The CBC’s broadcast of the Hip’s Kingston concert was shown on big screens in Garden Square, Streetsville Village Square, and at Shore Grill & Grotto in Port Credit, to the delight of the crowds that gathered to watch.
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“No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples”, wrote Trudeau in the letters. The Tragically Hip mixed fan favourites, newer songs and some politics on Saturday night during the final show of their “Man Machine Poem” tour.
However, that did not disappoint the hundreds of fans sitting on the grass to listen to Hip front-man Downie belt out the lyrics fans have grown accustom to – including Nautical Disaster, New Orleans Is Sinking and Bobcaygeon before ending with Ahead by a Century.
Thousands attend a public viewing of the The Tragically Hip’s final concert in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016.
Downie, who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in December, 2015, has been on the road for the past month on the band’s final tour.
“Thank you to the prime minister for coming to our show, it really means a lot to all of us”, said Downie, who was pictured by Trudeau’s photographer before the concert embracing the prime minister.
He also tweeted a picture of himself adding to a wall of messages for “Canada’s band”, and a shot with singer Downie simply captioned, “Thank you, Gord #courage”. “It’s going to take us 100 years to figure out what the hell went on up there, but it isn’t cool and everybody knows that”.
“There’s something going on up north of the border tonight, and it involves somebody that we can say is a family member. and I just want to send them our energy. and wish the best to Mr. Gord Downie”.
“He’s going to be looking good for about at least 12 more years. But he’ll do it”, Downie told concertgoers between songs.
“Well, you know, Prime Minister Trudeau’s got me, his work with First Nations”.
Trudeau reminisced in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. about how he enjoyed the band’s music during high school and college, and said the band remains uniquely Canadian. The group is one of the country’s most celebrated rock bands, with more than a dozen Juno Awards to its name, and was recently celebrated on a Canadian postage stamp alongside other beloved rock bands like The Guess Who and Rush.
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Despite being diagnosed with the most aggressive cancerous brain tumour, the singer was in good form.
