Hip Tour: Gord Downie

Showing posts with label Gord Downie. Show all posts

Gord Downie & The Sadies Album/Tour

Pin It Now!

Hipheads! Here's the 411 on the upcoming Gord/Sadies album along with confirmed tour dates.

From GordDownie.com

It's been a few years since The Grand Bounce, but Gord Downie is back and has a brand new album with The Sadies! Gord and The Sadies have been long-time friends so it was a natural collaboration to create the new album, "Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun".

After a long Canadian winter, Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun are ready to take on spring and summer with a brand new album, live shows and T-shirts!

Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun - Pre-Order Now!

"It came together urgently but slowly, after the long-time Toronto friends first recorded together for Lake Ontario Waterkeepers in 2006. Fleeting sessions over the next seven years yielded finished songs in immediate, alchemical takes. Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun is the action of first-thought-best- thought.

The project’s namesake, “The Conquering Sun” fuses The Sadies’ rusted psychedelia with Downie’s humble, volatile wail. Mike Belitsky’s roiling drums, and Sean Dean’s sure, standing bass spur the band through uncharted desert-scapes."

Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun is the self-titled debut record. This is the mission statement of a young band unhinged. Ten songs of visceral punk rock exultation; a spirited half-hour exploration of the darkness surrounding daylight. Each song brims with energy, electricity embellishing a simple, rustic core — now all brash guitars and punk rock gnarl. Gord Downie, The Sadies, And The Conquering Sun is an arrival: the combustion of brotherhood and dissent: music of wisdom and innocence: poetry of promise and provocation.

Tour Dates

US DATES
2014/05/02 Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY
2014/05/03 The Sinclair - Cambridge, MA
2014/05/10 Lincoln Hall - Chicago, IL
2014/05/11 Magic Stick- Detroit, MI

CANADIAN DATES
2014/06/07 Arts & Crafts Field Trip (Fort York) - Toronto, ON
2014/06/08 Arts & Crafts Field Trip (Fort York) - Toronto, ON
2014/06/12 Atlin Arts & Music Festival - Atlin, BC
2014/07/18 Wild Mountain Music Festival - Hinton, AB
2014/07/27 Interstellar Rodeo - Edmonton, AB
2014/09/12 Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival – Fredericton, NB

Don't forget you can follow us and hang with the other HipHeads on both Facebook and Twitter.

The original content and digital art is provided by Tragically Hip Tour. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only. All lyrics and album art are reproduced here for reference and educational purposes only and they belong to the originally credited artist and label.

Gord Downie, The Sadies & The Conquering Sun

Pin It Now!

Gord Downie has collaborated with The Sadies on a new album due out on April 15th. There are currently 6 tour dates with the possibility of more to follow. I'd like to see them squeeze in a Montreal show to complete the 'Original 6 Tour'...

Anyway, probably not good news for those hoping to catch The Hip on tour this summer... or any kind of extensive tour anyway. Festivals & greatest hits events can pop up at any time I guess - so we'll see on that front as we move into spring.

Check out Alex Hudson's article over on Exclaim! for more details.

The album is available to pre-order digitally on iTunes.

Gord Downie, the Sadies, and the Conquering Sun:

1. Crater
2. The Conquering Sun
3. Los Angeles Times
4. One Good Fast Job
5. It Didn't Start to Break My Heart Until This Afternoon
6. Budget Shoes
7. Demand Destruction
8. Devil Enough
9. I'm Free, Disarray Me
10. Saved

Tour dates:

05/02 New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
05/03 Boston, MA - The Sinclair
05/10 Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
05/11 Detroit MI - Magic Stick
06/07-08 Toronto, ON - Fork York (Field Trip Music & Arts Festival)

Useful Links:
Official Website
The Sadies

2013 Summer Tour - Thoughts & Expectations

Pin It Now!

Photo credit: The Tragically Hip on Flickr

The Tragically Hip are set to kick off their 2013 Summer Tour in a few weeks and while it's not as extensive as some tours past in terms of performance dates it is going to be extensive in total miles traveled. Currently there are 21 shows in 19 cities in 5 countries on 2 continents covering 24,240.6KM / 15,062.3MI as the crow flies from city to city. The average distance between shows is 1154.3KM and if you remove the one London, ENG show and 2 Vancouver, BC shows that are non-travel dates and the average distance jumps up to 1346.7KM between individual tour stops. Now it's not like all of this is packed into a month, but even at just under 3 months with down-time... that's fucking crazy. A travel agent's dream. A roadie's nightmare. I've followed bands on entire summer tours in the past and this one is pretty much undo-able from a fan perspective.

