The Tragically Hip have always been one of my bucket list bands. It is somewhat surprising that I’ve never seen them before. So I splurged and bought a floor seat ticket, read standing on the floor ticket as everyone was standing for their Fully Completely anniversary tour, Feb. 10 at the Enmax Centre.
But first everybody stood around waiting for Broken Social Scene DJ Brendan Canning to play a set of classic rock on vinyl. Not that you could see him as he was hidden behind the massive sound and light board at the back of the Enmax Centre arena, spinning all the hits you could hear on most rock and roll radio stations and just a few obscurities. The Tragically Hip would have been better served by playing more of their many hits— many of which were omitted as they were focusing on Fully Completely, their 1992 album which has most of the Hip’s hugest hits anyway.
They began their set around 9 p.m. with frontman Gord Downie sporting a black pork pie hat, which he later exchanged for a weather-beaten white cowboy hat, grinning ear to ear and belting out his own brand of poetry beginning with one of their mellower hits “Grace Too” before picking up the tempo for “Music at Work.” it is simply a pleasure to see someone as blissed out playing music as Downie was. He grinned and writhed and danced in place like he was hooked up to an electric generator, and was having the best time howling his own brand of rock and roll poetry.
The Tragically Hip have always been one of Canada’s steadiest bands. There’s nothing flashy about guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay, just good, solid meat and potatoes rock and roll with big riffs, textures and tasteful guitar solos that fit in just about perfectly with each song. Plus they sang some subtle vocal harmonies which are just superb.
Downie’s raspy voice blasted through the arena and the band was lost in the music.
They had a nice contrast of slower songs and upbeat sing alongs which the audience was happy to sing along to. They also had video showing behind the stage. Grainy black and white hockey footage played during “ Fifty Mission Cap”. “Locked in the Trunk of the Car” “ Courage,” “ Looking for a Place To Happen,” At the “Hundredth Meridian” were “Fully Completely” hits and highlights as were a few obscurities.
Screens came down to surround the band during some of the slower songs as guitarist Rob Baker took a seat behind the amps to play tender dobro.
After playing Fully Completely, they ended their show around 10:20 p.m. with a couple of their bigger non- Fully Completely Hits- “I Don’t Care What the Poets Are Doing” and “Three Pistols” and didn’t return for an encore.
I was hoping to hear a few of my favourite songs like “Little Bones” and “Twist My Arm” from “Road Apples” and older numbers like “38 years Old” and “New Orleans Is Sinking” and relatively newer tracks like “Fireworks,” but it wasn’t meant to be.
