Well, it was quite a fantastic show!

Here's the set list (but not in order)

Set 1.

Twist My Arm
Fully Completely
At The Hundredth Meridian
Greasy Jungle
Grace Too ( ... "I'm tragically hip ...")
Nautical Disaster
Gift Shop
Springtime In Vienna
Ahead By A Century
Fireworks
MMAW (opener)
Tiger The Lion
Puttin' Down
The Completists
 

Set 2.

Blow At High Dough
New Orleans Is Sinking
Boot Or Hearts
Long Time Running
Courage (you shoulda heard the ovation after this one!)
Wheat Kings (opened the second set)
Daredevil (one of my personal favourites)
Fire In The Hole (closed out the set, with burning church intro)
Inevitability of Death
Flamenco (Kate!)
Poets
Lake Fever
Stay
Train Overnight

Encore
Bobcaygeon (house went nuts for "that night in etc.")
Fifty Mission Cap (house went nuts.)

-------------------------

They pandered to the Toronto crowd with the two encore numbers, and I thank 'em for that (though they coulda completed the trifecta by throwing in T.O. #4 ... but who am I to quibble after a show like that).

Blow at High Dough, LTR, Courage, Poets, Nautical D, and Tiger were the standouts for me. Oh, and Boots. Nice to see Twist as well. The new stuff sounded good, but not great ... they gotta figure out how to deliver Stay and The Completists to a live audience, 'cause those two songs are excellent, but always seem to fall flat in concerts.

Anyway, it's bed time.

Chris Tanz
==================================================================================
Just got home - to drunk to get into a serious review, but 50 mission was the best i've ever heard the Hip close a concert with.  Maybe it was because we were in Toronto, maybe its because they lulled us into it - but then again, maybe it's because i was drunk.  Regardless, I loved it.
-A. Tully
==================================================================================
Too excited to do much reviewing, but let me just say that I can now die a happy woman, Long Time Running was incredible and At The Hundredth Meridian was amazing.  The whole show blew my mind.  Best Hip show for me to date.
-Kelly
==================================================================================
I just got back.....

two words...

FRICKIN "A"!!!!!!!!!!

By far the best concert outta 5 I've seen them play!!!!!!
-A. Bezaire
==================================================================================
Absolutely amazing show!
HIGHLIGHTS:
The applause after courage.  I thought the roof was coming down!  (I was thinking of greg moore)
Daredevil!
LTR
Flamenco
and of course 50 mission cap! What an ending! Oh ya and the car accident I witnessed outisde the acc after. what a crunch that was!!
-M. McEwen
==================================================================================
Okay, just thought I would post this before I went to school just because I can't hold in about the concert anymore.

Oh my God, what a show.  It was absolutely incredible.  The only think that would have made it better was if I could just hear Gord's rants just a little better.  I could only pick up a few things here and there.  During Dare Devil, I'm not sure if he was saying anything, but the music definetly what is usually played when they do Hiccups.  Again, because of the sound where I was, I couldn't hear everything very clear, but I thought I picked up 'and so obviously we liked the west wind best' at the end of Giftshop (I'm not 100% sure though).  I know for a fact thought he screamed 'the water's on fire, the water's on fire!' after New Orleans, and broke into the Burning Chruch rant before Fire In The Hole.

Highlight of the night had to be after Courage.  Man that was incredible. It was something to look down at the band as they just stood there and watched all of us pouring our hearts out in appriciation.  It was like nothing I had ever seen or heard of before

What a set.  I saw the Detroit set list posted yesterday and got excited on the sheer mention of Everytime You Go.  Unfortunetly, they didn't play it, or Looking for a Place To Happen, but hey, that's why God created the second stop on the tour.

set 1 -
Music/Grace/Fully/Puttin'/Gift/Twist/Springtime/Tiger/Fireworks/Completists (for the avalanche victims in the house)/Meridian  (I'm Stranded?)/Greasy/ABAC/Nautical
set 2 -  Wheat/Train/Boots (Oh man, this is such a better song with the piano!)/Blow/Fever/DD (with the slow jam intro)/Courage/Long Time Running (You're all good Canadians, but do you know this one?  This was a great tune, especially with Chris's piano)/Poets/Flamenco (with Kate taking a few verses)/IOD/Stay/New O (was this a cover or a new tune Gord was singing in the middle?  It sounded familliar.)/Fire (Burning Church)
Enc -  Bob C/Fifty M C

Man, what a show.  Sorry for going on and on, but it deserved it.