The 'Now For Plan A' Fall/Winter Tour was the least amount of touring off an album I can remember The Hip ever doing and this was coming off of two minimalist summer tour schedules in 2011 & 2012. There were only 39 shows for the entire tour that noticeably left out some major Canadian cities (Calgary, Ottawa, Vancouver, Quebec City & St. John's) and a good chunk of the US including the southeast, Florida & Texas. By comparison the 2009 'We Are The Same Tour' consisted of 88 shows including the European portion. Of course we've all heard of Gord dealing with his wife's breast cancer and who knows what else within the band's circles. Life happens to everybody. Also, the band is at a point where they can dictate their terms. They don't play for food & shelter.

So what are we going to see from the band this summer? Will it be a continuation of the type of setlists we saw this past fall/winter? Will it revert back to what happened over the past 2 summers of 2011 & 2012 which dare I say might have been the low point in the live concert careers of the band. The exact same uninspired setlist every night with little to no jamming, monologues and singing. I feel kind of bad for new Hip fans who just saw their first show either of the past 2 summers.

Blasphemy? No. Everything deserves to be compared to the entire body of work. The entire body of work in this case is the band's live career. I literally almost pulled the plug on this website when I saw replica setlists night after night. Seriously. Has there ever been a period in Hiphistory that you've ever seen anything like that? Even on off-touring years? And this all began a mere 5 years after the summer of 2006 which I thought might have been the band's strongest non-album touring period. Awesome setlist variety, net songs, a fresh order to things. Of course, as I mentioned above, there were circumstances at play which were playing out behind closed doors. It takes rehearsal time to carry around a large bag of tunes, even if you've been playing them for years and years.

I hope the summer of 2013 doesn't bring us what the past 2 summers have. Especially with the ticket prices that are being charged. These guys should be a 2 set band every night they play, but that's another topic altogether. What I'm hopeful of is that the cities in Canada that were denied a 'Now For Plan A' tour stop actually get a chance to see a deep cuts, solid Tragically Hip show as opposed to a festival/greatest hits setlist.

The NFPA Tour did go fairly deep. Not as deep as the WATS tour of 2009, but it was nice to see that the band could juggle a larger song rotation than they had been during the previous 2 summers. The shows were very solid. Gord sang the new songs.

Europe has always been an inspirational atmosphere for the band. I think a lot of bands feel like they can go over there and just let loose and throw a bit of caution into the wind and good results have usually followed. Dead '72. Phish '97. Hopefullt The Hip head back from their own European jaunt with some new inspiration... maybe a new song or two...

Montreal, Ottawa & Grand Falls run the biggest risks of getting the festival setlist treatment. I mean, Grand Falls for sure. The Hip have to open for another band in Canada that isn't The Stones or RUSH? I'd throw down all the hits, wind the crowd way up and say, "Follow that Eagles."

Most of the others could go either way. It's Vancouver that's the big question mark. The potential for a 3 day masterpiece is there. It's all going to depend on how the tour unfolds to that point. If they are dropping even 1 or 2 songs a night that are unique to that particular show on the summer tour they will roll into Vancouver with an arsenal of songs at the forefront of their consciousness that could lead to a pretty epic 3 night run at the gorgeous Orpheum Theatre.

If I'm writing setlists for a band with as deep a song catalog as The Hip and I know that a good chunk of the $100+/per ticket crowd will be there for the entire run there's no way I'm repeating a song at all. I mean it took Furthur 6 shows into their 9 show run at the Capitol in April before they repeated... The Hip can tear down the house at the Orpheum all three nights without repeating a song. I'll tell you what... we're going to design setlists to prove it. And we'll keep it realistic. We all know 'Highway Girl' ain't coming, so let's just put that one to bed. Stay tuned on this....

So what are you looking forward to this summer from The Hip? What shows are you going to? What do you want to hear that's old?... that's new? that's different? What do you love about The Hip concert experience? Hate? New fans - does the older catalog hold any cache with you? Old fans - are you down with the new stuff? What songs do you wish you could hear just one more time live?

There's a lot I'd like to see & hear from the band. We're go into making some fantasy setlists later and especially as we move towards the Vancouver shows. I'd really like to see them tour with a full time keyboardist. It bring more songs into the fold. Good songs. It also adds nice textures to some of the old song. I'd like more jamming too (and the keys would help with this too). I'm now talking jamband style here. Just a bit more of what got them here in the first place.

And Thirty-Eight Years Old. Like, just fucking play it. Why play Century or Bobcaygeon EVERY SINGLE NIGHT??? I mean, the fans love it....

Sneak Peek: Coffee Girl Tee

Hey, we're now on Google+. Check us out. Put the page in your Circles, the page will put you in it's Circles, I will put you in my Circles, you in turn will put me back in your circles and did I mention there's a community too where You, yes YOU, can post Hip related stuff of your own and we can all pow-wow on those things and such... I made this whole paragraph a link to it so no excuses....

