The crowd was only about 60% there when the show started... people trickled in through the opening set. I guess maybe they didn't realize there was no opening band? The place was packed for the 2nd half of the show, though.
I've been reading in the reviews of this tour how little interaction there is between the band members during a show. I was sitting in row 2 last night, and it is fun to see how much they do actually interact. Bobby and Paul play off of each other non stop, Kate watching Gord for cues and lead ins, even Gord S. talking with Kate after the end of Flamenco.
All things considered, this was probably the best concert I've ever seen (and I've been to a few!) I spoke with someone who knows a taper at the show. I'm not sure they got all of the show, but whatever they managed to get recorded I'll make available when I get it.
Red Deer moment: this morning I read the review of the concert in the
Red Deer Advocate, a glowing piece praising the show and the new album.
Downside? The writer continually referred to the album/tour as Men@Work.
The jokes just write themselves, don't they?
==================================================================================
Well, I think the people I went to Red Deer with are all passed out
on their respective beds, so here goes... We (Brian and I) get into Red
Deer from Calgary at about 2. A quick trip to Safeway for some non-perishable
food and we were set to not win Workplace tickets. (I had become completely
zen about the whole thing after trying in vane for Edmonton and Calgary.)
Anyway, we did end up getting Workplace tickets when we stumbled across
the Z99 van and followed it to the secret location by some fluke. We decided
not to tell Bryon (from the list), Kevin, Ren, and Alex that we had won
tickets and would surprise two of them when they got there. We told them
to be there at 6:30 but they decided to stop at Burger King (ewwwwww!!)
for an hour so their tickets almost went to someone else. Anyway, Alex
drew the long stick and Bryon got to go because he was the biggest fan
other than Brian and I, so the four of us went to the Zone. (I should note,
by the way, that Ren and Kevin were left in row 2, so it's not like we
totally abandoned them.) We had one extra row 2 ticket because Brian's
friend Nick couldn't come, so I went searching and gave it away to a random
guy sitting in the nosebleeds. He didn't seem to believe it. Hopefully
he enjoyed the show. Anyway, Brian, Bryon, Alex and I were pressed right
against the stage on the left hand side. I was right in front of Gord and
his sweat was dripping on the stage in front of me. THAT's close. I took
pictures. Don't know how they'll turn out but if they're good, I'll post
the URL. The show was amazing, once again, but not as good as Calgary.
(Brian disagrees, but he can post his own review if he wants.) Gord wasn't
as animated, but the band seemed to be in good spirits; smiling and exchanging
glances. The crowd got significantly more obnoxious after the first intermission.
Let's Stay Engaged was a good surprise... very mellow. (Which the crowd
SO needed by that point.) Inch An Hour, Membership, The Luxury, Long Time
Running, Twist My Arm, Sharks, and Flamenco were all very well done. The
whole first half of the second set was amazing. Wild Mountain Honey...
wow. I love the strobe on Johnny's drum kit at the end of Tiger The Lion.
I know I said it before, but the lighting on this tour is awesome. The
Centrium seemed pretty empty, but I don't know for sure what percentage
was left unsold. By the time the second set started, the Workplace areas
had gotten pretty obnoxious and people were using their fists and bodies
to force people out of the way. At the end of the show, Johnny handed out
his sticks in mine and Alex's
general direction, and I got punched in the head and body by three
people and pushed under the stage because (gasp!!) the drumsticks were
near my hands. The guy who pushed me under the stage and punched my head
once and my back once ended up getting the sticks and then screamed "Johnny
handed me his drumsticks!!" Way to distort reality, buddy. (He was wearing
a Pearl Jam shirt. <sigh> I'm doubly embarassed.) All in all, though,
my Hip trip was great. Three shows in 4 days. Many songs I'd never heard
live before, and even more songs I had heard before but loved hearing again.
I'm torn between being pissed off at the assholes who punched and pushed
me (throughout the concert, not just at the end) and just loving the music
so much I put up with it. So far it'll be the latter.
Oh! I thought people on the list said Chris and Kate were married? I saw an interview with them on A Channel in Calgary and they said they hadn't even dated each other for a long time.
Erin
PS-About the Edmonton show: I know people need to rest, but my point
was that a good portion of the crowd had NO enthusiasm whatsoever. A lot
of people around me looked bored. And a lot of people on the floor were
not moving at all.
==================================================================================
Some a little late for Music @ Work show
Penny Caster
Review
11/25/00
When you’ve got a song list as long as the Tragically Hip has after 15
years and eight albums, why not do the whole show without an opening
act?
The Music @ Work tour hit Red Deer’s Centrium Friday night and about
4,500 shouting, stomping, dancing fans clearly agreed you can’t do much
better than take in 2 1/2 solid hours of the group’s music.
The show started promptly at 8 p.m. and the lights went dark on cue as
the band struck up My Music At Work from the new album.
That was doubtless to the surprise of the hundreds of people either still
straggling to their seats or not even in the Centrium by then.
At that point, the Centrium looked pretty empty, but by the time the lights
went up for intermission, a lot more folks had arrived.
Maybe the slowpokes thought there was an opening act or perhaps they’re
living in the past when you could cruise up to a Red Deer venue with mere
minutes to spare and not miss anything.
Ah well. They know now.
Men @ Work is a pretty appropriate album title for this band, founded in
Kingston, Ont. They are a hard-working bunch, and they take their music
seriously.
That shows on stage.
There’s next to no interaction between the musicians doubtless because
they’ve played together so long the rapport is just there.
There’s no kibitzing with the audience, either, or long-winded chats
between numbers because the lead singer is trying to save his or her
voice.
Downie just gets up there and knocks himself out the entire show.
He said maybe a sentence all night, (“thank you, it’s a pleasure to be
here,”) and said the name of the odd song.
All of which was just fine with the fans. They came to hear the music live
and they did.
There were tunes from the earlier albums and from the new one, like the
quirky and catchy Tiger the Lion and the rockin’ Putting Down, all rife
with
Downie’s trademark obscure lyrics.
Like, “Held a bird’s egg between her breasts there’s reasons for the road,
I guess, to document the indigenous, to paint and sketch, paint and
sketch. I’m starting to fail to be impressed.” That’s from Putting Down.
Sometimes the words are wryly witty, like “Sharks don’t attack the Irish,
it’s
mostly Australians,” from Sharks, also on Men @ Work and which was
played Friday night.
You can make of Downie’s words what you will, some are clear some are
far from it.
But whichever, there are some phrases that are total nuggets, the man is
a poet, no doubt about it.
Take “Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies,” for example, the first line
of
Wheat Kings, the song the band opened the second half of the show with.
Other tunes covered during the marathon concert included Bobcaygeon,
Save the Planet, Twist My Arm, Hundredth Meridian, Ahead by a Century,
Fully Completely, The Completists, Grace, Too, and Nautical Disaster.
As well as the usual roster of Downie, Rob Baker and Paul Langlois on
guitar, Gord Sinclair on bass and Johnny Fay on drums, the Hip has added
backup singer Kate Fenner and keyboardist Chris Brown for this tour, a
welcome addition that adds another dimension to the music.
Fenner’s vocals were a noticeable and excellent addition.
Considering the amount of beer that was flowing, this was a pretty cool
crowd, there to enjoy their music and have a good time.
And they did.
Penny Caster