02/08/07: Toronto: Air Canada Centre

[opiated]

hey..i went bowling with my co-workers tonite..a shitty hip show would have been better!!

[cheney50mc]

I aggree with Cubby, this was a fairly mediocre set-list.

BEST view and BEST sound ever, this was my 21st show.

But alot of it seemed like I was wathing the DVD in 3D IMAX.

I thought they would at least play 50MC 2nd and shake things up a bit.

No Grace OR Nautical, seems like they play both or neither of them.

It was friends first Hip show and I made sure he was prepared and he loved it.

I was fantastic to watch the show from where I was and I made sure to try and enjoy all the songs I've seen over and over - New O, Fully, ABAC, Poets, Sprintime ect.

It was worth it for Fiddler's and 50MC

******
I seriously think I was next to Gord's dad. He looked about 60 and he waved to Gord when they played the cover song AND he knew the words, it was kind of like the band played it for him.
Has anyone ever seen him before?
****

[cubby]

I agree Opiated...I'd rather be at this Hip show than anywhere else...except for every other Hip show on this tour...I just thought that Toronto would rock, and not just because it was Toronto. I love all of Canada and I don't think that Toronto is Mecca, I just thought that they would put on a memorable show before they toured the U.S.

[thecompletist]

We all see a different show regardless of what happens on stage and there are no rules here on the type of review one must report... just to support that... Fiddlers Green was one of the best song performances I have personally seen... forget the "why"...it just was....for me.... they were bang on!

On the other hand when I heard The Drop Off... I wanted them to play another 14 songs with that same energy..... so I could join in on bash'n some Mic-stands...'.

As Gord would say.. "It Can't Be Nashville Every Night..."

[gratts99]

i cant believe that i got the same setlist except for 50 and bob c. Practically the same order too as hamilton. Just my luck that i see no 38 years old and no on the verge out of 2 shows in 3 nights. Really disappointed , i really thought i at least get some locked or something on, i mean they gotta figure that the fans would prolly go to both shows.

Oh well, 50 rocked the house and the boys were solid as always, gord gave out 2 mic stands (in numerous pieces) and a hanky.

Peace out

[bornalion]

I'm hungry

[srb]

My wife and I had a great time tonight. We didn't get a chance to see any other shows on this tour, so for us it was a treat to see the Hip play the ACC from 9th row center. I don't think I've been closer for an arena show before. This was my 21st Hip show, and my wife's 9th, and for the first time, my wife actually had somebody shorter stand in front of her. She finally got to see the entire concert!

No complaints from me tonight. A great solid show. No rarities other than the covers, but fun nonetheless.

[GBV]

I'm a long-time Hip fan and Hipbase member, but not one who posts often on Hipbase, not because I don't know what I'm talking about but because people on this blog love the Hip no matter what they do...even when what they do is mediocre or worse. I thought tonight's show was weak. I'm glad I made the trip to Barrie last Friday because this show really let me down and the Barrie show was great! When I heard Neil Young being played as part of the house music tonight, I thought we might be in line for a sweet encore. Didn't happen. Moreover, when the Hip start to rock, I don't want to hear Long Time Running Or Fiddler's Green. Please, what's so good about those songs!? I'd rather hear Vaccination Scar or No Threat...or anything but these tunes. I thought the Hip would rock Toronto tonight but they didn't...and a four song encore instead of a three song encore doesn't make me feel any better. That Bowie tune sucks even when Bowie sings it. Sorry if you can't handle the fact that the Hip shat the bed tonight.

playing slower numbers during a set is "pace setting" and it gives a concert a feel that isn't just one dimensional.

[GBV]

from the sun:

Air Canada Centre, Toronto - February 8, 2007

By SHERRI WOOD - Sun Media

TORONTO - Last night on SUN TV's Canoe Live I said I was surprised Torontonians are still into The Tragically Hip.

After last night's Hip show at the Air Canada Centre, I'm decidedly eating my words.

