[birdseyeview]

I have gotten word of a hopeful tour date for The Hip in 2011. Below is the wording from my facebook event:

"Here is what has gone on so far. I work for the City of Watertown Parks and Recreation department and recently the Disabled Persons Action Organization (the people that put on the concerts in Watertown every summer) approached us asking about getting a venue for The Tragically Hip.

As of right now they have put in a bid to get The Hip, barring that they play in the Buffalo area next summer. If they do then we will get them to... play in Watertown either the day before or the day after.

The initial talks are about it being on kite hill up at Thompson Park. Something like this has NEVER been done before! It will be amazing that not only does a large group of people get to enjoy the sounds of The Tragically Hip, but many lucky homeowners in the city will get the resonating sounds of the band in their homes.

My job is to show the D.P.A.O.that it won't be a waste of money and, like I have been pitching to them, that this we in fact draw a huge crowd.

Your job is to show that you are interested in The Tragically Hip coming to Watertown next summer, and to pass it along to other Hip fans. With your help not only will this bring a HUGE act to the D.P.A.O. concert series, but it will be an awesome event for an otherwise boring Thompson Park.

Once again pass this along so that I can give the people at D.P.A.O. an incredible number to help draw this amazing band to our hometown. Pass it along to anyone who enjoys The Hip, or that needs to know about this soon to be massive event.

Thanks and see you next summer!"

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I'm going to work for the next 10 months to ensure that this happens!

[ant]

holy crap i live in watertown. this is so unexpected! and would be amazing!

[patiodweller]

I love Watertown. I think this would be 100% amazing.

[sean.bonner]

Harry Chapin once said of Watertown, New York that he "spent a week there one afternoon".

[birdseyeview]

Harry Chapin once said of Watertown, New York that he "spent a week there one afternoon".

Try spending 26 years worth of afternoons there...I should be dead already.

The park that is in question for this show was designed by the same guy who created central park, so perhaps we would have a Gus the polar bear from Thompson Park rendition.

[Marcus1970]

The park that is in question for this show was designed by the same guy who created central park, so perhaps we would have a Gus the polar bear from Thompson Park rendition.

How about renditions of Born in the Watertown and Thompson Park Girl.

[ant]

im pretty sure that thompson park would be the only place in watertown for a band like the hip to play. but it would be total chaos. watertown police wouldnt be able to handle that crowd. you'd have people from kingston, watertown, cuse and buffalo and albany. it is possible for them to play there. but people would sneak in through the forrest and the traffic would be ungodly. i hope it happens just to see how they handle that lol.

[birdseyeview]

im pretty sure that thompson park would be the only place in watertown for a band like the hip to play. but it would be total chaos. watertown police wouldnt be able to handle that crowd. you'd have people from kingston, watertown, cuse and buffalo and albany. it is possible for them to play there. but people would sneak in through the forrest and the traffic would be ungodly. i hope it happens just to see how they handle that lol.

Security wise, people sneaking in won't be an issue. Sure they can Rambo to a certain point, but anything near the venue will be tapped off. They would be better off standing on the outside of the venue looking in. Traffic I feel will be a concern because there is only so much parking up there. There would have to be some busing in from a nearby parking lot.

[ant]

im pretty sure that thompson park would be the only place in watertown for a band like the hip to play. but it would be total chaos. watertown police wouldnt be able to handle that crowd. you'd have people from kingston, watertown, cuse and buffalo and albany. it is possible for them to play there. but people would sneak in through the forrest and the traffic would be ungodly. i hope it happens just to see how they handle that lol.

Security wise, people sneaking in won't be an issue. Sure they can Rambo to a certain point, but anything near the venue will be tapped off. They would be better off standing on the outside of the venue looking in. Traffic I feel will be a concern because there is only so much parking up there. There would have to be some busing in from a nearby parking lot.

theres only 3 ways in and out, minus trails and sidewalks. the only major parking lots close to the park i can think of is the high school and the huntington street/state street mcdonalds parking lot. it would be different if it was held at the fairgrounds cause theres a wide field for parking right there.

i'd rather see them at the park.