SUMMER 2013
2013/06/20 Cobourg, ON
2013/06/22 Montreal, QC

2013/06/25 Antwerp, BE
2013/06/26 Utrecht, NL
2013/06/28 Hengelo, NL
2013/06/29 Amsterdam, NL
2013/07/01 London, ENG (FREE)
2013/07/02 London, ENG

2013/07/05 Cold Lake, AB
2013/07/06 Saskatoon, SK
2013/07/08 Estevan, SK
2013/07/11 Ottawa, ON
2013/07/13 Grand Falls, NFLD
2013/07/19 Buffalo, NY
2013/07/20 Aurora, IL
2013/07/25 London, ON
2013/09/06 Moose Jaw, SK
2013/09/07 Calgary, AB
2013/09/09 Vancouver, BC
2013/09/10 Vancouver, BC
2013/09/12 Vancouver, BC

An Intimate Evening With Gord Downie - May 18, 2013

Pin It Now!

Sorry for getting this up late... Only 250 available tickets it seems...

The text below is taken from the Clevelands House website...

Passes are only available to guests spending two or more nights
at Clevelands House Resort this May long-weekend (May 17-20, 2013)

VIP passes on sale April 2, 2013 at 10am (pre-registration was required)
General public passes available April 3, 2013 at 10 am
Get your passes by calling…
1-888-567-1177
Weekend Packages start at just $299 per person*
See all the details of this epic weekend by clicking the “social calendar” button

Packages Include:
Exclusive access to “An Intimate Evening with Gord Downie”
Two Night Accommodation at Clevelands House Resort
Full access to resort facilities
PLUS, Clevelands House is happy to provide complimentary shuttle service on a first come first serve basis to “The Kee” on Sunday, May 19.
*Based on a minimum of 2 people per room

Happy Birthday Gord! ... and Bob!

Pin It Now!

February 6th is Gord Downie's birthday. That's today.

It's also Bob Marley's birthday. It got me thinking about the 4:20 show I attended in Boston back in 2007. This was the 'World Container' tour where the boys were doing a new cover song each night as a part of the encore.

On this particular night The Hip covered Is This Love by Mr. Marley.

The video below is all that I could find of this occurrence and it's not the greatest but, it gets the job done.

I always wonder how much more great music Bob would have created? How many more live concert bootlegs would be circulating? How many time would I have seen him? Would he even still be playing? Thankfully we have been blessed with some serious longevity from The Hip.

I don't know what, if anything, they have planned to celebrate their 30th year together. In the meantime, we can raise a glass to Gord... and Bob too of course!

Gord Downie on Studio Q

Pin It Now!

This is a little over a week old, but I have beena little out of the loop lately... Gord Downie interview on CBC Radio's Studio Q with Jian Ghomeshi.

Gord Downie CBC Interview

Pin It Now!

Gord sits down with CBC's Wendy Mesley of The National to talk about The Hip's new release 'Now For Plan A' as well as dealing with his wife's diagnosis with breast cancer...

Gord Downie w/The Sadies at Boots & Hearts Festival

Pin It Now!

The Boots & Hearts Festival is taking place at Mosport Speedway in Bowmanville, ON from Aug 10-12, 2012. It's being billed as a 'Country Music Festival', but Lionel Richie is playing so...

What Is Boots & Hearts? (From website)

Boots and Hearts is the largest country music festival of its kind ever to be hosted on Canadian soil. Its a three-day celebration of music and art where music lovers of all genres can escape from the rigors of daily life, band together with thousands of other country music fans and experience a once-in-a-lifetime event that they will never forget. With more than 20 bands, ranging from global superstars to emerging artists, Boots and Hearts will offer an eclectic mix of country music styles. And just when other music festivals call it a night, we ramp the party up with nightly after-parties. Work Hard. Play Harder. That’s Boots and Hearts!

Line-Up

In addition to Gord playing with The Sadies on Aug 12, 2012 other artists at the festival include: Tim McGraw, Kid Rock, Carrie Underwood, Alabama, Paul Brandt, Sheryl Crow, Terri Clark, Kevin Costner, etc, etc...

Tickets

$220 gets you in for the whole weekend. $115 gets you any single day. It's extra for camping (tent). It's extra if you want to camp near your car. It's extra if you want 2 cars near your tent. It's extra if you want a ticket to get a hot shower. Yep. All of that is taxed at 13% as well. I could do some digging around to see what fees will be piled on top of all that, but I don't want to be all Doom & Gloom.

