HIGHLIGHTS:

1) The guy in the Sens Jersey that was situated about 10 rows in front of us...he was jumping and screaming from the start right to the end. Always made for an entertaining interlude during those moments when you like to scan the crowd... ;-)

2) Kate was wonderful all night...great to see her getting a big ovation during her solo spots in Scared, Flamenco. Chris added his usual highlights to Gift and brought a fantastic "Rainy Day Woman" vibe to Boots or Hearts...

3) Purple Paint in the middle of Meridian!

4) SHERPA!

5) In fact the entire 5 song suite to end the 1st set: ABAC, 100th, Sherpa, Nautical, Tiger!

6) The sound was rough at the start (really sapping what could have been an excellent Grace, Too) but got quite good as the show went on...The Corel Centre really has pathetic acoustics when you get right down to it but I thought Mark and the boys made the best of a bad situation...

7) Blow at High Dough was one of the all time best versions I've seen...great energy...

8) I'll save the best for last: Long Time Running. I've seen the band well over 30 times and this is probably only the 2nd or 3rd time I've ever heard them do this live. There's a bit of history with this song for my wife and I and it really made our evening ...thanks for hauling this one out, boys!

9) Beer at your seat! A first for Hip shows at the Corel Centre!

LOWLIGHTS:

1) The aforementioned sound problems ruined what would normally have been a killer 1-2 opening punch of Music@Work and Grace.

2) Titanic Terrarium is an iffy song for me at the best of times and live it's an absolute buzzkill...they've never gotten this song right any of the times I've seen it performed or even heard it on tape...

3) NOIS...God, how many more times am I going to have to suffer through this one? The band obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about this song anymore...They should retire it like the Dead did to Dark Star and then haul it out maybe once a year to give the white hats something to jump about in the mosh pit. No jam in the middle at all and Gord can't even be bothered
singing the lyrics anymore...he just kind of mumbles them. This song peaked in '92 (huge Nauticals during the jam section) and it's been downhill since then...

4) Lack of epic versions of 100th...This is my all time favourite Hip tune (well, except for Grace) and even though they still play the shit out of it I really miss the absolutely manic middle sections that would sometimes stretch out for 20 minutes. I understand that playing it like that would eat up a huge chunk of time in the set but I'm jonesin' for a SPAC '96, Corel Centre '97 or even a Sugarbush style version of this song to find it's way back into the rotation...Maybe for their next tour they should ditch the
pre-planned setlist and just let things come naturally. That adventurous spark that's been missing lately may rekindle itself.

Guess that's about it for now...can't wait to read what others thought about a stellar night in Kanata...

Nursing my big head,

Sean

Cheers,
Casey

Eric

I was able to go backstage and get some autographs... More about that in a bit... But here is my TATH Vinyl Record.. there is a line down the middle because I had to take to scans as it was too large for the scanner.
http://www.geocities.com/lariviere17/autographs.jpg

I met henhousers Mixmaster, Tina Burke and Sandra from the list. Very nice people.

The show was great, but the Corel Centre's audience participation stunk. I'd say almost the entire crowd of only 11,500 practically sat through the whole show. It was only during the "signature tunes" that the crowd rose to it's feet. Like during NOIS and 100th. I was told to sit down by a two teenage girls that were behind me. After Courage I was hoping for the
ovation that happened in TO, but it never happened.

11,500 is not even close to sold out.

I don't remember the order of the songs or a lot of the details about the show... But it was great. Apparently it was Purple Paint that Gord sang in the middle of 100th. I couldn't really here any ramblings from where I was.

The when the show was done about 150-200 of us were huddled in section 115 waiting for our security escort into the Corel Centre Hospitality area.

This is where it got interesting. We sat together and waited and drank some beer. Mixmaster and I were able to shoot the shit with Bret Lindros for a bit before the band members arrived. For you Leaf fans, Bret doesn't know if Eric wants to go to T.O., or at least he wasn't saying anything.

