Before the show gets started, let’s take a step back and remember how we got here.
The Tragically Hip formed in Kingston, Ont., in 1984.
The band included vocalist Gord Downie, bassist Gord Sinclair, drummer Johnny Fay, and guitarists Rob Baker and Paul Langlois, the latter of whom joined in 1986. (In the early years, the band also included saxophonist Davis Manning.)
The band built its reputation playing small venues in Ontario, building buzz due to the group’s blues-infused energy and Downie’s wild-eyed, semi-improvised rants.
Managers Jake Gold and Allan Gregg signed them in 1986, the beginning of a career that included 13 studio albums, not to mention live albums, compilations and B-sides. The band collaborated on the music writing, while Downie took over lyric writing early in their album run. They shared songwriting credit five ways, however, no matter how the song came together.
The band grew hugely popular in Canada, especially during its ’90s heyday. The Hip’s propulsive, muscular rock, coupled with intense live performances and Downie’s cryptic, literary lyrics, allowed the band to attract a diverse fan base that included party animals and armchair philosophers alike.
The Hip’s discography has racked up sales of more than 14 million, and the band’s popularity endures: a 2024 reissue of debut LP Up to Here debuted at No. 1 on Canadian sales charts.
The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
The Hip was already on the “iconic” shelf of Canadian rock bands, alongside the likes of Rush and the Guess Who, when the country was rocked by news of Downie’s health.
