The band took their bow. The house lights came up, and nobody in the Saddledome moved. This is the night the ovation would not stop.
Episode summary
August 3rd, 2016. A Wednesday. Two nights after the first Calgary show, The Tragically Hip walked back into the Scotiabank Saddledome and played the city goodbye. Ten years on, three fans who were in the building pass the night around the table with jD.
Spencer from Calgary is back from the night one episode. This was his third show of the Man Machine Poem Tour and the last time he saw the band live, and he spent it with Alan and Chantel, old friends from ten years of Hitmen games and Saddledome nights. His friend Al's text said it best: heavy but celebratory, like we all knew what was happening but we chose to live in the moment.
Julie from Calgary hadn't seen The Hip since 1997. The tickets were a first date anniversary present. She and Keith from Calgary went with her parents, still dating, married the next year, and 'Ahead by a Century' was the wedding song.
They talk about the word glioblastoma and where it landed in Julie's family. About Spencer's Periscope vigil in a Calgary bar the night the tour opened in Victoria. About 'Scared' with the lights up, the Jaws shirt, and an ovation that went on so long Gord Downie just stood there in the house lights, telling Calgary it was beautiful.
Nobody here claims to be the expert. They were in the room, and ten years later two of them run a charity festival because of it. That part comes up too.
Key takeaways
• The tickets were a first date anniversary present. Keith and Julie were still dating at the show, married the next year, and 'Ahead by a Century' was their wedding song. Spencer had it at his wedding too.
• Spencer watched the Victoria opener through a stranger's Periscope stream in a Calgary bar, and only breathed again once Gord got through the first song.
• The middle of the set was an "In Violet Light" collector's run: 'Use It Up' (first since 2006), 'It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken' (tour debut), 'Throwing Off Glass' (first since 2009), and 'The Dire Wolf' (tour debut). Verified against setlist.fm, cross-referenced with Hipbase.
• Julie marks 'Scared' as the moment the night turned - lights up, arms around strangers, the first cracks showing.
• The morning the news broke, Keith wore The Hip under his suit to client meetings at the bank, and decided anyone put off by it was not his kind of client anyway.
• GEDfest exists because of this show. Julie and Keith founded it after the tour, it turns nine this year, and Spencer signed on as an ambassador before the episode was over.
Quotes
"Everyone just became one. And for one night, there's very few nights in your life where everybody is connected, positive, happy, loving, sad. You could have hugged anyone in there. You could have kissed anyone in there. It would have been accepted."
- Julie from Calgary
"This might sound like hyperbole, but in a lot of ways that show changed my life."
- Keith from Calgary
Guest information
• Spencer from Calgary - back from night one. Three shows on the final tour, and this was the last time he saw The Hip live. His daughter's name is Grace. Draw your own conclusions.
• Julie from Calgary - GEDfest co-founder. Had not seen The Hip since 1997. Her first podcast, ever. She did great.
• Keith from Calgary - GEDfest co-founder. Still has the paper tickets. The poster is framed on the wall.
Resources, links and references
• setlist.fm - the full Calgary, August 3 2016 setlist, including both tour debuts and the ten year gap on 'Use It Up'.
• Hipbase - primary source for The Tragically Hip setlists and discography, cross-referenced against setlist.fm.
• GEDfest - live music for the life and legacy of Gord Edgar Downie, with proceeds to cancer charities across Canada. gedfest.ca]
• Helping Families Handle Cancer - the Calgary charity Spencer's sister runs for families whose child is going through cancer.
• Lilliput Hats - Karyn Ruiz's Toronto shop, where the hats Keith remembers came from.
Related past episodes:
• Yer Hipstories: Reflections From The Final Tour - Vancover Night 1 https://kite.link/Vancouver1.
• Yer Hipstories: Reflections From The Final Tour - Victoria, July 22 2016 - the opening night Spencer watched through a stranger's phone. https://kite.link/Victoria
• Fully & Completely: redux - Man Machine Poem - the record behind the four song block.https://kite.link/MMPredux
Things to know
Give the anniversary somewhere to go. GEDfest plays Toronto for the first time - Saturday, October 17th, the anniversary of Gord's passing, at the Horseshoe Tavern with Grace, 2. Every dollar raised goes to Campfire Circle and the Murphy Family Fund in Precision Medicine in Pancreatic Cancer. Julie and Keith built this festival out of the night you just heard about. Tickets are on sale now. So there's that. [hyperlink: Grab tickets - GEDfest.ca
Come home to Kingston. The Gathering runs August 20th to 23rd - a mixer at the Merchant Pub, Choir! Choir! Choir! in Springer Market Square, a listening party, a Long Time Running screening, and a farewell brunch at Morrison's. If you're making the trip, get on the list. [hyperlink: Email jd@tthpods.com]
Buy jD a coffee
Editing is hard. Help keep the battery charged and buy jD a coffee. Tips only, no guilt. [hyperlink: Buy jD a coffee - buymeacoffee.com/tthtop40
Closing paragraph
Julie, thank you for doing your first podcast ever and for the bubble of love. Keith, thank you for the postcard: the whole dome on its feet, lights up, nobody leaving. Spencer, thank you for coming back, and for signing up as a GEDfest ambassador live on mic. That is how this community works. In a couple of days the tour crosses the Rockies - Winnipeg, August 5 2016, with a brand new panel. The Tragically Hip Podcast Series keeps heading east, all the way home.
Socials and community
• Facebook: facebook.com/groups/tthpods
• Instagram: @tthpods
• YouTube: youtube.com/@tthpods
• Email: jd@tthpods.com
#TheTragicallyHip #GordDownie #GordonEdgarDownie #ManMachinePoem #InVioletLight #HipFans
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