mission Cap" , a song about the Leafs 1951
 overtime Stanley Cup hero, Bill Barilko's disapearance. It was deadicated
 "for the people walking around with the MapleLeafs on their coats!"
 "100th Meridian" included a 'Drop me down in the boiling Water' beat
 poetry Jam. Anyone else heard this? Gordie picked up an acoustic, and I
 thought "Scared"? Nope they played Daredevil, then Scared, with Paul
 Langois on acoustic :-). All the Bic lighters were in the Grey seats
 (read: cheap seats), which I found a rather interesting demographic split.
 Poor people in the shitty seats?? Pigeon Camera, from the Canadian film
 "I Love a Man in Uniform" featured a really melodic, gripping solo by
 Bobby Baker on electric guitar.

 Nautical Disaster Ripped!!

 Little Bones followed and the crowd awoke. Finally "New Orleans is
 Sinking" was played. It lasted about 15-16 minutes, which most
 improvisational fans would have loved.
 In the  middle jam the band thundered away, while Gordie improvised new lyrics
 . Some of which were "If your freaked and fucked, life don't mean that much".
 This is where any musical fan could see the magic happening on stage. They
 closed with Fire in the hole, it was 10:55.

 Encore ??
 YES!!
 Surprise we got "Lionized", plus "3 Pistols". Then they left the stage.
 The end? I put on my dry shirt, as I was soaked from dancing in an aisle
 all night. With pen in mouth, Three girls from Bancroft came by me to sneak
 onto the floor, and told me to mention them in my review!
 Finally the security guard says "They will play another?" I said "Nah".
 Wrong!
 Impossibilium, folowed by "Shakespeare my ass, this is for my 3rd sister"
 from Gordie and they ended with Cordelia.

 We got backstage, and met the drummer, Johnny Fay, and saw bassist Gord
 Sinclair. It was like a high school house party, with a who's who of
 family, friends and Toronto musicians. Johnny told us about Saturday Night
 Live and European success, and the release in the States.

 I saw Gord, but he was busy being normal. Johnny says he is very
 different offstage, quite normal actually.

 I got my prerelease cassette of "Up to Here" autographed
 and back to home we went, the son, the step-mom, and the boyfriend.
 Oh Canada indeed ;-).

 Setlist 2-10-95 Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Ontario
 Start: 9:16

 Grace Too
 Fully Completeley
 Inevitability of Death
 Locked in the Trunk of a Car
 Last of the Unplucked Gems
 50 Mision Cap
 Thugs
 100th Meridian
 Daredevil
 Scared
 Pigeon Camera
 Nautical Disaster
 Little Bones
 Titanic Terrarium
 Greasy Jungle
 New Orleans is Sinking->
 New Songs Jammed->
 New Orleans is Sinking
 Fire in the Hole
 (10:55 p.m.)

 E1: Lionized
     Three Pistols

 E2: Impossibilium
     Cordelia
 (11:20 pm)
 
 

                                                 By: Stephen A. Maltais