[cochise]

The Hip are just too intertwined into my life to completely walk away, but I know what you mean.

Every major life moment, from falling in love, to break ups, all the ups and downs, the Hip were always in the background. Almost any song I hear takes me back into that exact moment I was at in my life when that song/album came out. There is just too much history and incredible memories for them to be out of my life for good. But all of those memorable moments...probably in the last 5 or 6 years, that connection of my life and their music definitely has not been there (can't say hearing Coffee Girl takes me to any particular place in my life). I no longer HAVE to make it to as many shows, I no longer HAVE to buy the CD the exact day it comes out.

But I am not going to give up on them completely yet, I think there are still some golden nuggets in them to make another incredible album. There are quite a few bands/musicians out there that, even though they don't get the accolades anymore, suddenly come out with an incredible album. The Stones never get the accolades they should have for Voodoo Lounge, but it was definitely the best since Some Girls in my opinion. Robert Plant, he seems to go off on tangents now and again, but then comes out with a killer album like Mighty Rearranger. Rush have had a few dips as well, but then come back with something like Clockwork Angles, which again IMO is their best since probably Moving Pictures.

So, not 100% giving up yet......I think The Hip have it in them to surprise us all.

[jgardz]

Expecting too much? All we ask is for them to continue playing diverse sets, with singing rather than screaming, and to put out interesting releases for the lifers aside from just the studio albums. That's not asking a helluva lot, especially since we know what they are capable of. I hate to keep referencing pearl jam, but they keep me engaged, as you never know what's coming down the pipe: live releases, vinyl goodies, reissues, etc. plus their live shows continue to be amazing and diverse.

[Killer Whale Tank]

I don't think that a bad tour means a band is definitively over - especially when they're putting out strong, enjoyable new material. And the idea that one wouldn't buy any future new work, even though their studio work is of a high calibre, because their live show has tanked...that seems bizarre to me.

Even though fans tend to expect them to be machines, in fact performers are like anyone else: they go through stretches where their work is better and worse. Most of us can probably look back on periods where for whatever reason we ourselves weren't operating at close to our peak. Gord has gone through a lot vis-a-vis his wife, and it's quite possible that his heart just isn't in the old stuff right now. That doesn't mean it never will be again.

If he is indeed foolishly in the process of permanently damaging his vocal chords - which is a very legitimate worry - some of us may just have to switch our orientation as fans, from prioritizing the live work to prioritizing the studio work. But that is a worse-case scenario (or rather, a second-worse case...the worst being breakup). I don't think we have any right to infer anything more from these recent struggles that Downie is going through a bad patch.

(On another note, to me being a "fan" doesn't mean loving everything a performer does all the time. I absolutely hated and still absolutely hate "World Container," for instance. What it means, to my mind, is always being *interested* in the work, always being willing to give it a hearing. Anyone who expected the Hip always to be awesome in everything was working from a false idea of what it means to follow an act over the arc of its entire career).

[The Darkest Canuck]

Sudbury show in February was the best I'd seen from them since 2000. The Ivor Wynne show I saw before that was great too (and pretty much everyone that posted about agreed).

Plan A is easily their best effort since IBE studio wise, that's open for debate of course, and subject to personal opinion, but I know a lot of members here feel the same on that issue as well.

As far as setlists go, not everyone has seen the hip live, let alone countless times, so for the uninitiated it is only fair that they get to hear as many hits and favouties as possible, while still rotating a few new songs and a few gems. Would I love for them to play a completely different set everynight, and resurrect the ep material? Fuck yeah, but I certainly won't hold it against them for not doing so. Some bands play the EXACT same set every single night of the tour, no alterations whatsoever. The Hip pretty much always play at least one or two surprises. In February in Sudbury they did Long Time Running and Fiddler's Green in the same set...has that even happened before?

I'd love to hear the b-sides too, but at the same time, I'd much rather they wait til there is no more new material being released, so that we'll have one last dance with our favourite band, the best fucking band ever, amen.

