Canadians are watching the final concert by their rock band The Tragically Hip, whose lead singer and songwriter Gord Downie has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
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Calling it “an unprecedented event”, the CBC reports preliminary audience figures show the concert drew 11.7 million Canadians – or about one-third of the country’s population – with the television broadcast averaging 4 million viewers.
During the almost three-hour broadcast, an average of just over four-million connections were made via TV or online for the entire concert.
Some 11.7 million Canadians tuned in on television, radio and digital at some point during the almost three-hour broadcast, CBC said in a release Sunday night, citing Numeris.
The show allowed people to watch and listen to the last concert of the iconic Canadian band’s Man Machine Poem tour, from the group’s hometown of Kingston, Ont.
While the show was underway, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder offered a moving tribute at a concert in Chicago.
Vedder said he met Downie, who was diagnosed with brain cancer past year, and spent a few days with him while making a recording.
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We’re celebrating The Hip, we’re unfortunately saying goodbye to Gord as [this is] his last big official show, but it’s a moment to remember the soundtrack of our lives.
