2011-07-01 - Downsview Park, Toronto

[BuffaloHipFan]

Outdoor Hip Shows at Darien Lake were awesome. Too bad they don't play there anymore. Similar venue to Molson Amp. except it is the middle of nowhere (half way between Buffalo and Rochester) and the lots open at noon for tailgating and anything goes.

Even the lawn is decent.

[redhill]

Happy I didn't buy tickets for Edmonton.
Looking forward to a theater tour

feel exactly the same way

pretty discouraging to see the amount of unhappy posts...

I'm too old to put up with that general admission bullshit anymore

[Stayhip]

Great post Pat! My other dissapoinment was I didn't get to keep my ticket stub, not even a piece of it which was torn right in half with no respect whatsoever! If anybody out there has a ticket I would be willing to pay for it.

[mrsardo]

I may have to eat my words in the Bobcaygeon thread about liking huge, outdoor Hip shows.



Any regrets in going? Absolutely not! I never regret seeing these guys. I like to sing along, and I like to dance. The more shows I can do that at, the better!

You shoulda came for Broken Social Scene too! They were pretty amazing! I was about thirty rows back, so I got a close up view, but had to dodge the odd crowd-surfer! I loved it! The craziness will make me appreciate a proper Hip show in the future!

[ashtrayrock]

Great post Pat! My other dissapoinment was I didn't get to keep my ticket stub, not even a piece of it which was torn right in half with no respect whatsoever! If anybody out there has a ticket I would be willing to pay for it.

i got u covered!
just pm me yer addy. no worries. no money needed.
i complained too, cause i keep my stubs as well, and the the nice lady walked me up to the garbage can she was throwing them out in, and i picked up a couple of extras out of the garbage. wtf!

oh, my review...
i knew exactly what to expect going in. been there done thatx10
i was very happy with vip at the back. relaxed scene around us
nice to not deal with port-a-potties!
was there a better way to spend canada day? hello!

[patiodweller]

Just got back from our Toronto vacation. Have been meaning to post here since I first arrived at Downsview Hell on Friday. Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Thank Baby Jesus the HIP are the world's greatest band and the performance was good but if I didn't already have Bluesfest tickets, I would want NOTHING to do with the rest of the tour. It was the worst concert experience of my life. It was my fiance's first time seeing the HIP live and what a shame that she had to see them in that horrific concert set-up that was designed by an insane person. I couldn't mean that more literally. The concert was managed and set up by an insane person. As many of you have noted, the VIP section was in no way shape or form a VIP section. Nice bathrooms IF you could find them, and I can overlook the asinine drink prices and poor food selection, sure, but the several thousand people in General who had a view of the stage and us scammed bastards in VIP!? We were at the front of the VIP section and watched the whole show on the screen. It was that or stare at speakers and towers from afar. The security was a joke. The Police thought it was G20 (one cop grabbed a steal gate and ploughed through my fiance with it with no warning (trying to put a gate back in place that was knocked out of place by 25,000 people trying to get out the main exit)) and the TTC had the subway system shut down between Finch and Eglington, so there were thousands of people stranded there with one little bus showing up every 6 minutes to a mob stampeded. Not that the Police and TTC are the HIP's fault but the HIP need to know not to have a concert at Downsview park (ACC, SkyDome, Molson Amphitheatre are all good, why Downsview??).

[WesleyC.]

Jesus Christ in a handbag. What a bunch of candy ass whiners.
So the beer lineup was long, the food sucked, venue sucked, beer was overpriced, vips got screwed, washrooms were fucked. Drunks everwhere , jerks everywhere, same setlist as Bobcageyon, now your only going to indoor shows with a seat.
f**k were all gettin old.
Were like fat elvis now. All bloated and shit and complaining and constipated.
It was a concert, we went, we trash it or love it but it is what it is.
A live concert with lots of people.
It was my 17th show. 2 of which I cant even remember when they were but I know we went those years. Anywho. Yea I went with 20 other people. We rented a bus limo. so no driving. drank on the bus. got off to a drunk guy passed out, made the most of it and took funny pics of us all standing around him poking him, then a crack ho type girl came over in a bikini and gave him a lap dance he prob didnt even know he got. Then we all took off inside and seperated, 1 guy with us didnt even get in as the cops said he was to drunk or high. My wife and I and a friend made our way straight down to the front with the old "excuse me, we are coming back from the washroom and need to get to our friends" line, and this was during weezer, everybody was nice enough to let us thru. Then we got about 15 feet from the stage and decided that we were close enough. Pounded a few beachballs around, lifted a few people over my head who were body surfing. dodged a frizbee, lost my baseball hat during a big mosh/shoving crowd arrived. Hip came on, we took a ton of great pictures. Then after about 6 songs we realized it was the same set list as Bobcageyon which we were up front for also, and then we decided to go walk around and check out the crowd and mabey get some food. Took a few videos from the back near the food stands also. Lots of people singing out loud, no drunks slobering on anybody, didnt see any fights, left at beginnin of encore to get on our party bus for the ride back. All in all it was a fun day. Im not really sure if bitching about lineups and getting ripped off with the prices of things is really what is going on here, I think were all just older and pissed that we are no longer 20 anymore. Because it sure did seem to me like all those 20 year olds were having a super great time.
The show was great but the only thing worth bitching about in the big picture of things is that it was almost the exact same set list. I did expect about half dozen diff songs.
You will see me in the Documentary. Im the cool guy singing my face off at Bobcageyon with my wife and kids. I hope they got my good side.

