The Titanic Terrarium

spottrax wrote:

BakersBrew wrote:We are spoiled? Correct me if I am wrong....but...don't we pay for the tickets? They are getting payed big bucks to live the rock and roll dream. They completely sucked last night. I have seen them since 1989 when they were playing the Q107 concert series at the Ontario Place Forum. Last night was embarrassing. Not the Hip most of us have been "spoiled" with in the past. On a side note...I vote Watertown for Whitetrashville Award Winner of 2011, and I think there is a good chance you guys could repeat next year.

Actually YES, we have been spoiled. How many bands have presented new music every year or two? Remained the same 5 members? Toured North America and Europe with awesome tours for each album? Kept ticket prices below or near what other bands charge? Varied their setlists for us hardcore fans? In fact 2009's ticket prices for those absolutely incredible shows were well below any other show of a band that level. YES we were spoiled. The Hip are in a tough spot. With the music industry as it is now, Downie not able to push his voice (hense the wonderful acoustic sets in 2009) and more importantly, the us/ca boarder crossing becoming a very difficult task for us fans, the band knows they have to modify what they do.

As a fan, I simply won't trash the band on here or say they suck or ripped me off etc (free speech...have at it....they're fair game just like any other artist), I just won't go see them anymore. There's always the bootlegs and their cd's. I for one appriciate the Hip for adding to the soundtrack of my life.

You make some good points. Agreed. I don't like the word spoiled though. I think the fans have supported them for a long time now and deserve some rare treats. The Hip have been quoted many times with respect to changing things up and evolving as a band. I just think they contradict themselves with respect to their live show (outdoor shows anyways). That being said, they just weren't themselves last night.

spottrax wrote:The Hip are in a tough spot. With the music industry as it is now, Downie not able to push his voice (hense the wonderful acoustic sets in 2009) :

He pushed his voice just fine on the 2009 tour (as well as his solo tour in 2010). When I saw them on back-to-back nights in San Francisco in '09, my friend and I both commented on how awesome his singing was during those shows. I think you guys just caught them on a bad night. Every band has them once in a while.

Dark Canuck17 wrote:I don't know if everyone is forgetting but they are not just playing to hardcore fans like us these are summer festivals more than one band a lot of casual fans...I saw it at Peterborough people were like what the hell is this when it was not a big hit song and immediately became quiet I don't get why people are surprised? There is going to be 25,000 today at Bobcaygeon do you think most of those fans are going to know songs like Pigeon Camera, Springtime in Vienna or Escape is at hand, The Bear?

I am sure the tour with the new album will have the rarities like WATS tour and its just the Hip.

I agree except for the so called "fan club" show in Peterborough. There should have been very very few people asking what the he'll is this? when it comes to songs like Pigeon, Escape etc ...

BakersBrew wrote:We are spoiled? Correct me if I am wrong....but...don't we pay for the tickets? They are getting payed big bucks to live the rock and roll dream. They completely sucked last night. I have seen them since 1989 when they were playing the Q107 concert series at the Ontario Place Forum. Last night was embarrassing. Not the Hip most of us have been "spoiled" with in the past. On a side note...I vote Watertown for Whitetrashville Award Winner of 2011, and I think there is a good chance you guys could repeat next year.

Did you see any concerts on the WATS tour it was not like what you would have seen last night.

BakersBrew wrote:On a side note...I vote Watertown for Whitetrashville Award Winner of 2011, and I think there is a good chance you guys could repeat next year.

It was embarrassing last night and we earned that title. It will be tough for anyone to top us this year.

Our problem is that The Hip show last night was the first "real" concert that the city has had in years. Apparently most people had no concert etiquette, as well as life etiquette. This show being in town became such a huge event that it drew everyone out for the show, regardless of if you knew that band or not. Plus it rained off and on all night. That is just a recipe for whitetrashville

I wouldn't worry about us getting the award next year because I don't see that band or the crew saying "Can we please do another Watertown show in 2012!?

thebends wrote:

Dark Canuck17 wrote:I don't know if everyone is forgetting but they are not just playing to hardcore fans like us these are summer festivals more than one band a lot of casual fans...I saw it at Peterborough people were like what the hell is this when it was not a big hit song and immediately became quiet I don't get why people are surprised? There is going to be 25,000 today at Bobcaygeon do you think most of those fans are going to know songs like Pigeon Camera, Springtime in Vienna or Escape is at hand, The Bear?

I am sure the tour with the new album will have the rarities like WATS tour and its just the Hip.

I agree except for the so called "fan club" show in Peterborough. There should have been very very few people asking what the he'll is this? when it comes to songs like Pigeon, Escape etc ...

There was quite a few casual fans and that is fine...The local Peterborough station was announcing for days how to get tickets so many locals were there and I guarantee they do not know songs other than there hits...Don't get me wrong they deserve to go but that fan show was not the same crowd that was at Danforth music hall a couple years back...There were kids with their DS's with their parents and again great I am hoping to do that with my kids some day.

birdseyeview wrote:

BakersBrew wrote:On a side note...I vote Watertown for Whitetrashville Award Winner of 2011, and I think there is a good chance you guys could repeat next year.

