[NegPhil]

Yep.

[nhaste]

I don't really agree with the "it's a festival so they have to play their greatest hits" theory.

Look at Edgefest 2003 for example, opened with Fire In The Hole and went on to play Daredevil, Puttin Down and 2 new songs. Not exactly greatest hits.

I'm really hoping that they were just rushed for rehearsal time and hence why we are only getting the songs they are most comfortable with.

[screw_ball]

Hey all y'all bitching about the setlists... It's their music, it's their show, and it's not like all of us here haven't heard all of these songs a million times anyway live & on record & on bootlegs. You didn't have to go, you didn't have to shell out that money, the show would have gone on whether or not you went or were satisfied with the set list and anyway it's peculiar that there are people who weren't even there who are complaining about it! Maybe they just like playing those songs, maybe they don't want to worry about having to figure out a new setlist every night, who knows, who cares...can't you just have a good time like they're having onstage?

Ugh, Screwhead, once again, you just don't get it. I think the majority of fans here are concerned more than anything. It's not "Bitching." Clearly, you've never been in a long-term relationship of any kind. When things go stale and people stop putting in effort, the relationship breaks down. I'm sure if you asked the band, they'd admit too that their relationship with the fans is indeed two ways. People like Mark S. and Chris K. who have made a second career out of following the band and documenting their live shows have done so because of the variety within the sets and the fact that they've treated every show as it really is: something special. And this dedication from fans has kept the band in business.

But right now, the gigs seem to be lacking the respect that many fans have for their extensive back catalogue. A few people may be griping and giving up on the band, but I'd say the majority of us are just worried. We've seen and heard of too many rock and roll bands that begin to age (As we should all admit our boys are) that phone in the exact same gig every night. One of (If not the biggest) the reasons we love this band is because they never seemed to want to do that. But these few gigs are beginning to prove otherwise...

Dude, chill, it's like 3 shows out of almost 30 years performing. Also, you don't deserve a goddamn thing...I don't think any of us do! It's their art. It's their LIFE. These people aren't machines...they're people! I don't know if you're good friends with them or anything, but I sure as hell am not so I'm not gonna assume anything about them or get "worried" or anything. Fans, especially rabid fans like us, tend to get this...sense of entitlement about artists & their output. Feel like the artists owe them something for all the emotional investment. I don't think that's fair, though, you know? I was reading some quotes from this interview Bonnie "Prince" Billy did and he was talking about how the most difficult part of his job is convincing people that it's not a job...that his art isn't also commerce as well. I think you're taking this too seriously. I don't see Chris & Mark getting irate. I certainly don't see the band getting irate, the pictures I saw from those shows lead me to believe that they were having a good time like they always do, and from interviews over the past few years it seems to me, though I can't really know because I've never actually talked to them about it, that they just wanna have a good time right now. Why can't you just be happy for them? Why does the way they act or the music they make have to be about you? Can't you just appreciate all the music they've made that you love & all the shows you've been to that were rockin' & the fact that they're just doing their thang?

I'd also suggest looking into Korzybski if you don't know him already, especially the "E-prime" variant of English he helped create, I think it might help clarify where I'm coming from: <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime#Distinctions_between_self_and_others">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Prime#Di ... and_others</a><!-- m -->

[mintgreenbird]

drip drip drip :thumb:

[direwolf74]

the pictures I saw from those shows lead me to believe that they were having a good time like they always do

Also, that version of "Grace Too" that someone posted in the Peterborough thread was pretty badass. Sure, Gord looked kinda mellow, but Robby absolutely ripped it up during the extended outtro. The band looks just fine to me. That being said, the setlists have definitely been lame. Three straight shows now with identical sets. That's usually unheard of when it comes to the Hip, and I agree with some of the others here that it's a little unnerving. I'm gonna go ahead and guess that between solo projects and working their arses off recording the new album, they just didn't have time to rehearse a lot of songs.

[thefivehole]

Just found this video of Streets Ahead. It sounds like a beautiful song.

[youtube]sL_64ssBzGY[/youtube]

[direwolf74]

Thank you! When people on here were saying they weren't diggin' "Streets Ahead", I wasn't expecting much. But this song is fantastic!

[downie_24]

I agree, that wasn"t bad at all....quite enjoyed it actually!

