Saying Goodbye to The Hip tonight!

Looking forward to it. Almost every Canadian will be tuned in. My poison is wine Bebo but you are correct that Rye is Canadiana. I can defo use a night off from gambling.

Can't wait . Woo hoo :yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo::yahoo:
 
There are hometown boys, I've met all of them, although it's only Rob Baker I know well enough to talk to or who would know my name.

I was going to head downtown, but you can't bring a chair, and I can't stand long enough.

Probably attend a mid-town Pub to say goodbye. I'll be packing my kleenex for sure.

Beyond being talented and having been part of the scene in this town, they have remained hometown heros and devoted fundraisers for many of our charities and events.
 
I never went out. Stayed home and watched it online.

Not the first time I've seen The Hip, and I'm really hoping it's not the last.

Not only are they a great band from Canada, they are a great band ABOUT Canada.

But not just about Canada, it's really about people. Give them a listen if you don't know them.

One of the things that really struck me tonight was I was not watching a dying man perform, I was watching someone with cancer living despite it.

My real life friend and fellow forum member livadiva called frontman Gord Downie a poet/prophet. I don't think she's wrong.
 
I was living in Ottawa in 1989, just around the time that The Hip were starting to attract attention on the radio but I'd never heard of them. I was walking along a downtown street one drizzly afternoon and kept seeing these purple and black one-sheets stuck to lamp posts. Finally I wandered up and read one: "Tragically Hip". What a stupid name for a band I thought. "Typical Canadian crap", I scoffed and I remember it annoyed me for the rest of day.

The few days later I was working late at the office -- yes, I did have an office job back then -- and someone was playing music in a nearby cubicle. This was strictly forbidden of course and I wondered who had the balls to be breaking the rules so flagrantly. Eventually I wandered over and saw it was a team supervisor and a couple guys I'd seen around the office and liked so I stopped to give the music a bit of listen.

It was pretty good stuff actually, I loved the politicalness and the immediate relevance of the lyrics, expressing subtle opinions about Canada and the US and the shit that Canadians lived every day back in those Reagan/Thatcher years. Then I noticed the cassette on my collegue's desk, wrapped in that same black and purple poster I had seen out on the streets. I wandered off thinking "hmm, not bad" to myself.

Over the following years I became a big Hip fan, even though they were a pretty hard sell at the time. I think "Fully Completely" finally did it for them in '92 but I'd probably played their first three albums about 1000 times each by then. Some of their lyrics have shaped my life in a very direct way: "No one's interested in something you didn't do". Words to live by, if you were up to it. Though, admittedly, many of their lyrics took some thinking over before you could decipher them it was well worth it because they actually meant something. Those were the days when people still "wrote" songs to actually mean something more than "buy this, make me rich".

I live a long way away from Ottawa and the rest of Canada now and this was the first I've heard of Downie's illness. Class send-off though, Prime Minister and all. Sometimes -- oft times if the truth be told -- it's good to be Canadian, bitter as the pill may be a lot of the time.
 
Last edited:
I remember thinking when the night was over, I had a few drinks and I would think about what I just saw tomorrow. Yesterday I read a few articles and a lot of postings, filled with so much emotion. Some articles even mentioned other Countries could learn alot from Canada. This is what I saw Saturday night. I saw a band that was part of most of our lives in my age group, a band whose songs were played at every bar, house party, radio in Canada for the last 30 years. Every song had a meaning and memory attached to it. They are/were THE HIP!. A band we figured would be around until they were old. Everyone will die, and sadly we don't get to chose when and how. Gord Downie in my mind is a genius, and the irony is not lost on me, that the one precious gift he was given...his brain is now being destroyed. I can not imagine how he is handling it, for that I feel utterly heartbroken. On the flip side. I got chocked up seeing Canadians be what we are. Other Countries learning something from us is irrelevant, We should be aware that we have each others back no matter what. If there is a child dying, we make that child ours and give, fires burning, we give. Refugee's? We give. As a City, Community, Country......We give! The Tragically Hip through Gords illness gave us the gift, a reminder of who we are.....WE ARE CANADIAN! ,:lolup:
 
I remember thinking when the night was over, I had a few drinks and I would think about what I just saw tomorrow. Yesterday I read a few articles and a lot of postings, filled with so much emotion. Some articles even mentioned other Countries could learn alot from Canada. This is what I saw Saturday night. I saw a band that was part of most of our lives in my age group, a band whose songs were played at every bar, house party, radio in Canada for the last 30 years. Every song had a meaning and memory attached to it. They are/were THE HIP!. A band we figured would be around until they were old. Everyone will die, and sadly we don't get to chose when and how. Gord Downie in my mind is a genius, and the irony is not lost on me, that the one precious gift he was given...his brain is now being destroyed. I can not imagine how he is handling it, for that I feel utterly heartbroken. On the flip side. I got chocked up seeing Canadians be what we are. Other Countries learning something from us is irrelevant, We should be aware that we have each others back no matter what. If there is a child dying, we make that child ours and give, fires burning, we give. Refugee's? We give. As a City, Community, Country......We give! The Tragically Hip through Gords illness gave us the gift, a reminder of who we are.....WE ARE CANADIAN! ,:lolup:


I am Canadian.....i type this out for my free spins at rizk cuz we can't play netent games....but last nite after the concert I typed out those words and I was so very proud and felt exactly that...We are Canadian.....the hip reminded me....
 
I am Canadian.....i type this out for my free spins at rizk cuz we can't play netent games....but last nite after the concert I typed out those words and I was so very proud and felt exactly that...We are Canadian.....the hip reminded me....

What do you say to that eh, Lol. Proud moments for sure. Take what is given to you, embrace it, and use it wisely. :)
 
OMG. Just watched the video where Gord Dowie joined Blue Rodeo on stage. Totally heart wrenching. He is definitely on his last legs but as brave as anyone could possibly be. Losing his memory and everything -- having to hold a song sheet. How very very sad for anyone to have to go through this. My prayers to all that are affected by this terrible cancer. Especially my poor cousin Nadia who has the exact same cancer. God Bless!
 
OMG. Just watched the video where Gord Dowie joined Blue Rodeo on stage. Totally heart wrenching. He is definitely on his last legs but as brave as anyone could possibly be. Losing his memory and everything -- having to hold a song sheet. How very very sad for anyone to have to go through this. My prayers to all that are affected by this terrible cancer. Especially my poor cousin Nadia who has the exact same cancer. God Bless!


totally heart wrenching. god. Gord is living this publicly. i am humbled by his bravery. and here i am complaining about a stupid battle of the slots loss...

it is a terrible disease. and i am sorry that your family is living through this nightmare.
 
VIP Casino is reviewed at Casinomeister

Users who are viewing this thread

Meister Ratings

Back
Top