People who live in the Great Lakes region of the United States are often treated to spectacular performances by the Tragically Hip – gigs that the rest of North America simply doesn’t get to experience. Living here, you could almost take it for granted: often Hip shows go longer, jam harder, and flood speakers and venues with rarities and darker, more brooding grooves than just about anywhere else.
By and large, it’s because the alt-rock fivesome from Kingston, Ontario grew up with Great Lakes lore and allegory, and because they perform in arenas across their homeland, they can count on ardent devotees to “pull a roadie” to see them in smaller U.S. venues in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Toledo, Erie, and Rochester. Such was the case at the House of Blues in Cleveland last Saturday night, where the ratio of Canucks to Clevelanders in the hall had to be at least 4-1.
And the show? Sold out. Manic. Enigmatic. Inspired and nearly flawless. One for the ages. The bedlam in the audience seemed only to fuel the band even more, as they continued to top themselves over and over again. It might have been their best live show ever.
Decked out in a black Sandinista outfit, singer/guitarist Gord Downie careened about the stage in paroxysms – like a marionette with snarled strings – embodying the characters and scenes from the Hip's catalog. To that end, guitarists Bobby Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay kept the noir soundtrack’s pace quirky, bluesy, direct and ever-metronomic. Downie himself also offered up some perfectly timed, stream-of-consciousness spoken word ranting that fans have come to expect in shows.
The 150-minute set supported the Hip’s new World Container album well enough, but this was not a run of the mill promo. It was a very special night of music. World Container highlights “In View” and “Lonely End of the Rink” were among the best; they only served to accentuate a set list seemingly themed by one of their biggest classics, “Nautical Disaster.” Downie and the Hip didn't just play a show in Cleveland on this flurry-laden Saturday – they played a show for Cleveland, commemorating the dark history surrounding this one-time Lake Erie metropolis and surrounding region.
Article comments
1 - alessandro nicolo
Man, it is soooo great to see the Hip get some press. Great, great rock band. I first spotted them on a music video for 'Blow at High Dough'on Much Music and man did Downie (and the band) grab me. Don't know why they have not made inroads in the U.S. I saw them way back in 1990 a the Spectrum in Montreal - or something like that -when they only had "Up to Here" under their belt - in terms of decent selling albums. They had yet to become the University sensation and were rather an obscure band. I took some friends to see them and they were permanently hooked. The album remains my personal favorite and among my all-time preferred list.
2 - JC Mosquito
The Hip are truly one of the great Canadian bands, but like so many others, they've coasted in the business for a while now and maybe never will have the momentum to make an impact in the US. I wish Bob Rock had got a hold of them earlier - they might've stood a chance.