[thebends]

... My wife and I and a friend made our way straight down to the front with the old "excuse me, we are coming back from the washroom and need to get to our friends" line, and this was during weezer, everybody was nice enough to let us thru...

At least you didn't plough through like most drunken 20 year olds.

I don't disagree completely with what you are saying. I've always thought GA outdoor type concerts can leave a lot to be desired and a seasoned music lover should know what to expect. In general I find promoters are trying to squeeze as much $ margin as possible at the expense of the consumer which is wrong. Some are better than others, for example Coachella and Lollapalooza, but for the most part I still feel like we are treated like heards of money bags.

And you are correct I'm much less tolerant of it in my older age.

[WesleyC.]

You want to get screwed even more, go to a Hockey game to watch the leafs lose. Have you seen the $6 slice of pizza and how small it is, or the $5 pretzel. Not to mention the price of seats or hockey souviners, even the parking is $20 to $30. Or you can try a blue jays game, good seats now go for about $80 for half decent and thats not even the best. Then you can fork over $11 for a tall boy beer or $6 for an icecream for your kid. Nahhhhhh I dont think the Downsview Park show was overpriced much compared to the corporate crap that goes down on a daily basis at the ACC or Rogers center.

And at least at a Hip show your GUARENTEED a winning show.

[fatfranki]

I loved the show! It doesn't get any better then the Hip on Canada Day, outdoors. I loved the set list too; I guess becasue the last time I saw them was Harris Park in London and not a week ago in Bobcaygeon. Everyone around us was having a grest time and singing to every song, made me feel warm and fuzzy We had VIP tickets and it was worth every penny, no beer lineups, posh washrooms with fake wood grain panelling and easy exit. Had a room at the Montecassino just around the corner; did a bit of tailgating before the show and laughed at the '20' year olds getting shitfaced. Weezer was awesome and what a fireworks show! I'm getting too old for this shit too, but I had a fucking great time!

[eatmecompletely]

set list?

[thebends]

set list?

Same as Bobcaygeon minus the second encore according to someone that attended the show.

[buffalorob]

The Hip on Canada Day, oh the memories of Molson Park in Barrie. A great venue, with assorted foods and many beer tents to choose from, with reasonable prices and Canadian beer!. Only the drive sucked.
Now 2011, and another Canada Day w/ the Hip! A friend and I (both in our 40s) arrived early enough to park at the Market building next to the venue entrance w/o paying, and we were able to tailgate 'til the doors opened w/o security visitors. Entry with no pat down (thank you) into a bowled, fenced in area. All food tents (sandwiches, pizza, and fried crap) along the back, beer tents (serving only Bud for an insane $8) on the far side, bathrooms off to the side, front and back. A money grab is the best way (and only way) to describe the venue (6 pack and a pizza - $70).
Didn't really see the first band as we bought our beer tickets and scoped out the fenced in plot. The rest of the bands were good...Hey Rosetta sounded like another quality Canadian band, and Broken Social Scene jammed much harder than I thought they would (they'll get my $25 next time they're through Buffalo). By this time we met up w/ friends and worked our way up towards the front. After BSS, I was able to go the the bathroom, get beers, and be back in time for Weezer. Granted, I walked to the farthest bathrooms, past the long lines, and then on to the farthest beer tent, again past the long lines. After getting my beer, I walked back behind the tents, where it was less crowded, and back into the crowd to work my way back to my friends. (Lesson is, QUIT GETTING IN THE FIRST LINE YOU SEE!) ...and yes, I hate crowd surfers and getting kicked in the head, and don't feel sorry for the girl who has her top ripped off while doing so, or the idiot that lands head first (did I do that?) Weezer kicked but, and it was great to have the opportunity to see them. The Hip were solid, but the set list a bit boring...new stuff is great, always love when both Fully and Nautical are played, like World Container stuff, but Fiddlers and Wheat Kings? Please, please, please stop playing them when I go!
We stayed for the whole show, making our way out during the fireworks. Our parking spot allowed us to bypass the back up in the paid lot, and we were home in Buffalo by 1:30. We had a great time, albeit a touch expensive.
For those going to Buffalo expecting a different scene, the venue will be packed (oversold I hear), the beer will be cheap ($3) and Canadian (Labatts), but the lines will be long, and don't forget to buy your tickets for them as soon as you get there. And don't bother seeing the Arkells, as this will allow my friends and I time to get up front.

[fingernailsonhull]

Here's a review of the Downsview show:
http://www.chartattack.com/reviews/2011 ... the-crowds

It also adequately summarizes how I felt about the Edmonton show.

[taylorjade.]

this is an old post, but i saw the Hip for the first time at the downsview Canada Day show, and despite any of the stuff a lot of other posters were whining about i thought the show was fantastic!!

could the area/security/food/misc stuff have been planned out better? suuuure.
i was up near the front pretty close to the stage for the most part of the show and i was trampled and thrown around quite a bit but it just added to the fun and excitement


the Hip played an awesome show and i am very glad i was a part of it.
i thought the setlist was awesome.

of the other bands i think i only really enjoyed Weezer but seeing the Hip was all i really needed anyway