Johnny Fay was the first to enter the backstage area. Immediately people went up to him offering beer's etc. and exchanging coversation. I waited for a bit and Tina went up and showed him a picture she took of Him and her daughter at the Kingston benefit show for Joe Chitlen. He came over to our table and he wrote a nice note on Tina's picture. Then he saw my vinyl record and asked if I wanted it signed. He seemed rushed as there were a lot of babes to chat up backstage... So I didn't ask
him any questions. He signed "Mike, All the Best...." and his name. He had an armful of beer, probably about 5 of them. He had to set them down on a table to sign the record. When he walked away he left a full one on the table... Yes, I drank it.. hehe Hey, I was thirsty.

Gord D. came in, and for a while was chatting with his brother Michael... Nobody bothered him while he was talking to Mike. Then after a about 20 minutes he got up and started signing autographs.

There was a warm moment backstage when a mentally challenged individual all decked out in hip memorabillia asked Gord for an autograph... Gord talked the the lucky individual for about 5 minutes... it was nice to see.

I asked Gord to sign the record and I gave him a pen. He already had one in his hand. He tried to write with my pen but it wouldn't. He asked what my name was and I said Mike. Then he looked at me sarcastically and jokingly said "Well you know Mike... you're pen really sucks, but since I have a pen in my other hand, I'll sign it with my left hand. You don't mind if it's
messy do you?" He wrote "Mike's Dog" over the Dog on the TATH cover. Then he signed his name just below. In the scanned image you can't see his signature, but onthe real thing you can see it clearly.

I then made my way over to Gord S. A really hyper guy and very talkative with some people. I didn't really chat him up either as there was a line up for autographs. I just got him to sign my record. He signed "thanks Livi" and his name.

Paul seemed to be with close friends. He was standing with 5 guys for about an hour and a half. I politely asked him for and autograph and he was more then willing to sign my record. He just signed his name.

Then I met up with Rob. Two words... Coolest Guy.

He didn't recognise me at first, so I introduced myself as "the guy that gave him the Bobcaygeon hockey jersey" in Boston and immediately he remembered me. "Hey, how are you? Did you like the show?" he asked. The last thing I asked him in Boston when I gave him the jersey was if he would wear it on stage. He rememberedme asking that question because he told me he eventually did wear it. I asked if he wore it on stage and he said no, but he wore it for a warmup somewhere in the US.
Too cool.

I had another gift for him... I gave him a few bootleg's with covers that I made and he thought they were pretty cool. The one for the Boston show features the Gargoyle inside the Bruins logo. He said "Oh Gord will like this one" referring to the cover. Then he gave the bootlegs to his wife and asked her to hold on to them. She put them into her purse.

I asked Rob what the wirdest thing anyone has given them as a gift... he thought for a moment but couldn't think of anything immediately. So I asked what the weirdest thing anyone has asked him to sign. He looked at his wife, and she was looking away so he leaned over to me with a teenage boyish grin and under his breath he said "breasts man, a lot of breasts..." He did the motion too, like he had them in his hands... I thought it was kinda funny.

Around then it was time for them to leave. One by one they left the Hospitality area.

All in all it was a great experience. One I'll definately always remember.

Take Care,
Livi

                             Musically sound show lacks spark of
                             early days

                                      By IAN NATHANSON
                                           Ottawa Sun

                             THE TRAGICALLY HIP
                             Corel Centre, Ottawa
                             Wednesday, December 6, 2000
 

                               OTTAWA -- Someone asked me if I was
                             pumped up for The Tragically Hip's Corel Centre
                             concert last night.

                              "Pumped" is usually reserved for the serious fans,
                             the ones who gyrate spasmodically whenever the
                             words "The Hip" are spoken in succession.

                              I responded with a polite nod.