[PatrickTheLion]

I'll try to summarize my thoughts after reading a lot of negative comments. Folks here are "concerned" or "worried" about the path the boys will take with their music and the way they play live. They seem to be following the path of another Canadian band that I love...Rush. For you Rush fans, you know what I mean, and you have already been through the changes bands go through as they get older yet still love to play. It's just evolution and although it wasn't the best Hip show I've ever seen, there are still a lot more to come and I will love these guys forever...

PJ

[spottrax]

Streets Ahead=wow, cool tune!!! I agree with you guys above.....I was no way expecting something like this (from some of the comments about it before the vid was posted). Love the verses. Nice melody line there. The studio version should be really good. The verses seem like newer mellower Hip, the chorus really kicks in like something off FC or PP. Thanks for posting!!!

[jkdiamond]

I've seen The Hip 15 times, my first one was at ACC for the second night there of the PP tour. Everytime I've gone to the shows I've followed the set lists just so I would know what NOT to expect them to play at the show I'm at. For the Downsview show I now feel like I'm looking so I should know what to expect them to play and this causes me concern. The last thing I want is to lose the unknown factor of the shows. The will they play this, I hope they do, I wonder what comes next aspect that I love.

Having said all that there are certain things I expect out of a Tragically Hip concert.

1. To get my face rocked off by amazing music - Check at all 15 of the shows I've seen
2. To be surprised by the music they play - Check
- I don't want to anticipate what song is coming next, I don't want to look at my friend and say, well they played this last night and followed up with X so I guess that's what is coming up. It makes things stale, it gets boring.

I look at the shows so far and I just shrugged a little bit. I haven't seen the hip since the WATS tour, and frankly I don't want to hear new music, frankly that's neither here nor there, that's just me being nostaligic. I want to hear the old rockers, the hidden gems that get little play time but when they do we are all up there thinking how lucky we are to get to hear that song. The way most of us used to feel about Fiddlers Green before it more or less became a mainstay. While I believe the concerts should be 100% inclusive to all level of fans, sometimes I love being the only guy in my section rocking out to songs that the less experienced, or newer fans don't know.

I think they have forgotten about a good portion of their back catalog because they just have so much music now. So much of the music gets neglected unfortunately. I've felt this way for a while now too, not just recently. We've seen songs disappearing each tour, which I think is a real shame. When was the last time anyone heard Everytime you go, or Emergency? 15 shows and I don't think I've heard either once, though my memory might be failling me. I really like 50MC, but I don't need to hear it a 10th or 12th time, I've lost count to be honest.

I fully expect these shows to be a greatest hits show, especially Downsview when they are sharing the stage with Weezer and a few other bands. What I don't expect is that every show will have an identical set list. If I wanted that, I would listen to some of the boots I have on repeat (Big thank you to everyone who makes that effort! I feel like I've never thanked those people before)

To compare them to a few other bands I've seen this year, Phish and Furthur (Bob Weir and Phil Lesh), both groups have massive catalogs of music, so much so that they go back to back to back nights and never play the same song twice. They pull from their whole catalog and the fans love it. Seeing 3 or 4 shows in a row and never hearing the same song, or if they hear the same song a different arrangement of it. At this point in the Hips life I commend them for continuing to add to their catalog. I think we as fans are lucky to continually get new music. I don't see why they need to repeat songs each night when they could easily do a 3 night run of songs and never play the same song twice, let alone in the same order. This band has so many greatest hits that they could pull new ones out every night and everyone would still go home happy. While the Phish/Dead/Furthur following might be different, the concept of unique shows should not be.

-For anyone interested on where the glowstick throwing comes from, it's a Phish thing that seems to be migrating to other bands. Saw it at Furthur, but nothing like Phish. It's generally safe if people make them into thin circles, it's the idiots throwing the big thick glowsticks that make it dangerous.

(I've been a member here for a long time, I don't post to often, I lurk and what not, but I just feel like I had to express my opinion on this)

[Dark Canuck17]

Never go to these summer shows again if you don't want greatest hits...I have said it before WATS tour was not like this!

[direwolf74]

I have said it before WATS tour was not like this!