TICKET INFO HERE

CAMPING INFO HERE

Is there a VIP pass? You fuckin' bet there is! Will it be the debacle that most outdoor Canadian Festival VIP Passes turn out to be? Let's hope so. I hate to see good solid streaks come to an end. VIP packages range between $500 - $900 for the weekend and pretty much ensure that the best sightlines and areas where the bands can feed off the energy of the crowd will be filled with a bunch of LAME-Os. You can use the lower level of the Air Canada Centre during Maple Leaf's games as a reference point if you like.

Anyway, here the link to that Bull-Shit.

They've got a nice website. I'll give 'em that.

Gord Downie Playing At Harvest Picnic - Sept 1, 2012

Pin It Now!

Feist,

Emmylou Harris,

Daniel Lanois with Brian Blade,

Gord Downie and the Sadies,

Sarah Harmer, Mix Master Mike, Jesse Cook,

Brady L. Blade, Sr. and the Hallelujah Train,

& more!!

Live at the 2012 Greenbelt Harvest Picnic

Saturday September 1, 2012

Gates at 11AM - Show at 12PM

Christie Lake Conservation Area

1002 Highway #5 West

Dundas, Ontario

Tickets

Adults $69.50

Youth (10-16) $19.50

Children 9 and under are free

Tickets will be available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, all Ticketmaster® outlets or by calling 1-855-872-5000 beginning Saturday May 26th at 11 AM.

Tickets available online at www.ticketmaster.ca, Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 1-855-872-5000 or at Picks and Sticks, 140 Locke Street South, Hamilton or

Tickets can also be purchased at Picks and Sticks (905-528-6058), located at 140 Locke Street South, Hamilton or Dr. Disc (905-523-1010), located at 20 Wilson Street, Hamilton.

Tickets will also be available at Christie Lake on show day only (subject to availability).

NOTES:

Ticket price does not include parking. Parking $10.00, for speedy access to conservation area please have cash ready.

Christie Lake Conservation Area is open only to ticket holders for Harvest Picnic on September 1st.

No Animals or Dogs permitted to the park on show day.

General Info

To make the most out of your picnic experience, here are some quick tips:

Christie Lake is closed to the general public, on Saturday September 1st. You must have an event ticket to enter Christie Lake.

Glass bottles and pets are not allowed on the concert field.

A $10.00 parking fee, is payable at the gate upon entry into Christie Lake.

A disabled parking area is available for those with special needs.

Remember this is an outdoor concert and event and seating is not provided, so please remember your picnic supplies. Items to consider, coolers/cooler bags, lawn chairs, blankets, sunscreen, water bottle canisters, swimming gear, fishing gear etc.

Food and Beverage vendors will be placed throughout the event. You can also bring your own picnic lunch in to the park for the day.

Wine and Beer will be sold on the show field at the beer and wine tent. Visitors are not permitted to bring alcohol into the park.

Camping is not available at Christie Lake, however Valens Conservation Area is located 15 minutes (drive) away at 1691 Regional Road 97 (RR#6), Flamborough, Ontario 905-525-2183 or 519-621-6029. You can also book online at www.conservationhamilton.ca

@HarvestPicnicCA
Harvest Picnic/Facebook

The Josie Dye Interview With Gord

Pin It Now!

I was fucking around on Youtube and came across this Josie Dye interview with Gord Downie from the 102.1 the edge studios back in April of 2009. This was right before the 6 night Massey Hall run. I hadn't seen it before and thought maybe some of you had missed it too. I never realized Josie was such a Hip Geek. I thought that was pretty cool. Anyway, here it is in four parts...

Gord Downie US Tour Dates

Pin It Now!

If you're going to be in the US or you live in the US, here's the 411 on Gord's upcoming tour dates with the Country of Miracles...

GORD DOWNIE TOUR DATES

March 22 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ El Rey Theatre*
March 29 - Chicago, Ill. @ Park West*
March 31 - New York, N.Y. @ Webster Hall*
April 11 - Seattle, Wash. @ Tractor Tavern
April 12 - Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir Lounge
April 14 - San Francisco, Calif. @ Café Du Nord
April 17 - Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
April 21 - Rochester, N.Y. @ The German House Theater
April 22 - Detroit, Mich. @ The Magic Bag
April 23 - Chicago, Ill. @ Lincoln Hall
April 28 - South Burlington, Vt. @ Higher Ground
April 29 - Boston, Mass. @ Johnny D's
April 30 - New York, N.Y. @ Bowery Ballroom
* In support of City and Colour

******************************************************************* The original content and digital art is provided by Tragically Hip Tour. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only. All lyrics and album art are reproduced here for reference and educational purposes only and they belong to the originally credited artist and label.

