The Last Stand of a Great Band, The Tragically Hip

As I sit here listening, writing and well, not doing school work, I can’t help but feel chills down my spine and a general sense of melancholy. Though this is the emotion usually provoked by the Tragically Hip, it is felt doubly now. For those of you who haven’t heard yet, Gord Downie, lead singer and songwriter of the best and undoubtedly most Canadian band of all time, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.

The man was the force behind genre defining hits like: “New Orleans is Sinking”, “38 Years Old”, “Nautical Disaster” and “Locked in the Trunk of a Car”, as well as awesome songs regarding our home land: “Wheat Kings”, “50 Mission Cap”, “Bobcaygeon”, and “At the Hundredth Meridian”. Gord was diagnosed in December and has been fighting a tough battle ever since. The band broke the news to the public on May 24^th along with the announcement of one final tour, as they stated themselves they’re “going to dig deep, and try to make this our best tour yet.” After 30 years together this isn’t just a statement – this is a promise. With 4 nights to be spent in Toronto alone, this is bound to be one of the greatest Canadian rock history moments of all time. Not only will it be an emotional journey for the band, but for the audience as well. There are many of us young and old who grew up with the Hip guiding our musical taste, as well as enjoying their antics. So, with this being the final time we can see them all together, this is bound to be something too big to miss and too big to forget.

With tickets on sale already and the presale tickets already all picked up in minutes, many are upset with Ticketmaster for allowing scalpers and bots to pick up vast amounts of tickets rapidly for resale at a ridiculous markup for what is obviously a once in a lifetime concert.

Overall this is going to be a big hit to Canadian music culture. One of the last great Canadian rock bands will never be the same. The group that played the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and in the same year played for Queen Elizabeth, shared the stage with Midnight Oil, Ziggy Marley and has done tons of free charity concerts is making its last stand. Unlike most bands that fizzle out and then come back to make money for a cushier retirement, the Hip have been going strong for their 30 years and this, this is their final concert.