                              The question, frankly, was moot. It's hard not to
                             anticipate a top-notch show by one of Canada's
                             hottest live acts. Lead singer Gord Downie does
                             his slinky dances and unintelligible mumbling, Paul
                             Langlois and Rob Baker put in yeoman's service
                             on guitars, with the always-into-it bassist Gord
                             Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay anchoring the
                             good ship Hip.

                              Plus, former Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
                             members Chris Brown (on keyboards) and Kate
                             Fenner (backup vocals) have been recruited to
                             add a new dynamic.

                              Still, memories of the Kingston quintet's past two
                             visits to the nation's capital swirled around as
                             often as the spotlights did during Tiger The Lion,
                             one of several tracks from The Hip's eighth studio
                             effort, Music @ Work.

                              Their last run-through, in February 1999, was
                             long on artsiness, short on band power, and
                             certainly devoid of any connection between
                             audience and band. By contrast, their summer '97
                             Another Roadside Attraction headliner at Rideau
                             Carleton Raceway was more straight-ahead
                             rollickin' good fun.

                              So, where did last night's "An Evening with The
                             Tragically Hip" -- designed to fit in 15 years and
                             eight albums' worth of Hip material into two
                             70-minute sets (separated by a 20-minute break)
                             -- rank on the scale of hipness?

                              Somewhere in between.

                              One -- or any of the roughly 11,500 in
                             attendance last night -- would want to believe that
                             The Hip tried to build up momentum from the
                             get-go. Surrounded by stage props made to form
                             a wheatfield, Downie and company kicked off
                             with My Music At Work, and let their music and
                             stage presence speak to the crowd.

                              Yet, by Grace, Too -- a crowd-killer on any
                             other occasion -- The Hip nearly fell into a
                             let's-get-this-over-with trap in the first half,
                             marginally saved by the odd older hit (Three
                             Pistols, At The Hundredth Meridian) and the
                             occasional pipe-in of Fenner's voice to harmonize
                             during Springtime In Vienna and Ahead By A
                             Century.

                              Better utilized was Brown's keyboard work,
                             lifting Gift Shop to chilling new heights.

                              Still, something was missing. Usually Downie, in
                             all his mumblings-about-God-knows-what glory,
                             would nod or wink to the crowd. Or Sinclair,
                             Langlois or Baker would deliver some sort of sign
                             of encouragement.

                              In the first half, the music did all the talking. Not
                             the band.

                              On the other hand, the second half seemed more
                             alive, more relaxed and better paced.

                              Even some of the newer cuts (Stay and Chagrin
                             Falls) adapted better to the arena-rock format
                             than their album versions would lead one to
                             believe.

                              And just as the building rocked to the strains of
                             Blow at High Dough, Courage, encore number
                             Little Bones and the always edgy New Orleans is
                             Sinking, the place lit up -- literally -- at the apex
                             of softer tunes Long Time Running, Flamenco and
                             the Gord-and-Kate duet Scared.

                              But back to the original query: Was this a quality
                             Hip show?

                              In entertainment value: So-so. Though musically
                             tight, The Hip again suffered under the weight of
                             muddy acoustics. Momentum hit a few potholes
                             in the first-half, but regained power in the second.
 

                              In fan-speak: Yes, considering the wealth of
                             material that was included. And though the crowd
                             could've received a "how ya doin' " or "thanks a
                             lot" once in a while, perhaps The Hip's music at
                             work provided better dialogue, anyway.

We hooked up at the hotel beforehand and had a quick drink, admiring Livi's cover art for the boots he later gave to Rob Baker, and his vinyl TATH.  We all already know it, but I'll say it again - the man is very talented (and girls, he's pretty darned cute too)

Anyway, we went to Marshy's before the show, had to line up for what seemed an eternity in the cold.  Apparently Paul had been there earlier and done an interview on the Bear, but we missed it.  A couple of large beers later we headed in, with a few minutes to spare.  Our seats were right in front of the corporate boxes, so at least we didn't have idiots behind us telling us to sit down, but *man* what a dead crowd!!!  I looked around us and we were the only people standing.  Unreal.