Gord Downie Fall Tour & Ticket Info

Pin It Now!

September 22
City: Vancouver, BC
Venue: The Vogue
On-Sale: June 25th @ 10AM PST Ticket Information: Tickets available at www.ticketmaster.ca, www.livenation.com, charge by phone 604-280-4444 and at all ticketmaster locations.

September 24
Rifflandia Music Festival
Market Square
Victoria, BC
Tickets On-Sale: June 18
Tickets Available: www.ticketweb.ca , Lyle's Place, Ditch Records and Rifflandia HQ (August)

September 25
City: Mission, BC
Venue: Clarke Theatre
On-Sale: June 25th @ 10AM PST
Ticket Information: Tickets available at http://www.ticketmaster.ca/, charge by phone

September 30
City: Medicine Hat, AB
Venue: Esplanade Arts
On-Sale: June 25th @ 10AM MST
Ticket Information: Tickets available at www.tixx.ca and at the Esplanade Box Office and Medicine Hat Mall

October 2
City: Red Deer, AB
Venue: Red Deer Memorial Centre
On-Sale: NOW
Ticket Information: Tickets available online HERE, or charge by phone at 403-755-6626 or 1-800-661-8793, or in person at the Black Knight Ticket Centre.

October 4
City: Calgary, AB
Venue: Jack Singer Concert Hall
On-Sale: June 25th @ 10AM MST
Ticket Information: Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ca, www.livenation.com, Charge by phone 403-777-0000, or at ticketmaster locations.

October 5
City: Saskatoon, SK
Venue: Odeon Events Centre
On-Sale: June 25th @ 10AM CST
Ticket Information: http://www.ticketmaster.ca, charge by phone 306-938-7800, and at ticketmaster locations

October 15
City: Halifax, NS
Venue: Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
On-Sale: Friday July 9 @ 10:00AM
Ticket Information: HERE, at the Dal Arts Centre Box Office, by phone at 458-8344 (1-888-884-5800) and online at www.sonicconcerts.com

October 16
City: Moncton, NB
Venue: The Centre at Casino New Brunswick
On-Sale: Friday July 9
Ticket Information: Tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.com and at the venue box office.

October 18
City: Fredricton, NB
Venue: Playhouse Theatre
On-Sale: Friday July 9 @ 10:00AM
Ticket Information: Tickets available: Online at https://tickets.theplayhouse.ca/online/ , at the playhouse theatre box office, by phone 494-3820 (1-800-874-1000) and online at www.sonicconcerts.com.

October 19
City: Glace Bay, NS
Venue: Savoy Theatre
On-Sale: Friday July 23 @ 9am.
Ticket Information: Ticket Information: Tickets are available at www.reservatech.net, charge by phone 902-842-1577 and 902-564-6668 and in person at the Savoy Theatre Box office open Monday to Friday 9am-4pm.

October 21
City: Sherbrooke, QC
Venue: Theatre Centennial
On-Sale: June 25th @ 1:00pm EST
Ticket Information: Tickets available at the Centennial box office or charge by phone at 819-822-9692

October 22
City: Quebec City, QC
Venue: Le Cercle
On-Sale: June 25th @ 10AM EST
Ticket Information: Tickets available at www.billetech.com and at Le Cercle.

October 23
City: Montreal, QC
Venue: The National
On-Sale: June 25th @ noon EST
Ticket Information: Tickets available at www.admission.com or charge by phone (514) 790-1245

October 26
City: Oakville, ON
Venue: Oakville Centre
On-Sale: On-Sale now
Ticket Information: Tickets are available at www.oakvillecentre.ca or charge by phone 905-815-2021

October 27
City: Peterborough, ON
Venue: Showplace
On-Sale: June 25th @ 11AM EST
Ticket Information: Tickets on sale at Showplace box office, Moondance, Blue Streak Records, www.showplace.org , or charge by phone at 705.742.7469

October 28
City: Kingston, ON
Venue: Grand Theatre
On-Sale: June 25th @ 12PM EST
Ticket Information: Tickets on sale at The Grand Theatre box office, Brian's Record Option, Tricolour Outlet, www.kingstongrand.ca , or charge by phone at 613-530-2050

October 30
City: Pembroke, ON
Venue: Festival Hall
On-Sale: On-Sale Now
Ticket Information: Tickets on Sale at the Festival Hall Box Office or Charge by Phone at 613-735-2613 or 613-735-2182.
The Box Office is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Summer Hours). Presented by Green Tomato Productions

November 03
City: Parry Sound, ON
Venue: Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts
On-Sale: July 17th @ 9AM EST
Ticket Information: Tickets on sale at at the Stockey Centre box or by phone at 705.746.4466 or 1.877.746.4466 The box office is open Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm.

