The tour continues and so does my good fortune

Can't tell you all of the stories yet, but I'll give you some important info about tonight in Calgary...Got Paul's Setlist, and it has little notes for what guitar he has to play for various songs and where he has the capo on Good life!!! Very sweet...Got Sam Roberts setlist again...Everyone is starting to recognize me as that was three shows ina row and I keep wearing my personally made tour shirt (you have to see it, I'll send a pic). Here is the setlist for tonight's show, it was AMAZING (best show of the three I have seen by a MILE)

Use it up
Music @ Work
New Orleans
Grace 2                         Starting here
Escape (sweet huh)         /
Bobcaygeon                   /
Nautical                         /
All Tore Up                  To here, best 5 song run I have ever seen
Fireworks
Good Life
Meridian
Springtime
Dark Canuck
Poets
Locked
Silver Jet
Blow

Encore

Long Time Running (So Good)
Freak Turbulence (Very good)
Fire in the Hole

Like I said so good, the guys were so on tonight and full of juice...Gord S was jumping around and dancing like I have never seen him do before, Gord was in full rant mode and Bobby was killin...What a show...Like I said when I get the chance I'll sit down and post everything about the 5 shows including the conversations we had with the boys and I'll send lots of pics too

Until later
-Jesse



Gord "John Travolta" Downie!!!!
What a show!! It's Monday Night at 11:30pm
Just got in the Door here's a quick recap .....

                                         Use
                                         Music New O
                                         Escape!!!
                                         Um.....
                                         Nautical
                                         Locked
                                         Dire Wolf
                                         Bobcaygeon
                                         Weaken

Gord was animated!! He did this clock move followed by a pose that was reminacent of John Travolta a la Saturday Night Fever THe band was awesome!

                                         Encore was:
                                         Longtime Running
                                         Freak Turbulance
                                         and Fire in the Hole
don't quote me, but this is from memory. The Back stage lighting was all "stars" it was amazing. Talk to a gentleman who video taped the show, said he was attending every show. More of a review and Pictures will be posted on my website soon.
Thanks. It was electrifying.
-MtnHip



                                                       Light still shines on The Hip

                                                                                By MIKE BELL
                                                                                    Calgary Sun

                                                       THE TRAGICALLY HIP
                                                       Jubilee, Calgary
                                                       Monday, September 23, 2002
 

                                                         CALGARY -- What happens when the biggest band in Canada
                                                       gets too big?

                                                       It goes small.

                                                       That's a brief explanation of The Tragically Hip's current tour
                                                       which brought the band to town last night for the first of two
                                                       sold-out Jubilee shows.

                                                       The soft-seat, cross-Canada tour is a way for the band to
                                                       reconnect with fans who may have become disenchanted with
                                                       the distance bigness can bring.

                                                       It's a smart step on the part of the Kingston quintet.

                                                       The last time The Hip played Calgary in support of 2000's
                                                       Music@Work, the hugeness of the Saddledome helped kill a great
                                                       deal of the electricity the group prides itself on creating.

                                                       Even that tour's kickoff a few nights earlier in Vancouver, while
                                                       marginally better, was only half successful at bridging the gap.

                                                       Which brings us to last night.

                                                       Were they connected? And how.

                                                       The Hip bridged the meagre distance from band to back of room
                                                       right from the opening track Use It Up, from their latest release
                                                       In Violet Light. A lacklustre song from a mediocre album was
                                                       infused with an impressive amount of energy that would only
                                                       give way to more.

                                                       "Music that can take you away," Gord Downie (aka Mr.
                                                       Mumbles) sang on that opener. By the second track, My Music
                                                       At Work, that statement seemed apt. And by the third song,
                                                       New Orleans is Sinking -- only The Hip could offer that so early
                                                       and still have so much more -- it was a guarantee paid in full.

                                                       If you see The Tragically Hip, this is how they should be seen.
                                                       On stage, up close, you can see every tick on Downie's face, you
                                                       can hear every note and vocal sung and, most importantly, you
                                                       can feel the power of a rock band that's been together for almost
                                                       two decades.

                                                       Even the slower or lesser-known tracks weren't a stumbling block
                                                       as they were in the 'Dome -- you can't get bored when the band is
                                                       so up inside you. Instead, those tracks just seemed to give some
                                                       ebb and flow to the evening and add some extra depth.

                                                       About the only thing missing from the band was that sense of
                                                       looseness, that anything-can-happen feeling normally associated
                                                       with a smaller venue.

                                                       There was no interaction between the four musicians spread
                                                       across the stage and even less with the audience. A minor
                                                       complaint, really, especially when you are a part of the energy
                                                       and alive with the electricity that made last night one Hip fans,
                                                       casual or maniacal, will remember forever.

                                                       No matter how well The Hip may or may not perform on any
                                                       given night, there is one thing that remains consistent about its
                                                       live shows -- great taste in opening acts.

                                                       By Divine Right, Sarah Harmer, the Rheostatics -- The Hip isn't
                                                       afraid to throw on stage some cool Canadian talent that, during a
                                                       good show, has the ability to blow it away.

                                                       You'd think more of the band's fans would know this because by
                                                       the time Canuck pop-rock bright light Sam Roberts and his band
                                                       took the stage, there was an unfortunate amount of empty seats.
 

                                                       Hopefully, it's not something that will be repeated tonight
                                                       because Roberts and his four bandmates put on an unbelievable
                                                       opening set.

                                                       It's the only time I can recall a warmup act receiving a standing
                                                       ovation when it was through.

                                                       Part Oasis, part Kinks, part Rolling Stones, the too-short,
                                                       45-minute set was all melodic rock 'n' roll.

                                                       Most of the credit has to go to Roberts, an incredibly enigmatic
                                                       performer who is the perfect mix of swagger and nice guy
                                                       likability.

                                                       As talent scouts go, The Hip is still batting a thousand.



Last night's show was great!

Here's the setlist in order:

Use it Up
MM@W
NOIS
Grace
Escape is at Hand...  (my favourite of the night)
Bobcaygeon
Nautical
All Tore Up
Fireworks
It's a Good Life...
100th Meridian
Springtime in Vienna
Dark Canuck (wow!)
Poets
Locked in the Trunk of a Car
Silver Jet
Blow at High Dough

Encore
Long Time Running (On. On. On.)
Freak Turbulence
Fire in the Hole
 

Their slower songs ruled the show, IMHO. Escape gave me chills (as usual) and really brought me into the show... for some reason, I wasn't into it as much as usual until that point. Good Life, BobC and Springtime all sounded great. Springtime's not my favourite Hip song at all - if they didn't play it at a show, I wouldn't care (just my opinion - I know a lot of people really like that song!), but I really enjoyed it last night.  And LTR...oooooh, baby.  Sweet.  It was a nice surprise.
I knew it had been played elsewhere, but for some reason I wasn't expecting it last night. Special mention has to go to The Dark Canuck - it rocks as a live song. I was curious to see which new songs they'd play and of course how they'd sound, and this one did not disappoint.

Looking forward to tonight... Anyone else from the newsgroup going?

K.



Go back to reviews page