[fingernailsonhull]

Well said Gangrel. The days of Road Apples may be gone - but this band is still great. They have not been afraid to tone things down, to make it so they still enjoy what they're doing.

Jeff

[vicariousmartyr]

as much as the younger crowd thinks this will never happen, it just does.. life goes downhill at 22-23

Thats just sad.

[wpghipfan]

livehip wrote:
as much as the younger crowd thinks this will never happen, it just does.. life goes downhill at 22-23

Au contraire... I'm 27, and in the past year and a half, my life has gotten better and better. I met the woman of my dreams, and four months ago we had a beautiful baby girl. Since as far back as I can remember, I've wanted a family of my own, and now I have it. Life is beautiful.

Rory
Halifax

[Gangrel]

I think he was referring to the party life, not life in general.

I'm also blushing that so many people liked my post. I guess when I'm tired, I write better.

Don't get me wrong. I would love to have the old days back, where Gord spit out pyschotic rants in almost every song. But he has probably changed more then anybody. In reading old articles and quotes, he used to be in a dark and dreary place..... look at killerwhaletank, scuba cop, double suicide, or other such rants as evidence of his state of mind.

Why, I still remember an old article that started off with a story Downie told in concert about a proud father raising his newborn to the roof to show him off, only to have the over head fan cut his head off. (Rory, stay away from fans.

It seems ol Gordo has calmed down.... or at least he seems more normal to me.

We all grow, we all change. I've gone from drunken pissing in alleys, to golf and curling.....

I also agree about the setlists. The only reason people think they "suck" is because it's the same set as one of the other 15 concerts they've seen on this tour. I admire your fortiude in travelling the Hip caravan, but most people will only see them once, maybe twice, so that's a non-issue.

I would still love to hear All Canadian Surf Club in concert tho.

[Lizard King]

After so many years as a die-hard Hip fan its hard for me to knock the band. From the Hip's perspective Im sure they'd like to play more older songs but having played them so many times in the past, I think they prefer to focus on their new material more, the band's gotten older and they only tour when they put a new album out so its only natural to play more newer songs. But a thumbs up though for the 2000 "Evening with the Hip" concerts I went to two of them and they were a real treat, I got to hear Opiated and Pigeon Camera, songs like that live for the first time. I suppose I have complaints too, such as the time they cancelled their concert here in London at the new JLC in 2002, if you look at their 2002 circus t-shirts in the merch shop London is on the back of the shirt still! The absence of a DVD is somewhat dissapointing, the new years shows would have done nicely in that regard, but for me the band will always be the same.....a great rocking Canadian band and I cant get mad at them for that, at the end of the day lets be glad there still together making amazing music! :thumb:

[skippy the wonder dog]

Uh, I didn't think the concert in London in 2002 was ever officially on? It was less the band cancelling it than not being able to finalize arrangements to their liking with the venue, I think.

Re the rest of it, I guess time is marching on. But nobody can do the same stuff forever.

[direwolf74]

I remember back about 10 years ago, when I was 19, I used to go drinking every weekend. Most times at JJ Rossy's (oh how i miss that place) for the $4.75 pitchers of draft during happy hour. We would drink, drink, and drink. It was great.

Then I graduated, and moved to Ottawa. Now I have no homework, and am making some good $$$$ for the first time in my life. Every Friday and Sat night, I would head to the pubs and clubs, and drink my face off, sleeping until 2 in the afternoon.... rinse, lather, repeat

Then, as the years went on, I went to the bars less and less, and drank less, because I just couldn't keep up. And also, I wanted to do different things with my life then puking into my toilet bowl.

What's the moral of the story? The guys are older now. They have families and kids. Why would they want to do 2 concerts in ever city, when you can just do one, and get home quicker?

How can Gord be as manic and wild as he used to be without burning out? How can he put as much fire into NOIS now when the cigarette burned out long ago and he's sucking on the filter?

Life goes on, we get older and slower.

I look at it like this..... the early days of the hip to me are like me drinking beer. It was my party fuel, and gave me more blurry nights then starry nights.......

Now, I'd prefer a nice glass of wine, good conversation, and reflection.


Road Apples is gone my friend. Enjoy it in the historical view of the Hipworld, but it's not coming back. They have aged. It's not about agression anymore..... it's about reflection and concentration.

Great post! I couldn't agree more! :thumb:

[daysleeperchuk]

How can you claim to love something or someone and then refuse them the right to grow?---that's not love-------------that's selfish------------------I have 2 daughters and i don't want to give them away one day, but how can i refuse them happiness?--sometimes what we want, is just not what our loved ones want.

[daysleeperchuk]

OUW! OUW!---- and if you can like, ---imagine Spock saying It ...it's like totally profound. :wink:

[mcgraw68]

Sometimes I get scared that every new hip disk is there last. I think of the Doors and how many more albums they might of had in them. If Gord and the Boys live show feels toned down to some that's fine but how many bands out there continue to challenge themselves to change and keep it interesting for almost 20 years? Be careful not to be spoiled brats about the whole matter.

[tigerthelion]

Why can't people accept the fact that criticism is a part of life? I'm hearing people saying that we are just being selfish by criticising the band? Hey, I love the Hip but my life isn't devoted to them and I don't care what some obsessed pretentious fan thinks of me. You know, the fans who think you can classify fans and they think they are a better fan than anyone! I didn't know being a fan was so competetive to some people. The band wants criticism!!!!!! You need criticism to move forward and improve!!!!! If there is no criticism, then there can't be any greatness because there is no standard to meet!! We, as fans, have every right to criticize when we see fit. IT may not do any good but we have the right to demand things within reason. The Hip want this!!!!!!!!! They want their fans to keep them in check!! Or at least they should if they are not interested in becoming stagnant!!!! The Hip provide a service to us, the same as an electric company or phone company or cable company. If we aren't happy with our cable service, don't we complain to get better service? Why can't we hold the band accountable in the same way? I love the band but they are not DEITIES and are not above criticism.

[Lizard King]

hock: !!!!!!!!!

[skippy the wonder dog]

Who was saying they were above criticism?

All people were saying, I think, was that they have to keep moving in new directions. And not everyone will like those directions.

[tigerthelion]

Who was saying they were above criticism?

All people were saying, I think, was that they have to keep moving in new directions. And not everyone will like those directions.

-----"at the end of the day lets be glad there still together making amazing music!"

Why can't they keep making amazing music AND do a little more for their fans????? I don't think this is too much to ask.

[thecompletist]

I also agree with what's been said in these posts....

Listening to the Hip from age 21 up to here at 34 has been perfect or close.... Road Apples hit me and fit me at that time as did DFN & Henhouse... Phantom was special and as they experimented thru M@W and Gords solos.... into IVL & IBE It has all seem to fit fine.

I've moshed to Fire in the Hole back in the day and have sang along to "As I Wind down the Pines" to my 4 month year old son...just the other night.... and only a month or so ago my 2-1/2 year old daughter started to sing along to "Are We Family".... repeating the "Or What....."

Again I agree with what your saying, they aren't perfect and it's easy for us to evaluate them... for some of us it's our part-time job...(look at # posts on your names).... Thanks for this Hipbase (community) I do like reading all points of view...

All in all I'm ok with what they are doing... so much so that since the Rochester show I've pulled out the self-titled and almost every disc and have been on a HIP-BINGE.... just listening to the different albums over and over....in my car remembering the tours, the road trips and what I was doing during that album... I never imagined a catalogue like this after Fully was done.... lotsa good tunes, lotsa good times, lots good memories and lots-more-to-come I'm sure...

Cheers,

Jeffro