Take care, and see you on the 23rd

PB
==================================================================================
Incredible show indeed!  Though while Kate's vocals were great her outfit was...distracting.  Normally all you can watch is Gord but now that there's an attractive woman onstage...

We had great seats (15th row on the left), and I was glad to be surrounded by generally pretty good people (read fans) who were just there to dig the music.  Last two times I went I seemed to get the dweeb crowd whose sole reason for being at a concert is the excuse to get completely wasted and be annoying as hell.  ("Huh?  Oh, there's a band on stage?  Ummm...HIP, HIP, HIP!" - yeesh.)

And some moron threw one of those glowsticks in from halfway up the left side and came close (as I could see it) to nailing Mr. Fay - I'm thinking they should start conducting IQ tests on people buying tickets.

Anyway, great show, decent set (though I'd hoped for Inch An Hour and Three Pistols), and Gord did a great job recovering his dropped hacki sack with his feet.

Sigh - now I wish I hadn't sold my December 23rd tickets!

Larry
==================================================================================
                           They're Hipnotic

                             It's rock and roll heart and soul from
                             Canadian faves

                                By JANE STEVENSON -- Toronto Sun

                             THE TRAGICALLY HIP
                             Air Canada Centre, Toronto
                             Sunday, December 3, 2000
 

                               Talk about your wheatfield soul.

                             Playing on a stage surrounded by what was
                             supposed to be a field of wheat -- but looked
                             more like an odd cardboard set straight out of
                             Hee Haw -- The Tragically Hip returned to
                             Toronto last night to play the first of two shows at
                             the Air Canada Centre.

                             Thankfully, the five-man band from Kingston,
                             Ont., overcame their antiseptic surroundings --
                             isn't wheat supposed to move in the breeze? --
                             with plenty of rock and roll heart and soul.

                             It took a few songs in -- the older, slower-
                             building Springtime In Vienna, and the powerful
                             new tunes Tiger The Lion and The Completists --
                             before the Hip finally kicked into high gear.

                             But it certainly wasn't hard for the group to win
                             over the nearly sold-out crowd, who were on
                             their feet and singing from the opening number,
                             My Music At Work, and stayed that way for the
                             next two-and-a-half hours.

                             This is, after all, a band that remains one of the
                             country's most beloved rock outfits after 15 years
                             and eight albums.

                             They've also been on the road in Canada as of
                             Nov. 15 -- and in the U.S. since June, shortly
                             after releasing their latest album, Music@Work --
                             so last night found them warmed up, sounding
                             tight and building momentum as the evening wore
                             on.

                             Frontman Gord Downie, initially dressed in a suit
                             and tie, was his usual hip-wiggling, leg-raising,
                             stream-of-consciousness self, while the rest of the
                             band -- guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois,
                             bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay --
                             kept their heads down and played in
                             workman-like style.

                             Still, Baker should be singled out for his lead
                             performances on Grace, Too, Wheat Kings,
                             Poets and New Orleans Is Sinking, while
                             Langlois' sweet harmony made Ahead By A
                             Century and Lake Fever that much better.

                             For the first time ever, The Hip are playing
                             without an opening act, although they've
                             strengthened their numbers with touring musicians
                             Chris Brown on keyboards and Kate Fenner on
                             backing vocals, as first witnessed in June when
                             the duo joined the group for a rare show at
                             Massey Hall.

                             The band are also taking a 20-minute intermission
                             between two sets, something they haven't done
                             since the late '80s.

