[Tthip]

[youtube]P7Yn4m2HlmY[/youtube]
[youtube]UgYGRrtGLCY[/youtube]

And The Heron Outside wrote: <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://hipbase.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15268&start=205">viewtopic.php?f=28&t=15268&start=205</a><!-- l -->

Tried to take a setlist, but it got a little difficult. Alexander Keiths has a way of distracting me.

In all seriousness, it was a long, and immensely enjoyable show. Two sets and a short encore. Julie Doiron wore a cast on her leg and Gord took a few playful digs at her throughout the night. Something about falling in a hole after 12 beers. Gord seemed in great spirits (Besides Utrecht '06, has he ever not?) and the night turned into a bit of a comedy revue at times. It's amazing watching this band in action; they have so much freaking fun onstage, and they cull fans into that zone. The lame-ass wankers in the crowd sat for the first set, but everyone crowded the front at the beginning of the second set. The interaction between the band, and the band and the crowd was plentiful. Some shit for brains in the crowd shouted out during Gord's introduction of the band that "We're only here to see you, Gord!" which brought a steady chorus of boos from the crowd. Nice to see Vancouver finally showing some emotion and sticking up for the Country of Miracles. Hearing Gord go on about the Canada you "Feel" instead of the Canada you "Know" also brought the house down. Goddamned Gord, hitting up the patriot in all of us.

A varied set, with tunes from all three records. Chancellor, 11th Fret and Yellow Days all stood out. The night really exposed Gord as an artist. Lots of visuals, including a projector which Gord had a lot of fun with. Spontaneous drawing, creating an ocean, etc. Lots of movement too. Much like The Hip, it was tough to keep your eyes in one place.

Gord's got himself a nice beard too. They covered a Stones track, the kind of track that everyone's heard but forgets the title. Dang.

Musically, the band wasn't exactly on point all night, but the opening night of the tour will do that. But what fun. I'm still reeling today. It was as great a "Performance" as I've seen in a long time.

[lonesomehobo]

Sounds good. I can't wait for the show in Toronto in November.

Gord seemed in great spirits (Besides Utrecht '06, has he ever not?)

Was Gord in a famously bad mood that night?

[Marcus1970]

Sounds good. I can't wait for the show in Toronto in November.

Gord seemed in great spirits (Besides Utrecht '06, has he ever not?)

Was Gord in a famously bad mood that night?

Some say yes, some say no.

<!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://hipbase.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8912">viewtopic.php?f=22&t=8912</a><!-- l -->

[BIGVDOGG]

Sounds good. I can't wait for the show in Toronto in November.

Gord seemed in great spirits (Besides Utrecht '06, has he ever not?)

Was Gord in a famously bad mood that night?

Personally I like an angry band,they usually play better.Thanks for reminding me of what a great show and recording this is.Just the excuse I need for a drunken night of Hip madness!

[HandsInTheRiver41]

Did we ever figure out what the Stones tune was? The only one I can remember Gord ever singing is Jumping Jack Flash.

[Marcus1970]

Did we ever figure out what the Stones tune was? The only one I can remember Gord ever singing is Jumping Jack Flash.

When I was in Lancaster in 2009, they covered the Stones song The Last Time.

[Tthip]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.sceneinthedark.com/music/review-gord-downie-country-miracles-vogue-theatre-sept">http://www.sceneinthedark.com/music/rev ... eatre-sept</a><!-- m -->

REVIEW: GORD DOWNIE AND THE COUNTRY OF MIRACLES @ VOGUE THEATRE – SEPT 22 2010
by Sutherland604 on September 27, 2010 in CONCERT REVIEWS,MUSIC

To say that Gord Downie has an iconic Canadian voice would be an understatement. Years of being the front man of one of Canada’s most successful rock groups (do I even need to say it?) The Tragically Hip, has put his voice beside Neil Young and Ron McLean in my “Voices of Canada” list. But on this night in Vancouver, Gord was joined on stage by a different band: Country of Miracles. The 6 of them took to the stage at The Vogue for this first night of their Fall Tour in support of the album The Grand Bounce.


