The Whig - Hip rock Brockville - Printable Version
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The Whig - Hip rock Brockville - thompson girl - 02-22-2008
Where's NegPhil? He's slacking on his Whig postings! :lol:
Quote:The Tragically Hip rock Brockville; Exclusive gig for members of the band's fan club serves as warm-up for Kingston show
Posted By Michael Jiggins
In 150 years, the Brockville Arts Centre has never been rocked like it was last night.
A crowd of 760 people from across North America jammed the historic downtown concert hall for a rare intimate performance by Kingston's The Tragically Hip.
Arts centre administrator Peter Dunn said Harry Connick Jr., who played in Brockville four years ago, was probably a bigger international star.
"But as far as rock and roll shows go, yeah, this is the biggest by far," said Dunn.
"To have a band that normally plays to 15,000 or 20,000 perform at the Brockville Arts Centre is a great thing for this facility and the town, too," he added.
The show, only announced earlier this month, was an exclusive gig for members of the band's fan club and also served as a warm-up for The Hip's concert tomorrow night at Kingston's K-Rock Centre.
Doors to the hall opened at 7 p.m. and the band didn't take the stage until 8:15. But ,by a few minutes past 6 p.m., a lineup of fans braving minus 8 C temperatures was beginning to stretch around the block.
"It's a bit cold outside but it's worth the wait for a big show with Gord and the boys. We're pretty excited about tonight. It'll be a small, intimate gathering," said Steve Tapp of Kingston after getting inside the arts centre with his buddy Kevin Fenech of Ottawa.
Between them, they've seen 36 Hip concerts - but never in a venue like this.
"We thought it would be nice to see them play in a different place," said Fenech.
Dunn said American fans came in from as far away as San Jose, Calif., Dallas, Tex., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., while Canadians arrived from Winnipeg, Greenwood, N.S. and Port Coquitlam, B.C.
Aside from the music, of course, a common thread in what brought fans yesterday was the chance to see The Hip in a setting that returned the band to its roots before arena and stadium venues became their norm.
"It's going to be a little more intimate than usual. I've seen them at the Air Canada Centre and that was 20,000 people, or so. This will be a lot more intimate and probably a little better," said Adam Johnston of Oakville.
The band arrived at the arts centre around 4 p.m. and quickly did a sound check, said Dunn.
Although they were not available for an interview prior to the show, the Hip "love the theatre," according to their road manager Michael Chipper of Eggplant Productions.
They opened the two-hour show with The Lonely End of the Rink followed by New Orleans is Sinking and Fully, Completely.
The band's massive sound was flawless in the small venue.
Dunn admitted prior to the show he was a bit nervous with all the lights and equipment that started getting plugged in when a stage crew of 32 got to work at 6:30 a.m. yesterday.
"This is by far the biggest PA system we've ever had in the theatre. If someone plugs in a toaster we're going to go down," he chuckled. Tickets were sold exclusively through the band's website and had to be picked up with photo identification just an hour before the show. To prevent scalping, no one was allowed out after picking up their tickets.
"I've been to a ton of concerts but never to one where they're crazy about keeping the tickets like this," said Julie Lukus of Ottawa.
But she didn't mind the hassle or the extended wait.
"The Hip is always worthwhile," said Lukus.
Dunn, meanwhile, praised his staff and volunteers for what appeared to be a flawless ticket distribution with everyone inside prior to the start of the show.
http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=913168&auth=Michael%20Jiggins