                             They lost a little bit of momentum during the
                             break but regained ground quickly with the rock
                             anthems Blow At High Dough, Courage, Poets
                             and New Orleans Is Sinking.

                             Otherwise, the beefed-up manpower worked
                             particularly well during Brown's extended intro
                             into Gift Shop, or when Fenner joined Langlois,
                             Sinclair and Downie -- who dressed down for the
                             second set in a jean jacket and red long-sleeved
                             T-shirt -- on Tiger The Lion.

                             Fenner's deep voice finally got some
                             well-deserved solo time when she traded verses
                             with Downie during Flamenco, much to the
                             delight of the crowd.

                             And what would a Hip show in a hockey arena
                             be without distinct Canadian references,
                             highlighted by the encore songs Bobcaygeon and
                             Fifty Mission Cap.

                             The Hip's second performance at the ACC
                             doesn't take place until Dec. 23, which will
                             actually be the last show of their Canadian tour.

                             Following that, they'll take some time off for the
                             holidays.

                             Downie also has a much- anticipated solo album
                             and accompanying book of poetry -- both with
                             the working title Coke Machine Glow -- due on
                             March 6.
==================================================================================
Last night was the show all of Ontario had been waiting for since The Evening with series kicked in.... And their was no dissapointment...

Anyone who complained about Chris and Kate being on stage will surely stop once they can see how the sound is filled out ten fold. By the way, Kate received an excellent reception from the crowd... It was very nice to see.

Well, for me, the highlight of the night was not Boots or Hearts, nor Longtime running. It was what happened after they finished playing Courage... The crowd finally all came together and gave the boys an ovation unlike any I had ever heard before.... It was like 15000 people all saying thank you as loud as they could.... It was so overwhelming that Gord D didn't know what to do, he kept trying to start the next song, but the crowd continued to get louder.... It made me proud to be in that arena that night and to everyone who was there I'm sure that will be a treasured memory...

As for the seat I was in, well, it was in the 300 section. Which in itself is not a terrible thing. except if you are underneath one of the overhangs which doesn't allow the sound to penetrate.... that was dissapointing.... But , get ready for this... The guy behind me....

There was a group of kids, and I do mean kids, maybe 17 who spent the entire show either whistling, you know the one at that high pitch which makes your eardrums cringe or screaming spark it up spark it up..... Is this what we have become? I turned around finally and said, you know you have got to shut up.... and his response, you know buddy you are at the wrong concert. Was I at the wrong concert? I don't think I was, I was going to hip shows when this kid was in diapers and it just leaves me to wonder what is going on....

The extended sets are amazing, as older songs pop in I could feel the goose bumps coming and staying...
One of the most wonderful three hours I have ever spent.....

Any comments or replies, email me at juhrig@hotmail.com

Josh
=================================================================================
I read your site all the time.  Great to read the reviews.  Since I have read most of them, I thought I should send my comments from last nights show.

Wow!!!!

After having seen the band 10 times, one would think it might get old after a while.  Not this band!!!  I took three first timers with me, and they were all impressed.

Set list included: Boots or Hearts (cool), Long Time Running (fab), Blow at High Dough (could've sworn the roof blew right off the ACC), Flamenco (Kate is great), Wheat Kings (unbelievable)

Sitting almost at the top of the ACC, and you know what, it was great. The sound and sight lines in that place are great, even from the nosebleeding section.  The crowd was kind of subdued at times, but everyone was moving one way or the other and really enjoying the show.

Most impressive things of the night were:

1> Johnny. I do not remember being drawn into watching him for long stretches like I was last night.  He seemed to be so on!!!
2> Wheat Kings
3> Boots or Hearts
4> Lighting.  I never remember such a great use of lighting by the band.

Most unimpressive things:

1> Being horked on by someone above us in the private boxes
2> New Orleans is sinking. I have read a lot about New Orleans is Sinking on this tour, and you know what, I would not have missed it.  Just seems like another song now, not the ranting highlight of the past.  Replaced with Penguin or Escape, or 3 pistols would've been just as good or better.
3> Being drenched with beer from above... (at least it was only beer)
4> the encore - they needed to add another 1 or 2.. 2 song encores are OK if you are doing more than 1 encore.

