07-19-2007, 06:30 PM
Hip heat up hot July night
Bill Robertson, The StarPhoenix
Published: Thursday, July 19, 2007
What better way to cool off on a hot July night than in the Delta Bessborough Gardens and the warm groove of the cool cats from Kingston, the Tragically Hip?
Yes, on Wednesday evening it was party time behind the Bess with the Hip and party time beside and around it with the Taste of Saskatchewan Festival. And you thought parking was tough before the Hip hit town?
The Hip hit hard with Yer Not the Ocean from their most recent album, last year's World Container. Messrs. Gord Downie, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay lined up across the stage and dedicated that first one to the Bessborough Gardens.
SASKATOON A HIP TOWN: Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip sings in front of a sold out crowd Wednesday night during an outdoor concert at the Delta Bessborough Gardens.View Larger Image View Larger Image
SASKATOON A HIP TOWN: Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip sings in front of a sold out crowd Wednesday night during an outdoor concert at the Delta Bessborough Gardens.
The crowd, mostly on their feet and screaming, then went wild for lead vocalist Downie's crazy legs introduction to the ominous and very familiar Grace, too. He climbed across the monitors and leaned down into the crowd, howling this old favourite.
And if that display of manic energy wasn't enough, the band launched into another gem, My Music at Work, with drummer Johnny Fay hammering that rock solid beat and the rest of the band struggling with a muddy sound mix.
Contortionist Downie called out to the people in the trees, wiped his roadie's face with a towel, got the crowd singing along to the anthemic Courage, and screamed, whispered and moaned his way through a good chunk of World Container, including the title waltz, the bouncily melodic In View, the hard-rocking Luv (sic), and the easily autobiographical Family Band.
Then there were the old favourites.
The band led a cheering audience through their lengthy catalogue of what have come to be Canadian folk songs: rock and roll songs played loudly to hot and happy folk.
There was the prophetic chestnut New Orleans is Sinking, the wonderful hockey boy meets girl and hockey loses story of Fireworks, the Paris of the Prairies meditation of Wheat Kings, the memory-infused Ahead by a Century, and the lovely acoustic guitar-led Bobcaygeon, to which many of those happy folk danced and pointed at the stars.
By press time a cool breeze was blowing across the Gardens and the Hip had given their audience Fully Completely and were hammering the much-loved Blow at High Dough. The Hip may be tragic, but the huge crowd was anything but -- comic, antic, wild, and a little drunk, maybe -- and they were loving their long-lived and reliable, hard-rocking band. The Tragically Hip keep coming back to Saskatoon, and Saskatoon keeps sending capacity crowds to see them.
The opening act was The Sadies. The Toronto foursome cranked up a mix of alternative country and retro-British invasion rock, all channeled through the twangin' guitar styles of Duane Eddy and Dick Dale.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
Bill Robertson, The StarPhoenix
Published: Thursday, July 19, 2007
What better way to cool off on a hot July night than in the Delta Bessborough Gardens and the warm groove of the cool cats from Kingston, the Tragically Hip?
Yes, on Wednesday evening it was party time behind the Bess with the Hip and party time beside and around it with the Taste of Saskatchewan Festival. And you thought parking was tough before the Hip hit town?
The Hip hit hard with Yer Not the Ocean from their most recent album, last year's World Container. Messrs. Gord Downie, Rob Baker, Paul Langlois, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay lined up across the stage and dedicated that first one to the Bessborough Gardens.
SASKATOON A HIP TOWN: Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip sings in front of a sold out crowd Wednesday night during an outdoor concert at the Delta Bessborough Gardens.View Larger Image View Larger Image
SASKATOON A HIP TOWN: Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip sings in front of a sold out crowd Wednesday night during an outdoor concert at the Delta Bessborough Gardens.
The crowd, mostly on their feet and screaming, then went wild for lead vocalist Downie's crazy legs introduction to the ominous and very familiar Grace, too. He climbed across the monitors and leaned down into the crowd, howling this old favourite.
And if that display of manic energy wasn't enough, the band launched into another gem, My Music at Work, with drummer Johnny Fay hammering that rock solid beat and the rest of the band struggling with a muddy sound mix.
Contortionist Downie called out to the people in the trees, wiped his roadie's face with a towel, got the crowd singing along to the anthemic Courage, and screamed, whispered and moaned his way through a good chunk of World Container, including the title waltz, the bouncily melodic In View, the hard-rocking Luv (sic), and the easily autobiographical Family Band.
Then there were the old favourites.
The band led a cheering audience through their lengthy catalogue of what have come to be Canadian folk songs: rock and roll songs played loudly to hot and happy folk.
There was the prophetic chestnut New Orleans is Sinking, the wonderful hockey boy meets girl and hockey loses story of Fireworks, the Paris of the Prairies meditation of Wheat Kings, the memory-infused Ahead by a Century, and the lovely acoustic guitar-led Bobcaygeon, to which many of those happy folk danced and pointed at the stars.
By press time a cool breeze was blowing across the Gardens and the Hip had given their audience Fully Completely and were hammering the much-loved Blow at High Dough. The Hip may be tragic, but the huge crowd was anything but -- comic, antic, wild, and a little drunk, maybe -- and they were loving their long-lived and reliable, hard-rocking band. The Tragically Hip keep coming back to Saskatoon, and Saskatoon keeps sending capacity crowds to see them.
The opening act was The Sadies. The Toronto foursome cranked up a mix of alternative country and retro-British invasion rock, all channeled through the twangin' guitar styles of Duane Eddy and Dick Dale.
© The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) 2007
