2012-07-13 - Victoria, British Columbia

[sean.bonner]

'You look so good, like a big pork chop.'

[tragicallyphish]

I'm getting so excited for this show! I work with Current Swell who is opening before Sam Roberts and the band is getting super stoked for this set.

What do you think the chances are of a Fan Club show at the Commodore on July 12th? The date is open at the commodore and it's totally doable to make it from Calgary to Van over night.

Fingers crossed!

[HandsInTheRiver41]

For anyone going to the show on Friday, traffic looks like it will be a disaster (no additional buses, no onsite parking, at the bottleneck of Victoria's daily traffic jam, etc.) :

http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainm ... story.html

I'm not much of a cyclist, but with a trail that leads from Victoria nearly straight to the venue, I think I'll be biking.

[HandsInTheRiver41]

http://www.timescolonist.com/entertainm ... story.html

Article that includes an interview with Rob Baker about the summer tour and tonight's show. Also of note is the fact that it's Baker who decides each night's setlist. I didn't know this, was it already common knowledge?

The decision-maker, when it comes to the band's setlist, is currently Baker.

For years, that was Gord Sinclair's area of expertise. When the task "nearly killed him," Baker said, he stepped into the fray for his friend.

"There's a lot of touchstones, songs that people expect us to play," Baker said of the decision-making that goes into planning a setlist.

"We try and throw in a curve once in a while, in addition to four or five new songs a night. It's a balancing act. If you lay a lot of new music on people, it can be a turnoff. You have to find the balance."

Read more: http://www.timescolonist.com/pumped+out ... z20XQajF9Y

[HandsInTheRiver41]

As far as outdoor festival-type Tragically Hip concerts go, I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. A freak thunderstorm cancelled most of the Sam Roberts Band's set (we have one thunderstorm every 1 to 2 years in Victoria so it was unexpected), but the Tragically Hip played a solid set from 9:30pm until 11:20 - after curfew! Lightning danced in the sky throughout the show behind the stage which provided a beautiful backdrop. The highlight was Fiddler's Green with sheet lightning arched across the sky, seemingly perfectly timed with the song.

Setlist:

1 At Transformation
2 Grace Too
3 Bobcaygeon
4 Love Is a First
5 Man Machine Poem
6 At the Hundredth Meridian
7 Ahead by a Century
8 In View
9 Last of the Unplucked Gems (!)
10 Gift Shop
11 My Music at Work
12 Fiddler's Green (with a guest appearance by Thor: the God of Thunder)
13 Poets
14 Drip Drip Drip
15 Courage
16 New Orleans Is Sinking
17 Little Bones

18 Wheat Kings
19 Goodnight Attawapiskat
20 Blow at High Dough

[HandsInTheRiver41]

Someone posted a picture of the lightning above the stage on facebook:

[thebends]

awesome!

[NegPhil]

Fantastic shot! I am surprised that the show was not shut down.

[mintgreenbird]

http://redditpics.fpapps.com//?thingid= ... /NTGQN.jpg

[thefivehole]

Wow that's an incredible picture.

[tragicallyphish]

The only song that wasn't played was Fireworks, it was suppose to 2nd Encore but the city curfew was actually 11PM
During the storm, the promoter was able to get the curfew a bit later.
I really thought Fireworks would have been perfect with the storm.


Had an amazing time at the show. I work with Current Swell so was backstage for most of the show (except The Hip Set, needed to see that from the front).
Only got a chance to talk to Robbie and Paul. Scott, the lead singer from Swell got to have a long conversation with Gord and we got some killer photos.

Sam Roberts was one of the nicest guys I have met. He went around and introduced himself to everyone.

Was quite an epic night!

[thebends]

Can you confirm who's set list this was, Pauls? If it is does any know what the sharpie references are?
I'm assuming SUN=Les Paul Sunburst, TAK=Acoustic Takamine. Ugly I believe is the black Les Paul. What is REV\REN and TOB?