Seems the good ol' Canadian boys are still solid live performers after 20 years of bandhood -- even indoors at the cavernous ACC in the middle of February.

There was never any doubt Gord Downie et al could impress at any outdoor, grassy-knoll, Canada Day affair. But it was questionable whether their brand of patriotic, homegrown beer rock could translate well in an urban arena.

Yet, they pulled it off.

The Kingston-born quintet (fronted by Downie and rounded out by guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay) gave the approximately 20,000 loyal fans a heady mix of old favourites and newbie material from their latest effort, World Container (which was produced by Canadian rock vet Bob Rock, and for which they received four Juno nominations this week).


Highlights included Bobcaygeon (which Downie dedicated to "the lovers" in the crowd), In View (the new album's lead single), the ever-cheeky Poets, Courage, World Container and a long, jammy version of At The Hundredth Meridian, which included a brief jaunt into The Police's Walking On The Moon.

A performance artist in his own right, it was Downie, mostly, who kept the machine afloat.

He said very little, but dressed all in black, the 43-year-old herked and jerked and writhed and wiggled around the stage with a mic stand in one hand and a white handkerchief in the other.

His enthusiasm was always met with matching enthusiasm from the crowd, who sang along faithfully to familiar material, even when Downie strayed from familiar lyrical rhythms (most noticeably during Ahead By A Century).

Ballads, including Long Time Running and Fiddler's Green, got a classic lighters-in-the-air tribute -- a welcome reprieve from the waving sea of dull, blue-glowing cellphones that usually takes over at concerts these days.

The Tragically Hip prove time and time again that they can please a crowd -- especially a Canadian crowd.

Really, they're the comfort food of rock, firmly rooted in our national identity, and it's hard not to get into their bluesy brand of mashed potatoes.

Watch for their performance at this year's Juno Awards, taking place in Saskatoon on April 1.

[thompson girl]

Ze cover was "Diamond Dogs" by David Bowie.

How the hell did I come up with the Ramones?

[cochise]

Well, as others have put it, it was a “solid” show, nothing out of the ordinary.

I thought the setlist was a little bland. I honestly think you could have called any local radio station and asked “what are the top 20 Hip songs you play” and this was the list…………..

Disappointed that they really didn’t throw one or two “gold nuggets” in there. Yes it was nice to hear Fiddler’s Green, but FG + Bobcaygeon + Wheat Kings + Ahead By A Century + LTR………….just seemed to underpace the show to me…………….

As for the cover song, for a split second I thought they had broke into “Just As Well”…………nope, no luck…..

Anyways, still a great show, but not what I was expecting for the final Canadian show (for this leg anyways)…………

Not sure if anyone noticed the hoopla in section 117 during Bobcaygeon. Seems two guys were sitting in seats that were not theirs and did not want to move even when asked by security. Anyways a big battle royale broke out with about 10 security guards and then about 5 police…………..it was about 9 rows up on Rob’s side, kind of funny to see him do a quick double take look……….I didn’t realize BC brought out so much anger in some…………

[thecompletist]

Being in the Front Row sure helps getting a couple of decent photo's even with a 6 year old Digital Sony & amateur style.

It was good standing on Bobby's side because I snapped plenty of Bobby, Gord S. and a few of Johnny... instead of being being heavy on the Downie-Trigger as we all tend to... although I did get a "money" shot or 2.

Couple decent ones showing those who didn't make a show this tour the backdrop and video. Enjoy.

http://picasaweb.google.com/thecompleti ... ipFeb82007

[sherpa]

I've seen a lot of Hip shows. Some are sublime and others are good. I agree that last night's show was good. Not weak, just good. I guess I have found ever since the Evening With tour, that the shows that make it to Toronto always end up being pretty much the same. They play a bunch of stuff from the new album within the framework of a greatest hits show. I don't find much daringness in their setlists. I know that they are not going to come out and play 23 non radio songs (which would be an awesome show in my opinion, regardless of what songs they were). But at the same time, I really don't go hoping to hear New Orleans Is Sinking...or Poets....or Courage.... or 50MC.... or Blow at High Dough.... or Little Bones .... or even Bobcaygeon. I know why they play them, and I know that Toronto is usually the last show of the tours so they tend to be Hits heavy, I just wish they would mix it up a bit.