[birdseyeview]

i'd rather see them at the park.

So would I.

[patiodweller]

When the HIP played Across the Causeway in Kingston, there were shuttle buses.

[birdseyeview]

There was an article written in my local newspaper about my attempt to get people behind having the band come and play next summer in Watertown. Tomorrow a local TV station is doing a piece on me too. It's amazing that every media outlet in our city is pushing for this happen.

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"City man crusades to draw 'hip' band

DPAO CONCERT SERIES: Music fan pushes to bring Kingston's Tragically Hip to Watertown

A Watertown Parks and Recreation worker is pushing to get one of Canada's most popular rock bands to hop over the border and play a concert in Thompson Park, and it looks like he has more than 2,600 musically like-minded friends willing to join his cause.

Matthew A. Rogers, a city Parks and Recreation employee who oversees the summer programs and recreation staff, is pushing the Disabled Persons Action Organization to put in a bid to the Tragically Hip as a part of next year's summer concert series.

"For the band itself to play on the hill at historic Thompson Park, which was designed by the same guy who designed Central Park, it would be exciting, but we have to start somewhere," Mr. Rogers said.

Mr. Rogers, who is also a substitute teacher in the South Jefferson Central School District, said he hopes the concert could be held at the Thompson park kite hill — which also hosts the roughly 5,000 people who attend the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra concert annually — although he would be happy if the band were hosted anywhere in Watertown.

Joseph L. Rich, DPAO spokesman and an adviser to the agency's board of directors, said Wednesday that he has spoken with Mr. Rogers and would love to host a large-scale concert at Thompson Park. There are a lot of factors, however, to account for, such as parking, security, noise, ticket prices and the weather, he said.

"I'd love to have something large at the park, but there are an awful lot of questions that need to be answered first," Mr. Rich said.

As for the Tragically Hip: "They're certainly on our wish list," Mr. Rich said. "I would be most comfortable hosting them at the fairgrounds, but if we could make it happen at the park, that would be great, too."

The Tragically Hip is a Kingston rock band that has won more than a dozen Canadian Juno Awards and has periodically toured throughout the U.S. and Canada. The band played the inaugural concert at the Kingston Regional Sports and Entertainment Centre when the 5,700-seat facility opened in February 2008. An e-mail to a band spokesperson was not returned Wednesday.

Mr. Rogers said that any questions about whether the band would draw a crowd can be answered by looking at a fan page he's created on Facebook about the so-far mock event.

"I could tell them it would be a hit until I was blue in the face, but I wanted to show them some evidence," he said.

Mr. Rogers said he sent the page titled "Hip on the Hill" to 70 people about a week ago; the page now has more than 2,600 fans.

"I don't want to see this put on the back burner," Mr. Rogers said. "I really want this to happen. Actually, what has really astonished me is the power of social networking."

Parks and Recreation Director Jayme M. St. Croix said that while the city is not officially endorsing the concert, it will answer any questions the DPAO has about hosting a concert at the park.

Holding a concert that would draw more than 7,000 people would take the city and a handful of other agencies to coordinate the event, Mr. Rich said.

"The city bent over backward for us for Alan Jackson," he said. "They were involved but we also had the state police and DOT, sheriff, DPW — there were a lot of people involved, getting that together."

Anyone interested in showing their support can do so on Facebook."

[ant]

oh it will draw more than 7 thousand to that concert. id say roughly 10k. i was listening to 92.5 in watertown on the radio this morning and a couple of djs were talking about this rumored concert. im glad its gotten around so quickly.

[Wheatking20]

Anymore news on the rumored Watertown show? I tried checking the page they had on facebook, but it looks like it's been took down. Thanks!

[sean.bonner]

New Year's?