Sound wasn't great at first, but got better a little into the show. It coulda been the Willie Nelson ;) but to me, 100th was awesome. Rob Baker was smokin'.  Not just for 100th either, he was really hot most of the night.   Other highlights?  Wow, tons...off hand, Long Time Running, Fire in the Hole, and it was great to hear Three Pistols.

After the first set, and thanks to the sacrifice of a small animal (or something like that) we headed for the Zone!!  Talk about incredible. Did anyone else notice that Gord was very *on*??  I had thought he seemed to be from our earlier seats, but being up front confirmed it. It was hard to know who to watch - we were in front of Gord S. and Rob and just to the right of Gord D.  I could ramble about this forever, it was so incredible!  We took quite a few pictures during the second set, just crossing my fingers that they turn out. I'll know later today, and I"ll try to get any decent ones scanned and posted somewhere.

You've read Livi's description of the backstage scene, so let me just add a few things.  First guy in was Johnny, in a little red touque, always with a big smile on his face, always surrounded by girls :)  He seems to be a really nice guy. When Gord D, came in, he was immediately surrounded by people hovering around him, but as soon as he went to talk to his brother, everyone backed right off, and gave him his time and space. Except for one ignorant woman who insisted on interrupting
him because she just "had to get a picture of him for her nephew". Even after we told her to back off, that he was with his family. Some people! I managed to sneak a couple of pictures, making sure my flash was turned off so as not to be an annoyance.  We were sitting about 10 feet away from him and it was great to watch him talk.  He's a very expressive person, even off stage.  A gentleman, a gentle man. I almost thought i could see a kitten's head poking out of his pocket ;) When I
finally got to meet him, wow, he is so soft spoken and unassuming. What a feeling, hearing my name spoken by his voice.  He was wearing a touque, a jean jacket with a little compass pinned on it (!) and green army type pants.  The very picture of the Artist.  Someone took a picture of us together, which I cannot wait to see!

Just like Livi said, Rob Baker is the nicest guy ever.  He looks *way* younger without the beard - what a baby face!  And he has a beautiful smile too.  I told him I was disappointed that he'd changed out of his leopard skin pants since I'd worn my matching hat for him (I was wearing a leopard cowoboy type hat, hard to explain unless you see it) Brian asked him if they'd be taking a couple of years off after this tour, and Rob just laughed and said "more like a couple of months!" - good news for all of us :)

Didn't talk to Paul, as Livi said, he was with pals, and I somehow missed talking to Gord S as well - he didn't hang around very long and I missed my opportunity. :(

It was definitely a night I will not forget.

s (back@work)

p.s. We spent the next afternoon doing the tourist thing, went to Parliament Hill and had a fairly personal tour (two of us and one other guy) It was really worthwhile, and something I recommend everyone do if they have the opportunity.

That was quite easily among the top 2 or 3 shows I've seen the guys play. Gord was soooo on last night.  Any worries his ranting, disconnected stage presence is waning were put to sleep last night.  He must have ranted through 3/4 of the tunes.  And he threw in some Nick Drake.  Awesome.

I was so happy to get the chance to hear Three Pistols, which as far as I've seen, they haven't played much on this tour.  Sherpa was great too, as was Long Time Running and Boots or Hearts (always been favorites, but hearing them live just brought a new appreciation).  I was a tad disappointed they didn't do Opiated, which I've been craving all tour, and that they scratched Wheat Kings and Freak Turbulence (both were on the setlist).  But I'm still holding out hope I get to hear those tunes in Toronto on the 23rd.

After seeing Chris and Kate open for the boys this summer at St. Denis in Montreal, then play backup at that show and this show, I've come to the opinion that Kate is a very good singer, but she's simply not suited to the Hip's sound like Julie Doiron was, or even Sarah McLachlan.  It was interesting to hear the duet on Flamenco, and hear her throw in a couple verses here and there, but overall, she just doesn't mix in particularly well with the band.  And watching her sing from her stomach is kind of
bizarre ....