November 05
City: Toronto, ON
Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre
On-Sale: July 16th @ 10AM EST
Ticket Information: Tickets on sale at Ticketmaster the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Box Office and charge by phone 416-870-8000

Tour dates taken from www.gorddownie.com

11th Fret - The Lost Video

Pin It Now!

Hey All!

Here's Gord rippin' it up. Cool filming and the tune's not bad either :)

********************************************************
Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

Summer Tour

Pin It Now!

I love this time of year. It's the time of year I dream about throughout the winter season. Summer tours, festivals and outdoor shows. Last year at this time I already had 4 Hip shows under my belt and was just about to head down to Pittsburgh & Indianapolis to catch my first shows from Phish 3.0.

As it is this year, a few things have been lined up with more that will likely fall into place as we go along. My first Big show is next weekend on June 12th. I am heading down to Cuyahuga Falls, OH to with my sister & our significant others to see Phish. My sister & I have been on that crazy ride many times before, but the others are virgins and I'm sure this will be an eye-opener to say the least. You would have a hard time convincing me there's a better live act, period. No 2 shows are ever the same.

June 25th is a boys road trip to Rochester, NY for the first show of Furthur's Summer Tour. Dancing with the Deadheads is always a blast and the venue, The Highland Bowl, is perfect for this scene. I swear the trees were breathing last time I was there. They are playing at Artpark too if anyone's interested. Never a bad time:) Great musicianship from living legends.

I'm on the fence about going to Ottawa for the Bluesfest. If I did, it would only be for 1 day, July 7...to see Steel Pulse. It's shitty that they are playing a the same time as Furthur.

As far as the Molson Amphitheatre goes, I'm holding tickets for the Santana/Steve Winwood show and for RUSH. If I opt out of Steel Pulse, The Flaming Lips may also make the list.

I have nothing scheduled for August due to the fact that the woman & I are due to head out west. We're not sure whether we're going to San Fran or Seattle, but I'm sure we'll catch something wherever we go. We usually like to anyways. If it's the bay area I will be paying a premium to see Phish at The Greek in Berkeley, a venue that I haven't seen a show at (yet).

My buddy Sameer was able to secure us tickets for Roger Waters at the ACC. The Saturday night show. It's going to be fucking Epic. We'll have to bring edibles since the place is controlled by Nazis. That's Canada's big problem with concerts and the such (beer gardens??? WTF?), but I will lay off that topic since I have schedule some American stops. Ha ha.

I am going to catch Gord this year. I just haven't decided where. He's playing a free show over in Niagara Falls, NY which may be something to check out. Plus there's the poker rooms over there....

If you have any summer concert plans, I'd love to hear about them. Post a comment or drop a line.

-mrjackstraw

************************************************************
Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

No More Virgin Fests

Pin It Now!

So I read they canceled all the "Virgin Festivals" across Canada. Good. It was all bullshit anyway. Just another way to wrap their logos around music and bands and try to sell you shit, to get you to sign up for this or that and tell you what's cool. Branding. We're sinking in it and starting not to notice. The funny thing is most of the bands who played these things probably railed against such social antics during their rise to prominence only to now suck the Teet of a big payday. The article suggest that maybe it's the economy, but I'm holding out hope that it may be society (youth) smartening up a bit. You can only be shoveled shit for so long, right? Maybe folks want to go somewhere where the music comes first, interactions with friends and others come first. Maybe they just don't want to be sold something every step of the way. Can you draw a parallel between this and the lack of attendance at Blue Jays games where Rogers is force fed to Everyone? I don't know, but you could argue...

Another chit-chat with Gordie put into print ahead of the release of The Grand Bounce. This time it's by Mike Doherty of the National Post.

If Gord Downie didn't exist, Canada would have to invent him. After all, who else unites such a wide spectrum of Canadians, from sensitive nature-worshippers to surly, lager-swilling brawlers? On his new solo album, The Grand Bounce, the Tragically Hip front man even sings about how the two extremes can have more in common than one may suspect -- although he comes down on the side of the softies.

"This country maybe needs to feel more vulnerable, act more vulnerable," Downie says. The rangy singer is elaborating on his song The Hard Canadian in an east-Toronto coffee shop, with a cup of java in front of him. The character is as uncommunicative as a sheet of rock in coldest February, but as Downie sings against a howling backdrop, the Hard Canadian drags a "brush through ... wet pigment," remembering the "glow" of someone's nightgown. His hardness is really just an act.

Read on where it was written...HERE.

********************************************************
Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

Gord Downie Tour Dates

Pin It Now!

OK. Here's the list so far of Gord's scheduled stops in support of his album The Grand Bounce. A lot are at folk and blues festivals so there's an opportunity to catch many other great acts as well.

