With a delirious sold-out crowd at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston hanging on his every word—and countless more fans watching on TV at home or at public screenings—Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie delivered what many fear was his final performance on Saturday, Aug 20.
From the outpouring of support, and tears, it’s clear the Tragically Hip will always have a home in the hearts of Canadians.
As word spread of Downie’s incurable brain cancer in recent months, it quickly became clear how widespread the band’s influence has been in shaping the country’s popular culture.
“They always forced me, and I think they forced a lot of fans, to really look at the country they’re part of, and make the country better,'‘ says Joshua Kloke, who wrote ”Escape is at Hand: Tales of a Boy and a Band,’' a book that pays tribute to the cultural impact of the Hip.
“I don’t think they set out to be Canada’s band. ... They share a very sincere love for their country. I don’t think it has to be an overtly patriotic thing.'’
Over the past 30-plus years, the Tragically Hip have injected local culture and pride into many of their songs, like “The Darkest One,'‘ in which Downie sings about an escape to warmth from the ”thin and wicked Prairie winds.’‘ “Goodnight Attawapiskat’‘ is an angsty tribute to the troubled First Nation community, and then there’s ”Bobcaygeon,’' a town north of Peterborough, Ont., that has become almost intrinsically linked with the band.