And I realized last night that my favorite part of the Hip's live show is during Gift Shop.  The lighting they've had during that song on the last couple tours has been incredible, and when the tempo of the song changes, and the lights change with it ... wow.

I'd say one of the only low lights of the evening was the merchandise (those THC rolling papers were just a stupid cash grab; I was so intrigued when I heard they were selling papers, and then disappointed to see those.)  And what's with the THC thing anyhow??  The Hip Crew ... come on.  It's the name of their security staff, apparently.

The crowd was hit and miss, as has already been stated.  It was pretty lively down around the 14th row on the floor, but we did have our share of squealing BackStreet Boys fans, and drunken shirtless frat dudes.  And watching the lack of enthusiasm from a lot of the people in the middle and upper decks was disappointing.

Overall, a great, great show.

Did anyone tape the show?  Please, please let me know.  I'd give my left arm for a copy.

Neil Faba

Holy  mother of Gord.
From my slightly limited Hip-concert-going experience, I can say that was the best Hip show I have ever been to. From my much wider bootleg-listening experience, I can say that the boys were truly on top of their game, treating the Nationâs Capital to a stellar performance last night.

3 hours after the start of my 4th Hip concert, I was left hoarse, sore, and exhausted. And wanting more. I can begin only imagine how the band felt.

Since I'm still having trouble putting my thoughts in order, I'll just transcribe the notes I took. Yeah, note-taking is lame at a concert, but I'm writing a proper review for SlackerU.com Anyway: here's the set list, with observations, and whatever Gord
quotes I could pick out.

___

Music
Grace
     "We drank terpentine"
     Fancy footwork from Gord
     "Please, Please, Please give me my keys!"
Three Pistols
     Paul dancing
Puttin' Down
     Gord D. on the guitar
Interlude (Chris on the Organ)
Gift Shop
     Smell of weed.
Titanic Terrarium
Fireworks
The Completest
Springtime in Vienna
     New straccato starting - cool!
     Gord w/ his hacky sack
Ahead by a Century
     Synth Drum track?
     Kate vocal flourish
     Organ
     "1986"
     "Pink Moon"! Nick Drake!
100th
     YA!!
     Jam w/ organ
     "C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!"
     "Purple Paint"
     Shorter than usual
     Huge cheer for 'vanity' rap.
Sherpa
     - Rhodes piano
  (sound mix is better)
Nautical Disaster
     big orb lowered, with under-water-like projection
     "I'm so hot under the collar!"
Tiger the Lion
     - Lights like search lights scanning for fighter planes.
     - Green flashes like radar
     Johnny playing drums like machine gun
     "Daily current of the radio waves"

END SET 1

Scared
     New blue shirt (GD)
     KATE sings few verses
     New song? Travellin' salesman -
     "We don't get many visitors up here; hit the road!"
Wild Mountain Honey
Boots or Hearts
     Whole place clapping
     Chris on honky tonk piano
Blow at High Dough
     "TV star"
Lake Fever
     "Can we..?"
     old style ending.
Daredevil
     slow old style start
      - like hiccups!
     New song? 'Saboteur"
     "Nasty 'cause they're in aisle 5. SHHHHH!!! SHHHHH!!! SHHHH!!!
     The saboteur..." repeat.
     Gord S really into it.
Twist my Arm
  (gord sounds exhausted; panting..)
Long Time Running
      "After I'm gone"
      Gord distinctly better singer than Road Apples days.
      Honky Tonk piano from CB
Poets
      "Bring out your dead" - as always
      "Be where I asked you to be!" - the mic?
Flamenco
      Kate: yuck. Gina was right.
      Crowd likes her.
Courage
      "The garage door closes at 7! Can you lemme in? No. No."
Chagrin Falls
      Gord D gets his guitar for jam @ end of song
NOIS
      "Even a priest would say this: If new Orleans is Sinking, than
       I don't wanna swim."
      "My baby she don't know me..." comes before jam?
      FUNKY BASS
      "I have to fine my friend Mr. Balbooey. With his left arm dangling
      Excuse me while I find my friend.
      "When he woke up, he was covered in Coke Fizz." Sloan!
      Short jam.
Fire in the Hole!
      "C'mon out on the front line! Are you with us or not?"
      Robby's hair flying madly
      WOW!
      WOW!!
      CRAZY END JAM!!