06/19/10 Belleville, ON
07/01/10 Mississauga, ON
07/03/10 Niagara Falls, NY
07/09/10 Ottawa, ON
07/10/10 Sudbury, ON
07/11/10 Winnipeg, MB
07/15/10 Bala, ON
07/17/10 Windsor, ON
07/18/10 London, ON
07/24/10 Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
07/25/10 Guelph, ON
08/05/10 Edmonton, AB
08/07/10 Hamilton, ON
08/15/10 Salmon Arm, BC

More detailed information is available at www.gorddownie.com

***************************************************************
Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

CHART Attack Gord Downie Review

Pin It Now!

By Aaron Brophy @ CHART Attack....

I'm so jealous of Gord Downie. And it's not because he's considered a Canadian icon, or knows Harry Sinden, or because he's an independently wealthy rock star in The Tragically Hip.

No, it's because I increasingly get the sense that Downie lives his life in a world of magic realism, where the mundane frequently and suddenly becomes the fantastical and with a simple technicolour whirl of his wrists every newspaper clipping or geographical peculiarity he encounters transforms itself into a song.

Meanwhile, I'm back here down on earth worrying about my cat puking more when it gets really hot outside and trying to figure out why my hydro bill is 20 per cent higher.

In short, I'm jealous because Downie gets to be the art. With each passing year it feels more and more like he's transforming into some kind of art elemental, a living-in-his-own-head supernatural vacillating between our terrestrial world and a more sparkling one of his own creation.

The latest prompt for this jealous bolt would be The Grand Bounce, Downie's third solo record. Produced by Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla, it's outwardly the most straight-forward and least "arty" record of his solo career, but that should be considered with some context.

...continue reading HERE.

***************************************************************

Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

Review - Exclaim.ca

Pin It Now!

Gord Downie and The Country of Miracles
The Grand Bounce
By Vish Khanna

Seven years since The Battle of the Nudes, the informal charm of the Country of Miracles is refined on The Grand Bounce, another remarkable offering by Gord Downie. In an introductory essay, Downie playfully recounts the inspiration for these songs, tonally encapsulating his open mindset for this band. Since emerging with 2001's Coke Machine Glow, Downie has explored a looser, relatively more lo-fi sound than that of the Tragically Hip's. And by recruiting underground aces Julie Doiron, Dave Clark, Dale Morningstar, Josh Finlayson and John Press for his band, Downie is surrounded by friends who inspire risk. Overseen by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, there's a hazy summertime vibe to The Grand Bounce that's perfect for cottage escapes and easy evenings. The mood is best exemplified on "Yellow Days," featuring a murky groove propelling its imagery to slow dance like no one's watching. But it's present elsewhere too; the festive stomp of "Moon Over Glenora" features a sweet Downie/Doiron duet and even the dynamic build of "The Dance and its Disappearance" is celebratory fun. Downie's songs may be more structured on The Grand Bounce, but that doesn't curb the Country of Miracles' enthusiasm.

Why spill so many beans in that essay?
Downie: Well, probably like any good fox, to throw off the scent to more beans that could be spilled, I suppose. In the past, I've held onto them like a pie maker who doesn't want you to see how I make it. But there's connectivity; people make things and go through a long, beautiful process to do it. I'd be selfish to not allow people to be part of that.

Your solo work seems less rickety now.
I hear what you're saying. On the earlier records, you could hear chairs scraping, doors closing, muttering and things that gave them a lot of personality. I was more interested in Chris getting together with these guys; his sonic sense with their spirit. It was a hunch that together we'd do something interesting and I think it does still hint at process.

Do you delineate songs for the Country of Miracles and the Hip?
No, I still adhere to the Raymond Carver adage: "Use it up; don't save a thing for later." That lets me sleep at night. I get it and use it and then whatever's up next, I do. (Universal)

Article

***************************************************************
Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

Gord Downie Album & Tour

Pin It Now!

From Chart Attack....

It's been seven years since Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie put out a solo album, but that long gap between records will end on June 8, when his latest solo record drops.

The disc doesn't have a title yet and there's no other information other than a graphic posted on Downie's official website announcing the LP's release date.

At any rate, it will be the follow-up to 2003's Battle Of The Nudes, which featured guest appearances from Julie Doiron, Skydiggers' Josh Finlayson and members of The Dinner Is Ruined (who were billed on the disc and Downie's 2001 Coke Machine Glow debut as The Country Of Miracles).

For now, you can see Downie with The Country Of Miracles at Belleville, Ont.'s Big Music Fest on June 19 at the city's East Zwicks Park.