[BakersBrew]

The band is still great.....unfortunately the front man that originally took them to the dance so to speak....is the death of them. They don't live in the same city.....which tells me they likely don't rehearse very often (hence the on-going repetition of set-lists). I don't understand why a band that has stayed together for so many years and produced such a great catalogue of music is unwilling to share it consistently with their fans. Say what you want.....but we the fans have given them a good life. Why is it ok for Springsteen, Pearl Jam, and many others, to go out of their way in developing deep set-lists. None of it has ever made sense.....and then Gord tries singing something like Escape in a completely different key then what the band is playing.....as an example. I think that is completely selfish. It kills the song, it drowns out the musicianship, and comes across as completely arrogant in terms of delivering the material. But, I look forward to Paul's new material. I always wondered why the Hip never considered a model that would have included Paul sharing in a significant portion of the lead vocals. Anyways, some of the greatest live shows I've seen certainly include the Hip at the very top. Maybe that can happen again, maybe not.

[direwolf74]

The band is still great.....unfortunately the front man that originally took them to the dance so to speak....is the death of them. They don't live in the same city.....which tells me they likely don't rehearse very often (hence the on-going repetition of set-lists).

I don't know about that. They clearly rehearsed for last year's U.S. tour, as they were dusting off all kinds of rarities during that stretch. When they hit Canada in Jan/Feb however, that's when things started to get boring in terms of the setlists.

[Killer Whale Tank]

Well, it's quite possible that Canada bores them - or at least Gord. Let's face it, a substantial part of the crowd at Canadian shows is there to hear the Golden Oldies, full stop, and to re-live their fading youth. They get cheers for the first bars of "Blow" or "Bones" or whatever, it's automatic, like putting a coin in a slot. Boredom might be the natural response, and sabotage might be one way of pushing back. By converse, he probably still feels that he has something to prove, ears to win over, in other places - and he perhaps also feels less shackled by narrow expectations about what the band represents.

The irony is, if this so, all he has to do is play what he wants - toss in four or five can't-miss hits, then do your thing. Surely that's a better approach than sabotaging the material. And it'll test the depth of engagement of your audience, rather than assuming it to be shallow.

[cortezthekiller]

They have been at it for a long time. I always preferred them to Pearl Jam, but PJ definitely treat their fans a lot better. The Hip, as Chris said, have been talking about releasing all kinds of stuff that has never seen the light of day. One live DVD from a band that has been around for as long as they have? That's terrible. The band members are nearing 50 years old so fans can't expect them to be at the top of their game forever. Maybe they should sit back and re-evaluate things. They can do what they want, though. They have delivered a lot of great music and live shows over the years. Maybe they're just in a rut. It appears to me that the band is just sloppy right now, and I'm not only speaking of Mr. Downie. They still seem to have some really brilliant moments during their live shows, but there are some downright terrible moments, too. Seeing Gord continually mess up one of the staples, "Grace, Too", leads me to believe that if they dug further into their catalogue, I doubt he'd even get through one verse before screwing up. I mean, if he can't get through a song that he should be able to perform in his sleep, how's he gonna get through something that is not played that often? Maybe all they need is a bit more rehearsal time together. I don't really know the factors that contribute to what is happening with their live show now.

I think, if we call a spade a spade, the biggest reason they play boring greatest hits shows is for $$$$$$. I am not going to sit here and judge them for trying to make a buck. I'd rather they were more daring as a band, but I might do the same thing if I were in their shoes. Most fans like to hear the hits. I think that's just a fact of life, for fans of any band. When Neil Young was going on tour in the early 70s and playing new songs that nobody knew, he was getting heckled and booed off stage. He didn't give a f*ck because he wanted to play what he felt like playing. Not every artist is willing to risk their career like that.

