With a delirious sold-out crowd at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston hanging on his every word—and countless more fans watching on TV at home or at public screenings—Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie delivered what many fear was his final performance on Saturday, Aug 20.
From the outpouring of support, and tears, it’s clear the Tragically Hip will always have a home in the hearts of Canadians.
As word spread of Downie’s incurable brain cancer in recent months, it quickly became clear how widespread the band’s influence has been in shaping the country’s popular culture.
“They always forced me, and I think they forced a lot of fans, to really look at the country they’re part of, and make the country better,'‘ says Joshua Kloke, who wrote ”Escape is at Hand: Tales of a Boy and a Band,’' a book that pays tribute to the cultural impact of the Hip.
“I don’t think they set out to be Canada’s band. ... They share a very sincere love for their country. I don’t think it has to be an overtly patriotic thing.'’
Over the past 30-plus years, the Tragically Hip have injected local culture and pride into many of their songs, like “The Darkest One,'‘ in which Downie sings about an escape to warmth from the ”thin and wicked Prairie winds.’‘ “Goodnight Attawapiskat’‘ is an angsty tribute to the troubled First Nation community, and then there’s ”Bobcaygeon,’' a town north of Peterborough, Ont., that has become almost intrinsically linked with the band.
Andy Keen, director of the 2012 documentary “Bobcaygeon,'' which outlines the leadup to the band’s first show in the town, says Downie—dubbed Canada’s unofficial Poet Laureate—spends a lot of time reflecting on Canada.
“The stories he tells in his music pretty much define that guy,'' he says.
“I think Gord is a true artist, and it’s for those reasons he’s making things that people want to look at and people want to listen to and people want to try to figure out.'’
When not on stage, Downie has mostly avoided the spotlight, reserving most interviews and public appearances to support causes close to his heart. True to form, proceeds from the band’s final tour will go toward brain cancer research.
He was also involved in environmental activism and backed Neil Young’s anti-oilsands campaign, and spoke out against a proposal to increase the capacity of two pipelines running from Ontario to Quebec three years ago.
“Social causes are quite obvious,'' Downie said in a 2014 interview with The Canadian Press.
“Music brings people together. So my function in anything I do is to help bring people closer in.'’
Legendary live performances helped shape the Hip’s reputation and made them one of the most popular touring acts in the country.
Tim Baker, frontman for the St. John’s, N.L., indie rockers Hey Rosetta!, says he watched Downie with admiration when his band opened for the Hip several years ago.
He is “bringing together poetry, art, and some strange ideas and experiences, along with that sort of undeniable energy,'' Baker says.
“I don’t think you‘ll talk to anyone who respects him as much. (Downie is) hugely influential.’’
In the lead-up to the summer tour, social media became the community for many fans to express their sadness over Downie’s diagnosis.
“Gord Downie is a true original who has been writing Canada’s soundtrack for more than 30 years,'' Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted with the hashtag #courage.
Indie rock band Stars called Downie the “poet laureate of the Canadian soul.'’
And actor Jonathan Torrens wrote: “No band in our history has embraced/defined #Canadianity more than The Hip. Gutted by this news. Gord IS Canada.'’
For the final concert of the Hip’s tour in Kingston, Ont., some 11.7 million Canadians tuned in on television, radio, and digital at some point during the nearly three-hour broadcast, CBC said in a release.
From The Canadian Press