The lineup also includes sets by headliners ZZ Top along with Collective Soul, Finger Eleven, Big Sugar, Karl Wolf and Danny Fernandes. Tickets are on sale now at Kelsey's in Belleville, Peterborough, Ont. and Lindsay, Ont. and will run you $49.50.

***************************************************************
Original content written and provided by mrjackstraw from Tragically Hip Tour at http://tragicallyhiptour.blogspot.com. All rights reserved. RSS feeds are for non-commercial use only.

WATERLIFE: Filmmaker fears for the Great Lakes

Pin It Now!

Here's a little something that Gord's "lent his voice to". I'm sure most of you know about the Waterkeeper Alliance and what they are trying to do to educate people on the preservation of the Great Lakes and their surrounding areas. If not check out their website.

Special to The Globe and Mail, Monday, Jun. 08, 2009
by Jennie Punter

Although not exactly this year's Jaws – with its well known “Don't go in the water” slogan – Kevin McMahon's new documentary Waterlife is nevertheless must-see cinema for anyone planning to dip a toe into one of the Great Lakes this summer.

The information in this poetic cautionary tale is probably not news to the likes of the film's narrator, Tragically Hip front man Gord Downie, who lives near Lake Ontario and supports the international citizen-led Waterkeeper Alliance. (A new Hip tune Morning Moon plays during Waterlife 's end credits.)

But over the years the state of the Great Lakes, which provide 20 per cent of the planet's fresh water, has fallen off the radar of many North American “users,” asserts McMahon, who grew up in Niagara Falls, Ont., and explored the beauty and hidden horrors of the tourist mecca in his 1991 doc The Falls .

Continute to read the article Here.

WATERLIFE is playing at these theatres in Toronto:

Canada Square (Cineplex)
2190 Yonge St.
Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu: 4:20, 6:50, 9:30

Varsity (Cineplex)
55 Bloor St. W.
Mon: 1:10, 3:50, 6:55, 9:40
Wed, Thu: 1:10, 3:50, 6:50, 9:40

I would recommend the 4:20 shows myself, but that's just me ;)

A list off the top of my head...Water Imagery in Tragically Hip songs:

~All Canadian Surf Club - aaah to be young.
~Another Midnight - this might be the weakest reference of the bunch, but they do say "river". Ha ha.
~Born in the Water - Good ol' English/French relations, eh?
~Daredevil - Brave souls or idiots? Maybe both.
~Nautical Disaster - Nothing to add
~Titanic Terrarium - I see water when I here Titanic. You?
~Poets - Makes me think of topless women swimming. What can I say? If that's not water imagery I don't know what is.
~Membership - Ice fishing
~Chagrin Falls - You say 'falls", I think water.
~Emperor Penguin - So who out there knew of the epic struggle of the Emperor Penguin before March of the Penguins can out? Hands up now.
~Lake Fever - This post's topic
~Sharks - Sharks live in the ocean. The ocean is water. The lines connect.
~The Bear - The Polar Bears are SO fucked. Say goodbye folks.
~The Dire Wolf - I don't want to be Done by no water.
~If New Orleans is Beat - Yep.
~Yer Not the Ocean - Same explanation as Chagrin, but change 'Falls' to 'Ocean'
~The Drop Off - Swimming again.
~Morning Moon - The lakes, the lakes!
~Speed River - Guelph, ON

That's all folks.

I will be adding direct links to audience recordings via my set list reports either from The Hip Tracker or some other source where use is not measured/mandated like etree.org for example.

-mrjackstraw

Pages

Gord Downie & The Sadies Album/Tour

Gord Downie, The Sadies & The Conquering Sun

2013 Summer Tour - Thoughts & Expectations

An Intimate Evening With Gord Downie - May 18, 2013

Happy Birthday Gord! ... and Bob!

Gord Downie on Studio Q

Gord Downie CBC Interview

Gord Downie w/The Sadies at Boots & Hearts Festival

Gord Downie Playing At Harvest Picnic - Sept 1, 2012

The Josie Dye Interview With Gord

Gord Downie US Tour Dates

Gord Downie Fall Tour & Ticket Info

11th Fret - The Lost Video

Summer Tour

No More Virgin Fests

Gord Downie Tour Dates

CHART Attack Gord Downie Review

Review - Exclaim.ca

Gord Downie Album & Tour

WATERLIFE: Filmmaker fears for the Great Lakes

Song Lyrics/DLA

Hip Music Links

Archive

Subscribe via email

Who am I?

Tragically Hip 2009 Tour Stats

Tragically Hip Set List Archive

Essay Posts

Pages

Subscribe via email

Who am I?

Follow Hip Music

Tragically Hip 2009 Tour Stats

Tragically Hip Set List Archive

Essay Posts