ENCORE

Stay
       Kinda lackluaster song to return to.
       Nicely done; better than NYE version.
Little Bones
       SHIT! No INCH! Crowd nuts. Pot smell...
       NICE.
       BLOODY NICE!

___

That ends my notes. They got harder to read as the show went on. Here are some observations: The mix got better as the show went on. The first two songs were muddy as all hell, but by the end of the show the sound was very enjoyable.
Gord was very animated, as were the rest of the band. They really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Itâs also amazing how well they kept the groove going for the whole night - the only time they lost the energy build-up was when 10 minutes encore cheering was met with Stay, a down tempo, lulling song. I would have preferred Inch an Hour. In fact, I was quite upset when I didnât get to hear that song. I was so excited to see it on a few sets this year, and I was hoping to get a chance to hear it live. Oh well, I did get Yawning or Snarling last tour, and Titanic Terrarium this time. There are only so many Oddball DfN songs they can play, eh?

The most Canadian moment of the show: When the whole arena cheered a Molson ad before the show. Just the logo. The whole place cheered. Has our national identity been pared down to a Beer label?

Tiger the Lion was mind-blowingly fantastic. The lighting, with the searchlights and the radar blips, complimented the song in an
indescribable way.

Chris was terrific on the keys. His organ in Gift Shop, and his piano in Long Time Running really impressed me. Iâd like them to keep him forever.
Kate didnât impress me as much, but some of my friends really dug her. I can surely live with her, because she doesnât intrude too much - only on Flamenco and Scared, which have never turned my crank too much.

The crowd was subdued, but thatâs really just an Ottawa thing. The floor was rocking, but the stands were just mellow. And, to be honest, thatâs not really that bad of a thing. A concert can be enjoyed sitting down - itâs easier to observe, relish, and photograph. Itâs easier to linger on little details from a stable perch.
Mind you, I was in a very close seat. If I were up higher, Iâd surely stand to have a better view, and to involve myself more.

Hiccups! Okay, the words werenât there - but the music was! Iâve always enjoyed the Î96 pre-Daredevil jam, so it was exciting to see it revived. I havenât had any time to read about the other concerts - were you all treated to Hiccups jams as well?

I caught the words of two new embryonic songs; Saboteur seems well on the way to being a fully developed song. Travellinâ Salesman is well put-together also. Purple Paint made an appearance (and my singing along with it confused some seatmates), and I was surprised to hear a snippit of Sloan!

Fantastic show. Worth every penny. But I couldnât help but feel that this will be the last time I see them for a while. With their growing families, Gordâs solo pursuits, and their need of a break, I donât foresee another Canadian tour for a few years.

Still high, Sherpa high from the show,
                - Ren -

I agree with the crowd thing too.  I have seen them 4 times in my old abode of Hal-town (Halifax!  woooooo) and the whole place would stand from begining to end.  I have seen them twice here now, and no one even moves! My friend and I were the only ones standing in our section (107, right by the stage.  It rocked!) to dance!  I dunno, Ottawa is too sterile I think. I went to a Leafs game in Nov at the ACC and it was LOUD from beginning to end.  Here, the crowd only cheers when the Casino de Hull fan metre comes on. :)  A Pavlov reference should go right about ....... here.

Anyway, I liked this concert a lot more than the last one. I only wish ARA would come back so I could experience the Hip outdoors..........
-Aaron M.