Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canadians gathered on August 20 to say farewell to the band The Tragically Hip and its lead singer Gord Downie, also known as the country’s unofficial poet laureate, who is sadly dying.
Advertisement
The final show in the Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem tour in Kingston was broadcast live by the CBC.
The Hip returned to the city where their storied musical journey began in the early 1980s.
Gord put on a characteristically energetic performance throughout the 30-song set – including three encores – despite having been diagnosed with a glioblastoma, the most aggressive cancerous brain tumor. ‘Gord and the Tragically Hip are an inevitable and essential part of what we are and who we are as a country. And what’s going on up there ain’t good.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has said Downie had “been writing Canada’s soundtrack for more than 30 years”, attended.
It was one of countless moments throughout the sweltering evening when Downie seemed to feed off the energy and gratitude of his emotional fans, who often fought back tears.
Wearing a black band T-shirt and denim jacket, the Prime Minster told CBC “there’s so much to celebrate tonight, there’s mixed feelings for sure”.
“The Hip”, as they are called in Canada, is a blues and rock band that is close to the Canadian’s heart as they songs about living in Canada became national anthems.
On Saturday, the Prime Minister’s official photographer tweeted a photo of himself and Gord embracing before the show.
Downie, known for his frenetic stage presence and telling long stories in the middle of songs, has maintained his pace during the tour, clad in custom-made bright metallic suits.
The band got into the hits with “Courage (For Hugh McLennan)”, “At the Hundredth Meridian”, and “Wheat Kings” among others.
Tens of thousands of fans packed venues, from the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston to hundreds of live simulcasts across the country and beyond, and watched lead singer Gord Downie take a bow, capping off an unparalleled career of showmanship armed with skill and determination and grace, too.
The Hip then segued into songs from their latest album, “Man Machine Poem”, before running through tracks from “Music @ Work”, “Road Apples”, “Phantom Power”, “Up To Here”, “Day For Night” and “Trouble at the Henhouse”.
“Thanks for pushing me!” he said.
Advertisement
They then hugged, stood arm-in-arm as the crowd roared – and walked off-stage for good.