[Jack Straw]

Is Gord sick? Why does he need a teleprompter for repeat setists? Would something like this explain scream over sing? I'm much more curious than mad that my once favourite band is now nowhere to be found...

I just wrote this regarding the Vancouver shows and headed over here to share it with the Vancouver thread, but I'm going to link it here if you don't mind as I find myself having a lot of the same issues as the OP and some others here...

I want Vancouver to be some kind of redemption, because if they go away too long and Vancouver sucks....

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[MattyM]

This is where the likes of myself have a bit of an advantage I think. Being so far removed from the day-to-day of it all, I can still enjoy a show, vene when Gord is screechy... When you wait three years you tend to enjoy it regardless.

I think it's important to have a break as well, both as a fan and more importantly as a band member. ,ay be they'll go away for a few years this time. Maybe they need to!

[fingernailsonhull]

...but I've lost my love for The Hip.

All kinds of promise of b-sides, re-issues, etc - and then nothing.

And Gord's live "singing"... Ugh. I'm done with it.

Been thinking the same thing recently. The magic is gone.

[Dark Canuck17]

That is the best thing about all of this you can no longer be into them and no one will care...tastes change move on nothing to see here.

[thebends]

There is no shortage of amazing music out there, great live bands who are happy to take your money and have you as a fan. The Hip will always be there, if not live then in their amazing catalogue and libraries of memories.

[nnyvt]

I do not follow the band like I did in the past. Probably have seen somewhere around 60 shows over the years. My 2 shows this summer were going to be Buffalo and Chicago. I do give the band credit for going back to Buffalo even though they had no obligation. I guess I am older as are the band members. Not sure they will ever be as good as they were but still pretty damn good. I agree with the screaming but feel the set lists on the large outdoor shows are geared to a completely different audience than a small venue. I also think they do these shows for the $$$$$'s. The math is simple.

[direwolf74]

If the band is simply playing these festival gigs for the money, that's fine. All the power to them. But with fans paying upwards of $70 - $100 to see them, the least they can do is put on a decent show. When Gord is doing his god-awful screaming and purposely fucking up his vocal phrasing to the point where the song is unrecognizable, to me that shows not only a lack of caring on his part, but also a blatant disrespect to the fans, his bandmates, and the songs themselves. I'm all for improvisation and experimentation, but I just wish he'd tone down the screaming and sing in key for once. I really feel sorry for Paul, as the poor guy has to try and sing harmonies over top of that crap. I honestly don't know how the rest of the band puts up with it. As a musician I'd be embarrassed as hell if I heard that garbage coming through my monitors on stage. Gord is still a brilliant songwriter and one of the greatest frontmen of all time, and when he actually sings in key (as he clearly does on the studio albums), he's still got that wonderful, unique voice. But in concert he's an embarrassment right now. The Hip's entire career was built on their explosive, mind blowing live shows. As a long time fan it's really disheartening to see their reputation disintegrating in front of our eyes like this. And don't give me the age thing as an excuse. Pearl Jam are in their mid-40s and they're arguably the best live band in the world. Springsteen, Drive-By Truckers, Wilco, Skydiggers, Blue Rodeo, the Black Crowes...these guys are all in their mid 40s or 50s, and all of them are still putting on killer shows. The best example is probably Bob Mould. That dude is 52 and he still rocks harder than most bands half his age. And he actually SINGS his songs in key, which is always a bonus. Not only do these artists still play amazing shows, but they also aren't afraid to play songs from their entire catalogue and mix up their setlists from night to night. All it takes is a little rehearsing.

Speaking of the setlists, I suppose one could use the argument that the band doesn't owe us anything, and maybe that's true. But would it kill them to at least change things up a little? I understand that the majority of the crowd is there to hear the radio hits at these big festival shows, but for fuck sakes, at least throw the hardcore fans a bone or two. All they'd really have to do is give us three or four deep cuts mixed in with the hits, and I'm sure most of us diehards would be satisfied.