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Gord Downie: channelling in Oshawa
The Tragically Hip played sold-out show Saturday night
The Tragically Hip. OSHAWA -- The Tragically Hip performed for a crowded house at the General Motors Centre Feb. 9. February 9, 2013 Sabrina Byrnes / Metroland
OSHAWA -- Spinning and screaming, jerking and smirking, on stage Gord Downie often seems like a man possessed, not playing a song so much as channelling it.
The Tragically Hip singer was in fine form Saturday night as the band stopped in Oshawa on its Canadian winter tour.
Touring on the strength of its 13th studio album, Now For Plan A, The Hip was greeted with a near-standing ovation at the General Motors Centre before getting down to business.
And for Downie, that meant being his usual entertaining self: a range of expressions showing a rainbow of emotions, quirky arm movements, taking advantage of props such as the mic stand and a handkerchief that he used to dust a speaker, a monitor and even as a tail. Part singer, part actor and part court jester, Downie's fascinating to watch.
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The band played roughly half of its new record, opening the night with At Transformation. But, as one might expect, it was the older stuff that drew the roars from an audience of Hip fanatics. So when the band followed with Grace, Too, the place was jumping. Favourites such as Poets, New Orleans is Sinking, Fully Completely and Little Bones drew similar frenzied reactions.
No surprise there, noted Keith German of Toronto, who says at most concerts it's the hits and crowd favourites that generate the biggest response.
Unlike most concert-goers, German, who grew up in Oshawa, was seeing The Hip for the first time, thanks to friends who had a spare ticket.
"It was a great concert,"he said.
"It was just another great song after another great song."
Often altering the phrasing of lines and words, Downie on Little Bones let the crowd sing it conventionally while he changed it up, almost like letting the audience play rhythm guitar while he soloed. He did the same thing on Fifty Mission Cap.
And speaking of guitar, with Downie attracting so much of the attention one can almost forget about the rest of the band. Collectively, they're like one of those hockey defenders who, without a lot of fanfare, does a fantastic job.
In a world where it's become increasingly difficult to describe what a group's music is like, The Hip makes it easy: they are simply a great rock'n'roll band.