| The Tragically Hip came back to Ottawa for the first time since they sold out back to back shows on the Phantom Power tour last year, and once again they didn’t disappoint. Two and a half hours of Hip was more than enough to satisfy most of the 11000 fans in the crowd, which consisted of teenagers, adults, and even some seniors. Gord Downie delivered a high energy, high intensity show, and his antics on stage were as entertaining as the songs themselves. Even with the sound being a bit muffled at times, the unique, emotion-filled lyrics of Blow At High Dough, Fireworks, Gift Shop, Ahead By A Century, Courage, and Grace, Too, to name a few, were belted out to the guitar licks of Robbie Baker, and Paul Langlois. The drumming of Johnny Fay kept the show upbeat and fast-paced, even after slower songs like Long Time Running, Fiddler’s Green, Lake Fever, and Scared. Downie added another component to his songs by ranting his thoughts non-stop during all the solos, although the words were not very understandable because of the “muddy” sound. The 2 sets of about 15 songs each were both equally entertaining, however, the second set contained more new songs from Music@Work. From the first song, My Music At Work, to the last song of the encore, Little Bones, fans were crying and craving for more. Some might have been disappointed with the encore, as only 2 songs were played: Stay, and Little Bones. Many notable Hip songs were excluded from the 30 song set, such as 38 Years Old, 50 Mission Cap, Wheat Kings, 700ft. Ceiling, and Bobcaygeon. One of the few disappointing things about the performance was that Downie made very little interaction with the crowd, rarely pausing between songs to talk to the crowd and get them pumped up. He instead moved swiftly and smoothly between songs, allowing little time for the audience to soak in each individual song. In total, the show was very well done, very satisfying for most, and a Tragically Hip experience for the fans of all ages |