That being said, last night they did do Wheat Kings and Fiddler's Green which really were both awesome. The arrangements really produced a great atmosphere for an arena version of these songs. Long Time Running was also good to hear.

For the new songs, some sounded great like World Container (or maybe I just love the song and really was looking forward to hearing it). The Drop Off sounded like mud, as did In View and The Kids Don't Get It (neither do I). Rink sounded ok. Family Band was great as was Yer Not The Ocean. Overall though, from where I was on the floor, directly in front of the soundboard, it all sounded rather bottom end heavy, like two distorted Les Pauls being played at max volume through Fender amps. The subtleties of the high end of songs such as In View and Springtime In Vienna was "murked out" or missing altogether from the sound.
It was great to hear Diamond Dogs which I thought sounded excellent, made even better by all the Kids Who Didn't Get It (I did). The look of confusion and the "dude is this a new one" comments were priceless (almost a highlight).

The other problem I had with the show (which I'm sure would be other peoples reason for loving it) was that they didn't play a single song from M@W, IVL or IBE. Only 2 songs from PP, 2 from Trouble at the Henhouse, 1 from DFN, yet they played 5 from Fully Completely.

Ultimately, though I really just wanted to hear Sherpa or Titanic Terrarium........ or Sharks, or Darkest One, or Dire Wolf, or Nashville, or Stay, or The Completists, or Wild Mountain Honey, or Vapour Trails, or Chagrin Falls, or The Rules, or Escape, or Emperor Penguin, or Don't Wake Daddy, or Fight, or On The Verge, or The Luxury, or Opiated, or Trickle Down, or .... ok I'll get my coat.

[grimes]

Disappointed that they really didn’t throw one or two “gold nuggets” in there. Yes it was nice to hear Fiddler’s Green, but FG + Bobcaygeon + Wheat Kings + Ahead By A Century + LTR………….just seemed to underpace the show to me…………….

I second that. I was really surprised that we got all 5 of those as well. All fantastic songs, but after getting Wheat Kings, ABAC, and Fiddler's in Hamilton I'd have been fine with just hearing Bobcaygeon and LTR tonight (though after all these years of wanting to hear FG, I'm not going to complain about getting it two shows in a row). Other than a bit of disappointment with the setlist (16 songs repeated from Hamilton), I thought it was another terrific performance by the boys.

I was in the 3rd row tonight, and what a difference that was over the being in the bowl on Tuesday. Got to our seats about 5 minutes before the boys took the stage (living across the street from the venue has it's benefits). Spoke briefly to a hipbaser in front of me wearing a McCabe jersery who was filming - sorry I didn't get your name - I was the bearded guy wearing the toque behind you. I took a ton of pics and will post some tonight once I sort through them.

Highlights were FG, LTR, and obviously 50MC. There's something special about hearing that song and looking up to the rafters to see Barilko's #5 hanging there, and the '51 and '62 Cup banners directly across from it. Really makes me wish I could have seen the boys play back at the Gardens. Each time Gord got to the "won the Leafs the cup" line, he raised the mic stand over his head with both hands like it was Lord Stanley's mug and kissed it. It was the closest us Leafs fans have come to seeing someone lift the cup in this city since '67 Other highlight was the extra song during the encore...I thought it was over when they started Fire and was disappointed they'd end on the same song two nights in a row, but sure enough they stuck around and played Little Bones after. Didn't get to cross any songs off my 'list' tonight, but I guess that just means I'll have to keep coming back for more. Overall a solid night, I give it an 8 out of 10.

[Tthip]

How the hell did I come up with the Ramones?

You must have been sedated.