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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Citing numbers from pollster Numeris, the C-B-C says some 11.7-million Canadians tuned in on television, radio and digital at some point during the almost three-hour broadcast.
“It’s been such a gift that they’ve let us say thank you with this tour”, said Canadian actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley, who saw one of their final shows.
The crowd responded with a chant of “Gordie!”
The band’s lead singer Gord Downie announced his illness in May.
During the performance, Gord acknowledged and praised the 44-year-old politician for his efforts to take action on behalf of Canada’s indigenous people.
It’s usually closed on Saturdays but the Canadian Nightclub was at capacity last night for a live screening of what some fear is The Tragically Hip’s last concert.
Fans ate up every musical morsel, singing along to each track and throwing their hands in the air to emphasize all the right moments.
Viewing parties will be held in Moncton, Fredericton and Halifax to watch the Hip’s final concert. Thomas asked. “When Gord (Downie) talked about the history of First Nations people and said Trudeau’s gotta move forward, I was really grateful for that”.
Downie said on stage: “Well, you know, Prime Minister Trudeau’s got me, his work with First Nations (indigenous people)”.
“They are the ones that show us what hope is really about”, said Brown. It hatches a whopping six singles, including “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan)”, “Locked in the Trunk of a Car” and “Fifty Mission Cap”, and goes on to become the Hip’s biggest and arguably most loved record. It’s maybe worse than it’s ever been.
Tickets for Saturday’s show went for upwards of US$1,000 (S$1,300) on ticket reseller StubHub last Friday.
Downie took other breaks to show his lighter side. The sang, danced, and celebrated a band that unified them as a country.
Downie formed the legendary band with guitarist Rob Baker in 1984. He joked about how they struggled early on, but also how they appreciated the support of their female fans, in particular. Still, he played along and waited for the crowd to cheer him back for three more songs.
Glioblastoma is the most common type of brain cancer in adults and one with an average survival of less than 15 months after diagnosis.
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But instead of mourning or quietly bowing out of music, he and the rest of the band – Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair, Johnny Fay and Paul Langlois – took the chance to launch a final tour to celebrate their nearly 20-year career.