Hope to see them again in 20 days.......
 

H-Bear
==================================================================================
Here's justa  few more thougths I had from the Toronto show last night:

1)like I said in an earlier post, outta of the 5 shows I seen them play, probably the best show I've seen yet, and by far the best setlist I've seen, that's for sure.

2)Where I was sitting Sect 118, row 17, for the first set, Row 1 for the second (my girlfriends sister in law was there so we sat down there)..my seats were prime which made the show even better

3)Back to my sect., 118 was probably THE WORST fan section in the entire place. My 3 budddies and I were the only ones on our feet from beginning to end...nobody, I mean nobody around us was on their feet until at leats Blow at high dough during the second set..it was pathetic. Every other sect for the most part were standing ecept maybe 20 or 30 people in my sect in was unreal.

4) Sitting in general!!!!!! What the hell is that all about. There were a few people standing up a couple rows down from me, and I saw this older man, about 55 (looked like some executive or something) call an usher over and was pointing out to the people standing up, and the usher went over and told the people to sit down!!!!!!! What the HELL is this all about. I don't pay 45 bucks to go to a rock concert and have some stuck up old man tell me to sit down!!!! I'm sorry buddy but the Barry Manilow concert is tommorrow next!!! Also I saw a few people who just sat throughout the concert, with there hand bewteen there knees the whole time looking like they didn;t wnat to be there....what a waste, i'm sure there are people dying to be at this
concert and this people are there and could care less.

5)The ovation the hip recieved after Courgae I beleive...wow.....just gave ya chills. It must have been about 2 minutes long. Long and loud. It was amazing.

6)By far the coolest thing I've ever seen. Across the aisle a bit, there was this couple, there by themselves, who must have been at LEAST 75 years old!!!! I though that was so cool. The lady was singing along havin a great time, I didn;t see this but I guess when Boots or Hearts came on the couple stood up and were dancing!!! How cool is that????

7)A couple of rows down from me there wre a couple of guys about 19..they were taping. They had the huge tall stand set up. So if anybody knows these two guys who were in sect 118. Let everyone know, b/c this concert is a must for any bootleg collection.

8)Finally, the band, the crowd (except Sect 118) needs a big thanks for making it such a fantastic concert.

Sorry for makin it so long....
"this is for any avalanche victims in the crowd"-Gord D. intro to The
Completist

Al
==================================================================================
After finding out the ZONE thing was a no go and MIX 99.9 had a monopoly on the Tix we were semi-crushed!
Result - Tix at the door on the railing in the ACC restaurant... exactly centre stage at the far end ???? Kind of cool but really in all honesty the furthest I've ever been from the stage in 8yrs of touring with the HIP! Hey I'm up for new experiences???
Before the show Paul L. walks out of a door from behind us and walks right towards us beginning to go down the stairs.... we say hey Paul...  he returns a Hello and rubs his thumb & fingers together like Nice seats!!! I answered quickly....no only $35 .... Really ...he replies... enjoy the show with a smile he says and continues on downstairs!

My buddy had a friend working in the Platinums down 1 sec from the stage and after a few kick ass openers...He appeared to tell us during 100th he had 5 seats for us 4th row only 1 sec form stage!! WOW.... Can they do TIGER again I said this is more like it.....I guess I was pretending to enjoy it waaaaaaay up there!! LOL

Tiger - mmmmmm
Blow at High Dough - roof off!
Boots - 1st time live
Lake Fever - love the vocal harmonies
Long Time - keyboards - steel guitar
Daredevil - intro - Paul leaning into it!
50 mission - riviling Hersey centre- Mississauga

Overall the TIMING from the Band as a whole was quite spectacular ! I see a significant difference from the 1st show which I saw in Rochester. Definetly one of the better shows I've seen overall from my napsack of shows!

