The worlds most intense lead vocalist, is the best way to describe Gord Downie. An overall excitement fluttered through the horde of music fanatics as they made their way into the nostalgic Orpheum Theater. Merchandise was flying off the stand, a full set of t-shirts, vinyl and of course the elusive silk screen poster, although not venue specific, but a sexy little number in its own right. Everything at this show seemed to fly by, and with the over the top stage antics of Gord short to come, people were energized.
Being billed as “An Evening with The Hip”, there was no opening act to warm the stage. The intensity of Mr.Downie was surely to break the night ice quickly though. After the brief period of waiting patiently twitteling my thumbs, in those oh so comfortable Orpheum seats, the lights dimmed. From the darkness appeared the sought after Hip, a glow on their faces, of pure passion for the performance they were about to bestow upon us. From the moment the first note strummed out from Rob Bakers guitar, the crowd was alive with enthusiasm.
The stage presence of Gord is unrivaled from any lead singer I have seen. He commands your attention and earns every applause and standing ovation the band gets. Was it not for him, the band would really have no hook at all and would fade away into the bands time forgot. This though is not the case, and this band thrives with its cult following of poetry driven rock, fueled with an underbelly of tasty guitar licks and all held together with a rock solid melody/rhythm trifecta. Often the unsung heroes, the backing band for such a strong front man, are left to feel as second banana. Try to look past this and you will see a group of seasoned veterans who are all extremely talented in their own light. Especially Rob Bakers guitar stylings, from the delicate depth he polishes the edges of every song finishing it off. Overall he is the strongest musically in the band, and I am sure he drives the sound overall when creating new pieces.
Back now to the performance masterfully displayed to this lucky crowd. The entire band was grinning from ear to ear through the entire show, his band loves to play and it shows. When a group is this happy, it spreads like wildfire into the audience, and they quickly become wrapped up in the excitement. Gords antics were a roller coaster of expression, from happy thoughts, to funny faults, and the occasional head vein pulsing in your face with seriousness. For a thin man, he sweats an unbelievable amount, proving that he gives his all in every show. By the end of the first half, his clothes were literally sopped and at one point you could see a steady stream running of his elbow as if he were in the shower. Throughout the show he uses handkerchiefs to wipe the glistening pools from his brow, and every so often a luck lady in the audience was graced with one as a gift. Although if I were them I don’t know how I would feel about receiving someones used hanky, they seemed more smiles then frowns none the less.
Every statement in every verse of every song was accompanied by its own mannerism. Gords interpretive gestures make for a great accompaniment to the deep lyrics he is piping out. By the half way point the show stopped for a thirty minute intermission. Just long enough for Mr.Downie to change his shirt, and the parched mass to wet their lips. It seems they had a set list for each section and the first setlists were rolled up and tossed aside. The bands right hand man in a cow boy hat came out and replaced them with the setlist for the second half. Many of the Hip Aficionados left in the venue clambered up to see what would be played next.
Soon enough the lights faded and again the band appeared from the darkness, this time starting off with an acoustic style set. There were chairs on the stage and the band in its entirety was sitting and they played a couple mellow emotion driven ballads. A sea of lighters waved back and forth across the fans, and the group swayed to the beat. It wasn’t long before the songs picked up again and people were swaying feverishly with the upbeat tempos and screaming the lyrics to their favorite Canadian rock anthems. The show went off without a real hitch, at one point Gord managed some how to sever the cable to his Mic, but he passed the broken hardware off to some lucky front row ticket holder and things kept going without so much as a hiccup.
Overall my experience was amazing at this show, the band was happy and showed it over and over with their permanent grins plastered to their faces. Gords stage persona is what sells this band and really makes it what it is. They stand true as a Canadian rock super power, anyone and everyone from Canada has a firm grasp of a least one song by the Hip. The States is a little less devoted and overlooks much of their talent, but I did hear a few people saying they made the trek from Seattle for this show. If you like great energy, from a contemporary rock outfit, that is heavy on its poetry and little light in the heavier meat and potatoes, I would really suggest seeing them live. I would put them in the same category as The Doors, really they are their Canadian counterpart. The lead singer is a poet driven through madness by his lead persona. The place where a lot of people lose them is the lack of heavy guitar, or great over powered drum work. I plore you to look past this and see the depth though, their is no reason to over power one another, because this band has them working in perfect unison. Each one highlights the other and really makes this band stand for what it is, which to me is a Canadian rock dynasty.
Jamie Taylor
www.concertaddicts.ca
The Tragically Hip pictures by Brandon Parsons(click on image to enlarge)
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Jamie Taylor – who has contributed 3308 posts for Concert Addicts.
"With a love for live music, way too much to say and inability to put down his camera , photojournalism was a logical step in his journey. Concert Addicts was born from a desire to express his opinion, share his photography, and share knowledge. Now the community is no longer his, it is ours."
