2006-06-23 - Toronto, ON - Fort York

Been to a show and would like to give a review?

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googolplex
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Post by googolplex »

Anyone have anything to say about the Sadies? When did they hit the stage? I'm thinking of going down tonight when the gates open at 5, but if I have to wait around for two hours until anyone starts playing that might kind of suck.

I was also thinking of trying to get close to the front by coming early but if the crowd was really that bad, then I'm not so sure. We also have to meet someone down there who is coming later, around 7, was the crowd too rowdy and full for someone to move through it?
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Post by ]V[ANTIS »

NWOntario wrote:Solid show; I'd put it up there as one of the best performances I've ever seen from the band. But the crowd...oh, the crowd. I don't like to bitch about these sorts of things, since they're essentially beyond the band's control--but tonight's crowd was AWFUL. I won't get into a blow-by-blow account of what was going on around me, because I don't want to ruin the memory (seriously, the show was amazing), but I was actually stunned by how drunk, boorish and rough a lot of people were. It wasn't as bad as the crowd in Kingston two years ago, but it certainly gave it a run for its money. Again, I don't want this to diminish the overall experience--but it was pretty hard to ignore.

I'd imagine tomorrow night will be better, at least in terms of the crowd. In terms of the performance? It can't get much better than tonight. wOOt.

Steve
it will be better because i will be there!!!
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Parking?

Post by freddie_hg »

Can anyone who was at the concert last night please tell me what the parking situation was? I will be going tonight, and I want to know if when I arrive if there will be parking, or if I shuold park and ride the TTC.

Thanks
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coldlakeswimmer
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Post by coldlakeswimmer »

I agree with much which has been said about the show. We had a pretty good spot to the right of the stage. In retrospect, when we got there around 8:30 (traffic was brutal) we should have set up right away on the left front for a better view. There were the usual idiots. People were dropping like flies because they couldn't handle their smoke. A lot of cool fun drunk people and a lot of unco-ordinated grogon frat boys and the odd annoying I-can-go-anywhere push you out of the way little twit ( >insert squeeky whine< "what do you meeeeean you won't let me by?"... Uh- because the stage is right in front of me, you moron" :roll: ... sorry but there were a few of those.)

Anyways...

The show was spectacular. Amazing. The sound was great and the guys were entertaining as hell as usual. Gord looked stellar in his hat. He was doing his mike-spins. Ah, Gordie...

One thing not mentioned was his promotion of Bullfrog power- very cool. As an environmentalist I just die when artists use their voices to promote proactive responsiblility for the environment. Very cool that they used it for the show. They definitely practice what they preach. I love that about the Hip. (thanks guys!)

I was sad there was no second encore but with the crowd I wasn't suprised.

Overall a great show, the music was unbelievable. Can't wait for September.

Whoevers going tonight - godspeed and enjoy!
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Post by coldlakeswimmer »

Park @ Ontario Place.
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Post by jonprice34 »

The show last night was fantastic as stated by many, the boys were in great form and I liked the setlist for the most part (no Nautical). My only question/complaint which has been stated by many was some people in the crowd. I don't understand how you can bodysurf/mosh to ABAC or Bobc. Of course that has nothing to do with the band and their performance. Can't wait to hear what they pull out for tonight's show.
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Post by Chris Tanz »

Hip hit the stage spot on 9 pm. and played till spot on 10:45 with one encore.

Fun stuff:

"Ignoring said same of my father ... Mr. Gord Sinclair" -- Fully Completely

"Don't do it Paul. No matter how much I beg. Don't do it Paul. Ok, do it." -- Twist My Arm

Story about love in the time of cholera in 1832 and yellow flags in the harbour and "dozens of people died where you're standing tonight. This is a song about two kids in love who don't give a shit." -- Lake Fever

"Bring the boys home. We shouldn't be paddling after the Americans in a baby-blue canoe. We're peacekeepers." -- Grace Too

And then a big ole rant about smog and fossil fuels and solar power and wind energy and Dalton McGuinty -- Fire in the Hole

Lionized sounded amazing to start the encore and Flamenco was extremely tight. Gems was a great treat, and so was Escape. People were bopping to Fly (more than Lonely End of the Rink) -- I think it's gonna be a hit.

Great night. Although we could've done with another encore and either 50MC or Blow to close it out (you know, if we were being greedy).

ct
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Post by wpghipfan »

From the Toronto Sun:

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/06/24/1650650.html

Rory
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Post by Tthip »

coldlakeswimmer wrote: One thing not mentioned was his promotion of Bullfrog power- very cool. As an environmentalist I just die when artists use their voices to promote proactive responsiblility for the environment. Very cool that they used it for the show. They definitely practice what they preach. I love that about the Hip. (thanks guys!)
From TheHip.com:
This weekend's shows are powered by BullFrog Power!
Image
"We're forced to bed, but we're free to dream"
Dana
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Post by Jack Straw »

First off I want to say great show, great performance by all. It's so nice not to hear the same old same old. Lionized, Flamenco, Gems...these are tunes I used to hear all the time at the shows. No Meridian, no Courage, no Blow, no Bones. Thank you, thank you.

What's with all the bitching about the crowd on this board? I mean it's a concert. What do you expect? There were lots of places to dance and enjoy the show with great people. We made friends with the groups all around us and at one point during NOIS there were five joints going around between the groups. If you don't like the crowd stay home and watch your DVD. Sorry, that's my rant.