Call it what you want but I felt I was at a greatest hits concert & I loved it!!!

I have 3rd row centre for Sudbury & will be going into the ZONE since they are having one.... So anyone need good seats... email me & I'll give you my cell number so we can meet...!!

Let's Stay Engaged

Jeffro
=================================================================================
how about lookin' up at the stanley cup banner for the year 1962 while you hear "they didn't win another until 1962" ....the best ACC Hip show I have been to yet ...and that includes the NYE NYD shows....the entire place belting out Courage as GD just stands and smiles....Long Time with the excellent layer of keyboards....Boots better that the last time I heard at Rochester Dome in 1998 .. more acoustic..Train Overnight with the extra acoustic guitar layer....did you catch the back spin on the record sound during Tiger..and there seemed to be alot more lighting focused on JF during this tune....yes... Daredevil very nice highlight with the extended intro...( not so sure about that being Hiccups though ).....IOD...was  well ..... Terrys gift......got to love the "thought you beat the death of ..." rocked the whole bottom end was very heavy....GD came out dressed for work.... jacket off in 4 ....red shirt after the break...Poets just rocked ...I sort of forgot all it unitl the intro....got to love this band...Blow
was great...I ani't no TV star was the alternate line ...and the Ann Margaret thing...Gift shop so nice it made me recall the first time I heard it...I had to pull over and just let it happen.....BobC and 50MC back to back to close...could it get any better than that...the sound has tightened up ALOT since Philly Washington Rochester I&I Massey Hall days....I guess I will have to find out a little more on how tight tomorrow in Sudbury...Greasy Jungle with the City Dark line sung about 6 times over the fading guitars ....did anyone check out the 5 pack of limited edition tour playbills...framable and worth the 20 bucks for sure...there is one for each part of the winter tour...North Western bill has a welder with mask flipped down arc welding on a record ....cool
-Todd
=================================================================================
The snow is blowing outside and there's a 40 car pile up on the QEW to Hamilton, but I'm sitting here happily in my new red hockey jersey (which is enormous on me even though it is size small).  Here's my rambling on the show in TO Sunday night:

1. Incredible set list!  Great long sets!  I won't post the setlist, as it's already been done, but what a fantastic spread of their repertoire: some of the really well known hits, some older material not heard in a long time, great songs off the new CD -- and to end with 50 Mission Cap!

2. M@W songs have come into their own live:  IMHO, the tracks from M@W sound great in concert.  This is not a surprise with My M@W, but Lake Fever, Stay, Train Overnight all had a nice full sound, good groove and energy.  Over the last few months, I waffled between liking and getting tired of Tiger the Lion on the CD, but it really was impressive live.  I guess you just need to feel that thumping in your chest to remember how to appreciate it...

3.  Kate & Chris:  I was really impressed with how much they fill out the sound.  I went in not being sure if I'd like them there, after reading the various posts over the summer re: whether they were too intrusive, or distracting from the guys, or whether it was too much to see Kate trading lines with Gord in Flamenco.  After this concert, I'd say I really liked what they added, and Kate's duet on Flamenco was sweet.  I don't think I'd want to see them as a permanent addition (and from what I can tell in the interviews, they won't be), but I really liked what they did.  Chris' keyboards added a new, fresh dimension to the tunes.

4.  "Interesting" stage backdrop and lights:  OK, when I first saw the ochre backdrop, that looked sort of like one end of a cycling track with a road painted on it, I thought:  "What *is* that?"  It reminded me of those old Hot Wheels plastic orange tracks...  Not at all ugly, but definitely puzzling.  Then I read the article on Canoe and found out it was supposed to be a field of wheat.  Alright then, that explained the feathery painted brush strokes on the side.    Otherwise, I really liked the screen that came down on a few songs like Nautical, it sort of looked like a round native drum or trampoline.  The blue & green lights on some of the songs were really beautiful, and one of the songs (I don't remember which) had a light pattern shining on the backdrop which looked a lot like Earth from space.  Very nice.