Yea, they dusted off quite a few gems on that tour: Thugs, The Bear, The Rules, Pigeon Camera, Long Time Running, Thompson Girl, Daredevil, Flamenco, Looking for a Place to Happen, and Don't Wake Daddy...just to name a few. I think what was mentioned in the Bobcaygeon thread is probably correct. They're currently shooting a documentary and they probably need to play the same hits-laden setlist for a few shows just so they can get the best take of each song in the film. I have no doubt whatsoever that when they tour the new album later this year (hopefully it's that soon) they'll get back to switching up the setlist like they always do. Hell, they might even start switching it up as early as the next show. I'm looking forward to finding out. Regardless of all the bitching about the setlist, the venues, the beer lines, etc... (and I've been guilty of it myself), I just love that this forum is all a buzz and we're all getting excited for the Hip again. New songs, new album, new tour. This is what I live for. I've been listening to this band for over 20 years now, and I'm just thankful that they're still making new music and kicking ass in concert. I hope they never stop.

[Xanagirl]

I'll try to summarize my thoughts after reading a lot of negative comments. Folks here are "concerned" or "worried" about the path the boys will take with their music and the way they play live. They seem to be following the path of another Canadian band that I love...Rush. For you Rush fans, you know what I mean, and you have already been through the changes bands go through as they get older yet still love to play. It's just evolution and although it wasn't the best Hip show I've ever seen, there are still a lot more to come and I will love these guys forever...

PJ

^ I hear you. My 2 favorite bands are Rush and The Hip. Rush pretty much plays the EXACT set list on a tour. If they swap out anything, it's one song. And I can see why. Rush has an elaborate stage show (videos, lights, sometimes lasers, etc.) and the 3 of them trigger all their own samples. Between their complicated melodies, odd time signatures, elaborate visual effects, and the triggers, it is so tightly "choreographed", they have to be on the dime. Add in the fact that they play for 3 hours with no opening act, it's amazing they remember all that they do. I can completely see why Rush keeps a static set list.

The Hip in comparison has less complex songs and a pretty minimalist stage/light show. It is relatively easy for them to swap out songs without the domino effect of disrupting the stage/video/lighting effects. However, it's been 2 years since the WATS tour, and they only had 1 other concert under their belt this summer before the Watertown show. I think they used their first 2 shows to get back in the groove and get relaxed for the Bobcaygeon show.

With both Rush and The Hip (and any band), they have to cater to all fans, not just the die hard fans. Yes, the die-hards who see several shows during a tour don't want to hear Tom Sawyer or Grace Too for the umpteenth time. But for those casual fans who are seeing them for the first time and/or hadn't seen them in years, they'd be upset if the "greatest hits" didn't make an appearance. For me, I realize that the years of touring for both Rush and The Hip are limited (there are less concert days ahead than what is behind us), so I'll take what I can get while the gettin' is good!

[ikky99]

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DPAO: Tragically Hip Concert 'Profitable,' Despite 'Glitches'
by Timothy W. Scee II
Special to Newzjunky.com
Published June 28, 2011

WATERTOWN, N.Y. — Disabled Persons Action Organization organizers say despite “minor glitches,” Kingston, Ont.-based rockers, The Tragically Hip packed in 6,500 fans for the first act of 2011 DPAO/Waite Toyota Summer Concert Series.

Although sales numbers had yet to be determined Monday, the agency’s staff says Friday’s show was “profitable.”

“Dollar-wise, we’re still waiting for all the expenses to come in,” said Timothy J. Dermady, director of corporate development. “We don’t have the numbers yet.”

Dermady said about 500 tickets remained unsold of the 7,000 printed.

“I think we did well with it,” said Joseph L. Rich, vice president of the agency’s board and its fundraising coordinator. “There was a few glitches that we have to improve upon.”

While some concertgoers had trouble finding toilets and requested seating in the grandstand, according to Rich, The Tragically Hip’s “people” were the ones who pitched the nonprofit the biggest curve at the show, held on the field of the fairgrounds baseball diamond.

“They wanted the general admission individuals to join the reserve people,” Rich said. “We had to open up the gate for that and we really didn’t want to, but we had no choice.”

Fans who attended Friday’s concert paid $76 dollars for reserved standing and $66 for general admission tickets.

“There were a few problems but the big thing is it didn’t rain,” Rich said.“