08/04/09: Prairieland Park Grandstand: Saskatoon, SK

[sean.bonner]

Post your review.

[jvjones]

Eight days away. Who from the Base is attending? And can anyone confirm the venue set up...I believe it's general admission for about 2500 to 3000???

[thedarkcanuck]

i will be there, meeting up with a buddy coming up from the vag, no idea about the set up but if its only for 3000 or so....that will be super duper

[jvjones]

Well "dc"...looks like it's just you and me! Actually I'm pretty sure bauer will be there too, but I don't think he posts on here a lot lately.
Weather forecast doesn't look that good for Saskatoon all week, not good for their exhibition crowd. At least we'll be inside for the show.

[Summiteer]

. At least we'll be inside for the show.

You mean under something? Its at the grandstand isn't it? If it rains the crowd on the ground level will get wet, but the folks under the grandstand might get spared, Wish I was goin...Blue rodeo's gonna be playing a few days later.

[jvjones]

. At least we'll be inside for the show.

You mean under something? Its at the grandstand isn't it? If it rains the crowd on the ground level will get wet, but the folks under the grandstand might get spared, Wish I was goin...Blue rodeo's gonna be playing a few days later.

Well...that actually sounds right...I'm from Regina and anyone I ask from Saskatoon is clueless about the venue. Outdoor actually sounds more likely...and the Weather network just calls for cloudy skies Tuesday night.
Where ever it is I'll be there!!!

[mojo_mattv]

i will be there, meeting up with a buddy coming up from the vag, no idea about the set up but if its only for 3000 or so....that will be super duper

Excuse my Ontarian ignorance, but what the hell is "the vag". Is it an awesomely hilarious nickname for Regina (I hope so). Sounds like that place is hot and sticky...

[thedarkcanuck]

lol, regina is the the city that rhymes with fun

[pipe77]

The capacity is definitely more than a few thousand I think. If it was only that size, it would be long sold out. Found an article from a couple years back saying 12700, but that sounds far too large to me. ?? http://www.canada.com/saskatoonstarphoe ... ca506ce876

The grandstand seating area (hard wood benches with concrete floor/steps) is covered, but there is a fairly large asphalt standing area (uncovered) between the grandstand and the stage. The pro of the grandstand: you get a nice view of the exhibition lights at night. The cons: very unconfortable seating covered in pigeon shit. Don't look up. But I imagine anyone on this forum will not be sitting back in the grandstand.

[janitz]

Show was awesome (even though the sound seemed overly distorted, couldn't really understand what was being said when it deviated from the standard lyrics).

Was very happy to have heard Fiddler's Green.

[dirtyepic]

Very awesome show. Enjoyed it much more than the World Container show in Regina (Brandt Centre acoustics are awful). The stage was outdoors at the grandstand at the Saskatoon Exhibition. It was a very friendly crowd with a lot of people coming in from the fair, and a lot of kids, and Gord jumped down off the stage to mingle mid-song quite a few times. There was a good vibe and the band really seemed to be having fun. Fiddler's Green was added impromptu to the acoustic set at a fan's request. Wheat Kings really hit home. The sound seemed fine to me, though I agree some of the rants got lost in the background, but that's usually true of any show. I wish they had played Country Day, but you can't have everything.

[Tthip]

http://www.thestarphoenix.com/entertain ... story.html

Tragically Hip light up the Ex


By Bill Robertson, For The StarPhoenix

What a way to start the Ex!

Towering above the pretzel, ice cream and spudnut stands -- and all those kind people offering to sell us raffle tickets -- sits a large grandstand, full of good, loud music.

The Tragically Hip, touring their most recent album, We Are the Same, blasted the Ex's opening night Tuesday into outer space. And the outer space was calm.

All day, the weather had been iffy, with rain at noon, but by showtime the sky was dark but holding, the ferris wheel turning and the Hip burning.

Kingston, Ont.'s finest -- excepting, of course, Sir John A. Macdonald -- opened hard and happy with one of the band's gem of gems, New Orleans is Sinking. The crowd went nuts, leaping to its feet and rushing the stage.

Lead vocalist Gordon Downie was in fine form in a white shirt with black pants and vest. Just after getting the crowd all worked up, he and the band slowed things right down for the multi-part Depression Suite from the new album. But things weren't slow for long.

The familiar strains of Poets, from Phantom Power, got things all revved up again, Downie doing a manic version of a Scottish hornpipe, one hand on his crotch, the other holding a white handkerchief to his tailbone.

From there, he and the band -- Paul Langlois on rhythm guitar, Gord Sinclair on bass, Johnny Fay on drums and Rob Baker on lead guitar -- took us through the much-loved Ahead By a Century, Fireworks, with its great lyrics about "loosening my grip on Bobby Orr," the country-sounding Morning Moon and another favourite, Courage.

As a big evening moon started slowly to appear in the southeastern sky, the Hip went acoustic and did Thompson Girl, yet another from Phantom Power (isn't that an album!!), Coffee Girl, from the new album, and one Downie said they never, ever, ever, do in concert, but would do tonight for "the cat with the sign." That was Fiddler's Green, stretching back to 1991's Road Apples. The crowd adored it.

As of press time, the Hip stuck to their acoustic guns and dedicated the iconic Wheat Kings to David Milgaard and Gail Miller, part of what Downie called the "great Canadian tradition of human fallibility."

Yes, rock 'n' roll, politics and the Tragically Hip. Another great Canadian tradition.

[Summiteer]

Anyone have a setlist?

[jvjones]

Setlist
New Orleans
Depression Suite
Poets
ABAC
Fireworks
Morning Moon
Courage
Thompson Girl - ac
Coffee Girl - ac
Fiddlers Green - ac
Wheat Kings - ac
Springtime
100th Meridian
The Last Recluse
In View
Bobcaygeon
Family Band
Music at Work
Blow at High Dough
encore
Love is a First
Grace Too

Have to agree with the Star Pheonix review, and others...it was a great show. Definitely a greatest hits type set with no real surprises, but no complaints from me...I'd have loved a few rarities, but the band delivered what the majority of the crowd was there for. As mentioned, Fiddlers Green was an audience request, and Gord made specific mention about our right to freedom of expression...never did see what the sign said, but it worked, as that was one of the great moments.
Pretty cool to see a couple of 8 or 9 year olds on their parents shoulders lovin the show, and Gord took notice of them as well. Gord was animated and interactive and really enjoying himself...pretty agile with the soccer style pick-ups of the white hankies, and the microphone as well. The rest of the band was totally on as well, and I really noticed that the background vocals were dead on...Grace Too, ABAC,etc, just had the prefect feel in the vocals.
Only 5 songs from the new album and that was about right...LAst Recluse and Coffee Girl are my favorites from the album...Depression Suite really perks up in a live setting...and Love Is a First rocked the place, Johnny was kickin ass on that tune.
We were about 20 rows back on the floor and the sound was really good...some friends started out in the grandstand and said the sound was terrible, so they moved down on to the ground.
Well behaved crowd...a few drunks and a little jostling but nothing got out of hand.
Thanks to MArk at the sound board for the copy of the setlist!!!
Thats all I can think of for now...cheers!

[Tthip]

Thompson Girl - ac
Coffee Girl - ac
Fiddlers Green - ac
Wheat Kings - ac

So they played 4 acoustic songs?