It was embarrassing last night and we earned that title. It will be tough for anyone to top us this year.

Our problem is that The Hip show last night was the first "real" concert that the city has had in years. Apparently most people had no concert etiquette, as well as life etiquette. This show being in town became such a huge event that it drew everyone out for the show, regardless of if you knew that band or not. Plus it rained off and on all night. That is just a recipe for whitetrashville

I wouldn't worry about us getting the award next year because I don't see that band or the crew saying "Can we please do another Watertown show in 2012!?

That is the problem with these outdoor festivals idiots drink their face off and just get their liquid courage bullshit...I hate outdoor GA shows now because of these people but you know what it is not just Watertown it happens everywhere.

birdseye: that's a really cool experience for you. Not many people get that opportunity.

Musically it was a fun show but it reinforces my thoughts that Watertown can't handle and wasn't prepared for a band like this. And ill probly never go to another standing concert with friends ever again.

direwolf74 wrote:

spottrax wrote:The Hip are in a tough spot. With the music industry as it is now, Downie not able to push his voice (hense the wonderful acoustic sets in 2009) :

He pushed his voice just fine on the 2009 tour (as well as his solo tour in 2010). When I saw them on back-to-back nights in San Francisco in '09, my friend and I both commented on how awesome his singing was during those shows. I think you guys just caught them on a bad night. Every band has them once in a while.

ahhhh, I didn't mean my comment to reflect anything but fatigue from shouting all rockers, all night (when it comes to Gord's uniquely wonderful voice). The guy has a gift but songs like Poets, Blow and Bones put those vocal chords to the test...for sure. Yes, in 2009 his voice sounded fantastic...especialy during the mini-acoustic sets in the middle of the shows. I was certainly hoping for something like that for these summer shows. Oh well.

Hey guys look up a youtube person by the name of old taper. There is a shot of the Hip at Molson Park in 92 before they went to record there record in England (Fully Completely). Not only did Gord have a full set of hair, his voice was amazing. (cordeillia, 50 Cap as a "newbie"). Gord is screaming up there, I don't know if it is a sound issue or a voice issue or a combination. I just know it wasn't that way at some of there larger festivals in the 90's. Hopefully that gets worked out tonight in Peterborough.

The VIP section was a farce. I paid for $80 each for 4 tickets that were $20 over the general admission price and whoever was running the venue decided not to enforce a VIP zone. The event organizers were amateur at best. I was scammed out of my money paying for VIP tickets. There was no VIP section, as I stood 80 yards from the band. The event was below the Hip's standards. With all due respect to the Disabled Person Action Organization, I'm sure they do great deeds, but promising one thing (VIP area) and delivering (General Admission Area)
at a premium price is just wrong. I'm happy to contribute to a good cause but I don 't like being mislead. It hurts to say this but, I think I'm due a refund $20 per ticket.

They took last year off, they wrote some new tunes, they're just gettin warmed up...
They'll mix it up more by the end of the summer

Hey all y'all bitching about the setlists... It's their music, it's their show, and it's not like all of us here haven't heard all of these songs a million times anyway live & on record & on bootlegs. You didn't have to go, you didn't have to shell out that money, the show would have gone on whether or not you went or were satisfied with the set list and anyway it's peculiar that there are people who weren't even there who are complaining about it! Maybe they just like playing those songs, maybe they don't want to worry about having to figure out a new setlist every night, who knows, who cares...can't you just have a good time like they're having onstage?

screw_ball wrote:Hey all y'all bitching about the setlists... It's their music, it's their show, and it's not like all of us here haven't heard all of these songs a million times anyway live & on record & on bootlegs. You didn't have to go, you didn't have to shell out that money, the show would have gone on whether or not you went or were satisfied with the set list and anyway it's peculiar that there are people who weren't even there who are complaining about it! Maybe they just like playing those songs, maybe they don't want to worry about having to figure out a new setlist every night, who knows, who cares...can't you just have a good time like they're having onstage?

Ugh, Screwhead, once again, you just don't get it. I think the majority of fans here are concerned more than anything. It's not "Bitching." Clearly, you've never been in a long-term relationship of any kind. When things go stale and people stop putting in effort, the relationship breaks down. I'm sure if you asked the band, they'd admit too that their relationship with the fans is indeed two ways. People like Mark S. and Chris K. who have made a second career out of following the band and documenting their live shows have done so because of the variety within the sets and the fact that they've treated every show as it really is: something special. And this dedication from fans has kept the band in business.

But right now, the gigs seem to be lacking the respect that many fans have for their extensive back catalogue. A few people may be griping and giving up on the band, but I'd say the majority of us are just worried. We've seen and heard of too many rock and roll bands that begin to age (As we should all admit our boys are) that phone in the exact same gig every night. One of (If not the biggest) the reasons we love this band is because they never seemed to want to do that. But these few gigs are beginning to prove otherwise...