To finish on a more positive note besides the show, what a great venue. I got some ggod pics of the stage with the cityscape in the background. The tower looks lit up because the dome's roof is open. I'll post when I get them uploaded. I'm sure there's lots of great pics out there.

If you're going tonight have a blast. It's a Mission Cap kinda night with a little El Dorado on the side. My suggestion is up the left hand side. You can get real close with lots of room for dancing. Nice folk too. You crowd haters have fun too. Just chill. It'll all work out.

Have a grateful day all.

JS
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Post by thecompletist »

Sadies - 6:45
Weakerthans - 7:45
HIP - 8:45 (9pm last night)

The Fully -Twist combo was deadly... highest energy from Gord D in years. Down front every person from 15-50 had the splifs just a fly'in...smoke-fest....... 4-5 songs in the people started LANDING on my wife's head we retreated back to the soundboard area... I loved both spots and the show felt a little old school in terms of the setlist... Gems, Escape, flamenco were great !

I'm down again tonight and glad too! Not sure on location strategy once I get in there...

Jeffro
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Post by trevor »

coldlakeswimmer wrote:Park @ Ontario Place.
Don't park at Ontario Place tonight. The Nine Inch Nails show is on there so unless you want to be stuck in a crowd of 16 thousand leaving from there at the same time as the Hip show lets out, don't do it. I would suggest parking north of the venue and walking down. There are enough side streets and parking lots around there that you will be able to find something there.

Tonight is probably going to be crazy busy anyways: There is the "ladies march" this afternoon; a Jay's game tonight; the NIN concert at the Ampitheatre; the festival at Toronto Island and of course the Hip show.

Good luck to all! See you down there!
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Post by chris »

wpghipfan wrote:From the Toronto Sun:

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/2006/06/24/1650650.html

Rory
Halifax
As web articles tend to disappear:

TORONTO - If Canadian music had its own version of the Olympic torch, someone could have passed it liberally from the Molson Amphitheatre to Historic Fort York last night.

The Tragically Hip played the first of two soldout shows (the second one is tonight) at Fort York. Meanwhile, Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings, formerly of the Guess Who, were performing just down the street.

"It's great to be here in the cradle of the Gardiner Expressway," Hip lead singer Gord Downie said, "protected from the lake at all times."

Downie's observation notwithstanding, the Fort York venue - with the CN Tower protruding majestically in the East behind the stage - was one of the stars of the night as the Hip played a generally excellent show.

Fort York holds 6,500 for concerts, but in recent years it has become more associated with a beer festival. Then again, a Hip concert is kind of like a mini-beer festival anyway.

The crowd was more subdued than at other manic Hip concerts over the past 15 years. But maybe that was because the fans actually could hear every note and every lyric.





For an outdoor venue, the sound at Fort York was shockingly crisp. And that also allowed the patrons to make out every nuance in Downie's trademark demented diatribes.

During Fire In The Hole, the final song of the three-song encore, Downie went on an extended rant about air quality.

"Stop killing us slowly," Downie yelped. "Don't believe (Ontario Premier) Dalton McGuinty - he's full of s---."

And what would the evening be without a history lesson from Downie, with his standard twisted ending?

"I know you don't want to hear it, but in 1832 there was a cholera epidemic up and down the lake," Downie said. "Many people died where you stand tonight. And now here's a song about two young people who don't give a s---."

Hmm, Downie sure likes that 'S' word.

Musically, highlights included Poets, Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin' Man and My Music At Work, which closed the main set. And it was great to hear New Orleans Is Sinking, after it understandably fell out of vogue in the wake of Hurricane Katrina last year.

It says a lot about the Hip's confidence playing in Toronto that they could open with a new song - The Lonely End Of The Rink - and not risk a Fort York rebellion. That tune presumably will be on the Hip's new studio CD this fall.

The Hip - Downie, lead guitarist Rob Baker, rhythm guitarist Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay - has been around long enough to become part of Canadian music's DNA.

Like Bachman-Cummings, the Hip's fame these days is based more on familiarity than surprises. But if last night is any indication, the Tragically Hip still is a long way from needing hip surgery.
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Post by lampshade29 »

how were the sadies last night??

I'm super excited to see two of my top four bands on the same bill!
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Post by laskosean »

Hello all,

20-something show for me and would rank it top five for sure as far as quality of performance. Sound at Fort York was phenominal!!! But as many have already said, the crowd was dreadful!!!

Two things of note: This was the drunkest hip show I've ever seen, and the one with the youngest crowd. I mean...two thirds of the people there had to be between 15-19. Lots of trash at the show just looking to get drunk and fight. Big fistfight broke out right in front of me at the end of the show (near the stage). Again....dreadful.

I was very close and could see Gord was getting pretty annoyed. During a song he had the accoustic strapped on for (I can't remember which one), a fan threw their hat at Gord and it got wedged between him and his guitar. After grabbing it, throwing it down on the ground, and kicking it back into the audience, Gord said "I'm sorrry, honestly really sorry. So sorry I kicked that hat at you. However, I doubt that you would have given me the same response." Ouch! During Unplucked Gems, he just sat on one of the speakers for the entire song gazing out at the crowd with a hint of disdain in his eyes. I've never seen him do that before. He just looked PISSED.

However, not all was sour. Most of the shenanigans went on during the middle of the set. All was good during the first 6-7 songs, and the last 6-7 songs.

Highlight was definitely the entire encore. Lionized was AWESOME. The Flamenco performance was truly remarkable. And they closed the show with the best Fire in the Hole I've ever seen.

Very much looking forward to tonight. Let's hope the crowd is a little better!

Cheers.
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