Band's frontman Gord Downie diagnosed with brain tumour late last year
By
Mark Schadenberg
A
farewell tour always brings back memories and nostalgia, and it doesn’t matter if the retiring
performer is a music talent or an athlete.
To read the many press clippings of the Tragically Hip final tour is almost too sombre
as all Canadians know the health diagnosis of The Hip frontman Gord Downie.
I’ve
been involved with Relay For Life for the Canadian Cancer Society in Woodstock
for almost 10 years and thereby I know how cancer has affected people of all
ages. I would include a list of people I know struggling to find a cure for
their cancer, or who have lost their battle, but that list would only be a very sad reminder about how many types of cancer exist and how difficult discovering a cure has been.
The
final Tragically Hip show is set for the band’s hometown of Kingston on Saturday
night (August 20) as the Man Machine Poem tour has made stops in Ottawa
(today), London, Hamilton, three shows in Toronto, and a dozen or so more in
stops like Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
Downie
saddened all rock music lovers everywhere on May 24 when it was announced publicly
that the Tragically Hip lead singer was diagnosed with a malignant brain
tumour. It was an interesting press conference as it was hosted by neuro-oncologist doctors who explained they type of cancer which Downie had. According to an archived Globe And Mail story, Downie was diagnosed after
suffering a seizure in Kingston this past December.
The
Tragically Hip library is both superb and immense. It’s hard to believe the
album Road Apples is 25 years old in 2016 and it’s not their first release, but
rather their third. I believe it is 14 studio albums, plus three Downie solo
records, plus a few greatest hits and live recordings, for a prolific resume
for a legendary band.
Excerpt from Globe And Mail story back in May.
I
began following the charts and successes of The Hip with New Orleans Is Sinking
and that was a 1989 tune.
Rock
radio regular songs include Bobcaygeon, Courage, Fifty-Mission Cap, Ahead By A
Century, Little Bones, Blow At High Dough, Boots Or Hearts, In View, and 38
Years Old. As a Maple Leafs fan and someone who likes to read about history in
general, I would say Fifty-Mission Cap is my favourite track by The Hip. The
YouTube clip of that song I include here is from a German TV show in the
1990’s.
Downie,
who is just 52 years old, has more than earned his place in Canadian superstar
rock music annals alongside Burton Cummings, Neil Young and Bryan Adams.
The
Hip’s final concert will be aired by the CBC, but that broadcast will
also be live streamed in countless locations, including the Springer Market
Square in Kingston. The city’s mayor has already declared Saturday to be
Tragically Hip Day.
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From newspaper Kingston Whig-Standard:
“The
Tragically Hip are an iconic Canadian band who have made tremendous
contributions to our country and the Kingston community in particular, through
their music and philanthropy,” Mayor Bryan Paterson said in a release. “We look
forward to welcoming The Hip home and giving Kingston fans the opportunity to
show their love and support of the band.”
The free
public celebration is open to all and starts at 8 p.m.. Rides on Kingston
Transit will be free after 4 p.m. on the Saturday, as well as offering express service.
“This
event is a small gesture to allow our community to come together in a showing
of our support,” Mayor Paterson said. “This celebration is going to show what
The Tragically Hip means to our community and what I think Kingstonians expect.
This event is going to be big and unlike anything we’ve seen before in Market
Square.”
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In Woodstock, Boston Pizza will accept donations to the Canadian Cancer Society as part of its airing of the final performance.
Not much is really known about what happens after the Kingston show is over. Downie could quietly
move to the background to continue his cancer treatments and spend time with
his family, which includes 4 kids. He could continue his philanthropy work and
support of many environmental causes, including clean water in the Great Lakes.
LINKS:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/tragically-hip-how-to-watch-1.3723485
http://www.macleans.ca/culture/how-we-will-miss-gord-downie-and-the-tragically-hip/
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2016/08/19/how-gord-downie-and-the-tragically-hip-forged-a-relationship-with-our-30-million-hearts-vinay-menon.html
http://www.therecord.com/whatson-story/6812314-gord-downie-i-ve-got-to-go-it-s-been-a-pleasure-doing-business-with-you-/
http://www.macleans.ca/culture/how-we-will-miss-gord-downie-and-the-tragically-hip/
https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/music/2016/08/19/how-gord-downie-and-the-tragically-hip-forged-a-relationship-with-our-30-million-hearts-vinay-menon.html
http://www.therecord.com/whatson-story/6812314-gord-downie-i-ve-got-to-go-it-s-been-a-pleasure-doing-business-with-you-/
May 2016 Stories
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