5. Sound could have been better:  nothing can ever be perfect, and the fabulous set list was offset by slight sound issues.  Gord seemed be really focusing on the music and did not rant much -- but when he did, you could not make out anything he was saying, it came out as a giant mumble.  Maybe it was just Gord mumbling, but I think it was the sound. Meanwhile, his singing was superb all evening.  Rob Baker was also amazing all evening, but it was too bad that it his guitar was hard to hear on some songs, including NOIS of all things!  Maybe it was our seats (Sec 107).

6.  Empathy:  Remember those posts a few months back about those of you who are guys lamenting the women you bring to Hip concerts who don't appreciate it fully?  In front of me was a couple that was clearly a Hip-loving guy who had brought his girlfriend on a date.  They were both standing and he looked like he really wanted to get into the music, but she looked, well, bored, and was not really even looking at the stage. This continued for a good part of the night, and by the end she was at least looking at the stage.  I felt sort of sad for him (he couldn't fully enjoy himself) and for her (she has no idea what she's missing).
May none of you guys ever have any more dates like this, and may you all find Hip-loving women!

All in all, I had a great time at the concert and cannot wait until the guys come back to TO on Dec 23 (I got floor seats for the 1st time! I hope I can see....).

J.
=================================================================================
Always enjoyed listening to the Hip, but never got out to a show..... until Sunday night.  All I can say is, what the f--k have I been waiting for all these years.  A truly outstanding performance, and I've seen many, many bands over the years.
I had scored a ticket in the 15th row a few weeks after the initial onsale.  Day of the show I happen to be messing around on the net and decide to check out tickets available on TM website, and what comes up but a single in Row 1, almost dead centre.  Of course I bought it and sold my spare for face outside the ACC.  People on either side of me also got their tickets day of the show.  Has the Hip always released great seats like this to thwart scalpers?  I was very happy for the upgrade.  Got there thinking I was right in front of the stage, but they had 3 rows setup in front of a barrier for the Mix 99.9 contest winners --oh well, wasn't going to complain with 4th row.
Anyway, I really was impressed with how much energy and effort every member of the band put into the performance.  They definitely care about their music and ensuring they give 110%+ for their fans.
Enjoyed the show so much, I might try to head in for the show on the 23rd.

Paul.
=================================================================================
I've talked about the Tragically Hip several times
                                       on my page, and I've mentioned before that their
                                       Day for Night album is probably my favorite
                                       recording by them. Very few people agree with me
                                       on this... Road Apples seems to be preferred by
                                       fans of their earlier music, while Phantom Power is
                                       generally considered to be their finest from the
                                       past few years.

                                       And yet, when I watched the Hip play at the Air
                                       Canada Centre in Toronto on December 3, the
                                       majority of their setlist consisted of songs from
                                       Day for Night. They must have known I was there,
                                       or something.

                                       After a day of walking around the city, I hopped on
                                       the subway and got to the arena around 6:30PM.
                                       There were a few die-hard fans, no doubt hoping to
                                       see someone - anyone - cool come along, and I
                                       joined them in standing around as the lobby filled
                                       up. The doors opened about 45 minutes before
                                       showtime, and we found our seats. We were a little
                                       high up in the stands, but the angle was decent, so
                                       we had a good view.

                                       Then the band came onstage. The crowd was
                                       noisy, even if the stadium wasn't quite full yet, and
                                       the Hip started things off with "Music at Work", a
                                       suitable opener. I couldn't sit still any longer and
                                       had to stand at this point, but most of the crowd
                                       would remain seated for nearly the whole show,
                                       which was to be predicted, I suppose. Give
                                       someone a chair and they'll sit in it, regardless of
                                       what's going on around them.

                                       "Grace, Too" was fantastic... a staple of their live
                                       show, the band had me in the palm of their hand
                                       with this one. "Fully Completely" was next, and
                                       then "Trickle Down", a fantastic little number from
                                       their early days. Soon we arrived at "Springtime in
                                       Vienna", which I had never had any feelings for
                                       until I saw it performed years ago at the last
                                       Another Roadside Attraction show. It's a grand
                                       arena-rock type of song... sort of quiet, until you
                                       reach the chorus, where all hell breaks loose. "We
                                       live to survive our paradoxes" may not mean much
                                       to me, but it's a great thing to sing along to.

