The Hip Rock The ACC

The Tragically Hip’s much anticipated concert at Air Canada Centre went off yesterday as an overwhelming success. In fact, the only thing tragic about last night’s show was when it finally came to an end after a twenty four song performance which included three encores. Playing infront of a capacity crowd at Air Canada Centre, the Tragically Hip drew an unbelievable amount of energy from the legion of Hip fans and sustained that excitement until they finally left the stage for the last time. The band members themselves seemed to have an excess amount of energy and they treated the fans by leaving every last ounce they had on stage last night.

The concert was opened by The Joel Plaskett Emergency, as it was on Canada Day at the Molson Amphitheatre. They have been opening for the Hip throughout their Canadian Tour and again last night, they put on a solid performance infront of what is likely one of their largest ever audiences.

The Tragically Hip took the stage at a quarter to nine opening with Vaccination Scar, the hit single off their new album “In Between Evolution”. They also included Summer Is Killing Us, As Makeshift As We Are, Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park, It Can’t Be Nashville Every Night and Heaven Is A Better Place Today. Their previous concert in Toronto, July 1st, 2004, came on the day their new album was released not allowing fans a chance to familiarize themselves with the Hip’s new music. The new songs meant a lot more last night to a crowd that was had now had almost four months to listen to the Hip’s new album.

The highlights of the show included lead singer, Gord Downie’s usual on stage antics which saw him talk to the microphone throughout the concert. On two occasions, Downie dropped the microphone and reprimanded it for trying to get away. Once it fell from the stand onto the stage and the other time it fell right off the stage. Downie had to crawl over a speaker on the stage and lean right over the edge to retrieve the microphone just in time to hit his queue. The performances of Grace Too, Silver Jet and Three Pistols seemed to be crowd favorites as the already energetic crowd went into a frenzy during these tunes.

Along with promoting their newest album, the Hip treated the capacity crowd by reaching back into the archives and playing some of their oldest material. Little Bones¸ Three Pistols and Boots or Hearts were well received songs by the crowd that added a more comprehensive feel to the setlist.

The Tragically Hip’s performance last night at Air Canada Centre was one that was truly remarkable. Anybody who attended this concert surely left with a memory they will not soon forget. Let’s all hope the Hip do not make the wait for their next concert in Toronto a long one!