04-19-2007, 09:01 AM
I'm going to try and keep this thread updated. . . it's where I will put new things I find or want to promote online. You are welcome to add to this list, but I decided today that this is the thread where I will post my finds in the future.
MAv.
So, to start it off, there is a great interview with Rob Baker that I am about to post: You can find it here:
Rob Baker Interview On Towerpod.com:
http://www.towerpod.com/channels.html?id=82
And here's a review of Cleveland 04/14/2007 from Blogcritic MAgazine
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/04/19/083229.php
Concert Review: The Tragically Hip - Cleveland, OH, April 14, 2007
Written by Peter Chakerian
Published April 19, 2007
People who live in the Great Lakes region of the United States are often treated to spectacular performances by the Tragically Hip – gigs that the rest of North America simply doesn’t get to experience. Living here, you could almost take it for granted: often Hip shows go longer, jam harder, and flood speakers and venues with rarities and darker, more brooding grooves than just about anywhere else.
By and large, it’s because the alt-rock fivesome from Kingston, Ontario grew up with Great Lakes lore and allegory, and because they perform in arenas across their homeland, they can count on ardent devotees to “pull a roadie” to see them in smaller U.S. venues in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Toledo, Erie, and Rochester. Such was the case at the House of Blues in Cleveland last Saturday night, where the ratio of Canucks to Clevelanders in the hall had to be at least 4-1.
And the show? Sold out. Manic. Enigmatic. Inspired and nearly flawless. One for the ages. The bedlam in the audience seemed only to fuel the band even more, as they continued to top themselves over and over again. It might have been their best live show ever.
Decked out in a black Sandinista outfit, singer/guitarist Gord Downie careened about the stage in paroxysms – like a marionette with snarled strings – embodying the characters and scenes from the Hip's catalog. To that end, guitarists Bobby Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay kept the noir soundtrack’s pace quirky, bluesy, direct and ever-metronomic. Downie himself also offered up some perfectly timed, stream-of-consciousness spoken word ranting that fans have come to expect in shows.
The 150-minute set supported the Hip’s new World Container album well enough, but this was not a run of the mill promo. It was a very special night of music. World Container highlights “In View” and “Lonely End of the Rink” were among the best; they only served to accentuate a set list seemingly themed by one of their biggest classics, “Nautical Disaster.” Downie and the Hip didn't just play a show in Cleveland on this flurry-laden Saturday – they played a show for Cleveland, commemorating the dark history surrounding this one-time Lake Erie metropolis and surrounding region.
Beyond playing many rarities with subtle references (“Last of the Unplucked Gems,” “Emperor Penguin” and “Blow at High Dough”) their direct mentions of the region touched the very core of the audience. The Hip delivered exquisitely with Phantom Power’s “Chagrin Falls,” Day For Night’s “Daredevil” and two gigantic covers – Randy Newman’s ode to a flaming Cuyahoga called “Burn On Big River” and an edgy-but-precise take on Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” – certainly the worst “Nautical Disaster” in Lake Erie memory. Incredible.
Some of their biggest hits – “Bobcaygeon,” “Ahead By a Century,” “Gift Shop” and “At the Hundredth Meridian” – rounded out the show. By the end of the night, fans across the venue were coordinating who would buy tickets for the “By Popular Demand” second Cleveland date in May – announced just prior to showtime – and who would be driving. They’ve got less than 30 days to top themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine they could... but after last Saturday night, I'm dying to find out.
I'm picking up tickets on Friday.
MAv.
So, to start it off, there is a great interview with Rob Baker that I am about to post: You can find it here:
Rob Baker Interview On Towerpod.com:
http://www.towerpod.com/channels.html?id=82
And here's a review of Cleveland 04/14/2007 from Blogcritic MAgazine
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2007/04/19/083229.php
Concert Review: The Tragically Hip - Cleveland, OH, April 14, 2007
Written by Peter Chakerian
Published April 19, 2007
People who live in the Great Lakes region of the United States are often treated to spectacular performances by the Tragically Hip – gigs that the rest of North America simply doesn’t get to experience. Living here, you could almost take it for granted: often Hip shows go longer, jam harder, and flood speakers and venues with rarities and darker, more brooding grooves than just about anywhere else.
By and large, it’s because the alt-rock fivesome from Kingston, Ontario grew up with Great Lakes lore and allegory, and because they perform in arenas across their homeland, they can count on ardent devotees to “pull a roadie” to see them in smaller U.S. venues in Grand Rapids, Detroit, Toledo, Erie, and Rochester. Such was the case at the House of Blues in Cleveland last Saturday night, where the ratio of Canucks to Clevelanders in the hall had to be at least 4-1.
And the show? Sold out. Manic. Enigmatic. Inspired and nearly flawless. One for the ages. The bedlam in the audience seemed only to fuel the band even more, as they continued to top themselves over and over again. It might have been their best live show ever.
Decked out in a black Sandinista outfit, singer/guitarist Gord Downie careened about the stage in paroxysms – like a marionette with snarled strings – embodying the characters and scenes from the Hip's catalog. To that end, guitarists Bobby Baker and Paul Langlois, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay kept the noir soundtrack’s pace quirky, bluesy, direct and ever-metronomic. Downie himself also offered up some perfectly timed, stream-of-consciousness spoken word ranting that fans have come to expect in shows.
The 150-minute set supported the Hip’s new World Container album well enough, but this was not a run of the mill promo. It was a very special night of music. World Container highlights “In View” and “Lonely End of the Rink” were among the best; they only served to accentuate a set list seemingly themed by one of their biggest classics, “Nautical Disaster.” Downie and the Hip didn't just play a show in Cleveland on this flurry-laden Saturday – they played a show for Cleveland, commemorating the dark history surrounding this one-time Lake Erie metropolis and surrounding region.
Beyond playing many rarities with subtle references (“Last of the Unplucked Gems,” “Emperor Penguin” and “Blow at High Dough”) their direct mentions of the region touched the very core of the audience. The Hip delivered exquisitely with Phantom Power’s “Chagrin Falls,” Day For Night’s “Daredevil” and two gigantic covers – Randy Newman’s ode to a flaming Cuyahoga called “Burn On Big River” and an edgy-but-precise take on Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” – certainly the worst “Nautical Disaster” in Lake Erie memory. Incredible.
Some of their biggest hits – “Bobcaygeon,” “Ahead By a Century,” “Gift Shop” and “At the Hundredth Meridian” – rounded out the show. By the end of the night, fans across the venue were coordinating who would buy tickets for the “By Popular Demand” second Cleveland date in May – announced just prior to showtime – and who would be driving. They’ve got less than 30 days to top themselves. I can’t even begin to imagine they could... but after last Saturday night, I'm dying to find out.
I'm picking up tickets on Friday.