                                       The band's heaviest song, "Tiger the Lion" came
                                       next, and to my surprise, it was fairly well
                                       received... it's definitely a song you need to catch
                                       live to really dig. And soon we were on to "At the
                                       100th Meridian", the first song to make me think
                                       of someone else; Jody and I had a particularly
                                       inspired lunch hour in school one day, singing the
                                       whole thing at the top of our lungs for no obvious
                                       reason. What fun.

                                       And Jody came to mind again during "Greasy
                                       Jungle", as the line "sandwiches and coffee"
                                       reminded me of the fact that he and Jennifer seem
                                       to enjoy that line more than any other, for some
                                       reason. The set closed with another gem from Day
                                       for Night, "Nautical Disaster". I didn't really get that
                                       song at first, but the imagery grabbed me, and
                                       nowadays I consider it to be one of the Hip's best.

                                       The band took an intermission next, and we all sat
                                       down again. Although I thought the intermission
                                       would break up the band's momentum, it was nice
                                       to catch my breath, and then the Hip knocked it
                                       right out of me again when they brought out
                                       "Wheat Kings" to start the second set. A simply
                                       gorgeous song, it's one of those overlooked
                                       classics that defines the Hip; never a single, it's
                                       still one of their best. The same can be said for
                                       "Boots or Hearts", which delighted me to no end,
                                       and then the place went mental for "Blow at High
                                       Dough". I don't know if I've ever heard a louder
                                       ovation in my life.

                                       "Lake Fever" and "Putting Down" were next, the
                                       one-two punch from the latest CD, though I don't
                                       believe they fulfilled their potential in the live
                                       setting. But "Courage" was flawless, and it led into
                                       "Long Time Running", another moment that
                                       reminded me that Jennifer wasn't there to enjoy
                                       the show with me. She won't get away with that
                                       next time.

                                       "Poets" kicked ass, to be quite blunt, and then the
                                       band brought out their secret weapon: "Flamenco",
                                       another sleeper on record that took new life in the
                                       stadium. I have a live version of that song from
                                       the benefit for Leonard Peltier disc from a while
                                       back, but I would gladly trade that in for a copy of
                                       the rendition from this concert.

                                       "New Orleans is Sinking" inspired the greasy 80's
                                       rock guy in front of us to get up and play some air
                                       guitar in his Bossman hat, and "Fire in the Hole"
                                       closed the second set in a loud and energetic way.
                                       The encore was predictable, but highly satisfying:
                                       "Bobcaygeon" was a big old sing-along, especially
                                       when the line "that night in Toronto" came along,
                                       and "Fifty Mission Cap" was an unbelieveable
                                       grand finale, its tale making me a Leafs fan (if
                                       only for a moment - go Habs go) as I looked up to
                                       pay my respect to two Stanley Cup banners, 1951
                                       and 1962, hanging from the rafters. The song was
                                       never more vivid than it was this night.

                                       All in all, this was a fantastic show. The newer fans
                                       were alienated this night, no doubt, but they can
                                       make it up next time; I don't think the Hip will do
                                       a tour quite like this for a while, if ever. Their older
                                       music retains the urgency it no doubt had when it
                                       was first played live, and it must have felt good to
                                       bring those songs out one more time. My only
                                       regret is that they didn't play another set - Thugs,
                                       Something On, Cordelia, 38 Years Old, Escape is at
                                       Hand for the Travelling Man, Locked in the Trunk
                                       of a Car, Pigeon Camera, Don't Wake Daddy, Little
                                       Bones, Inch an Hour, and even Last American Exit
                                       would have been a treat. No complaints, though. It
                                       was an incredible night, and I don't think I'll ever
                                       forget it.
                                       -Dan