Being night one of a tour meant that some kinks were still yet to be worked out. For the first few songs it almost sounded like they didn’t do a proper sound check, but the issues were quickly resolved and everything was balanced. Part of the way through the first set, Gord forgot the lyrics to a song. For the life of me I cannot remember the song it was, but the crowd and Julie Doiron were there to help Gord get back on track and finish the song.

Botched lyrics have never received a warmer response.

If you have ever been to The Vogue Theater on Granville Street you know that it is a seated venue. With a concert taking place in a seated venue the eternal struggle between “sitter & standers” takes place. Sitters hate the standers while the standers just want to dance. As the night went on, a few more standers popped up and by the second set, many had left their seats and formed a dance floor at the foot of the stage. In case you were wondering, I’m a stander.

Gord was interacting with the crowd throughout the night. Telling jokes and stories as well as responding to remarks yelled from the crowd. Here are a few that i remember:

What? You’ve never blown anyone? It’s not a big deal.
You are not the Canada you think, you are the Canada you feel.
Happy first day of autumn – Julie.
Jazz hardest word in scrabble. You never get 2 Z’s – Dave on Drums

Rock n Roll handbook:

Page 1: never say sorry
Page 2: never admit that you split your finger nail in half
Thank you music lovers of Vancouver, of the lower mainland. Treat eachother well. Drive the speed limit. Don’t smuggle dope, you don’t need to.

An Evening with Gord Downie & The Country of Miracles was a proudly Canadian night of music. The band was lead by a voice of a generation and he lead them well. The show started with him saying “I’m here because you’re here” We were there for Gord, but we left with a new found respect for his Country of Miracles too.

[Tthip]

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.rockstarweekly.com/gord-downie-kicks-off-intimate-tour-in-vancouver.html">http://www.rockstarweekly.com/gord-down ... ouver.html</a><!-- m -->

Gord Downie Kicks Off Intimate Tour In Vancouver

Gord Downie and The Country of Miracles
Vogue Theatre
Vancouver, BC
September 22, 2010
By Whitney Bragagnolo

Gord Downie is undoubtedly an exceptional lyricist; so beautifully he paints a vivid illustration by taking a simple thought or sentence and manifests it into a song that transcends his audience, compelling them under his enchanting spell and right out of their seats.

Wednesday evening, Downie and the Country of Miracles officially revealed their newest release, “The Grand Bounce” live in Vancouver; the first stop on a 26 stop tour date across Canada. The Vogue Theatre was full of an array of people, young and old, groups of friends, couples, first time observers and lifetime fans of Downies work. Immediately, the album was warmly received by the audience. His talent obviously peaked on this third solo record; however it is also clearly still on its rise.

"Well, how are you tonight," said a smiling, Downie, and the audience went wild with cheers. “We love you Gordie!” shouts a man from the back corner, one who routinely, yet comically had conversations with Downie, and commentated substantially throughout the whole performance. In my concert going past, this is generally frowned upon, especially in such an intimate setting, but Downie, nor the crowd seemed to mind, everyone was in good spirits and everyone was their together united by camaraderie and good spirit. "It’s not every day you get to start a tour in Vancouver, Gordie replied, -- “here we are."

Eclectic, unpretentious, and upbeat Downie and the Miracles dreamingly sailed through the album; the vocal contributions of Julie Doiron were a solid pairing with Downie, particularly in “Moon Over Glenora” which the combination of vocal harmonies, powerful keys, and rich guitars, was my most memorable song from the show, as well as a definite crowd pleaser. It was evident this group of musicians were having fun and the crowd felt it. Their positive and intoxicating chemistry resonated through the whole theatre, at many opportunities bringing everyone’s arms in the air, or the whole room to their feet. “Gordie for Prime Minister, We LOVE you Gord” shouts the heckler amongst the claps and cheers. “You’re beautiful!”

A comedic but unique piece to the Vancouver show was their Conway Twitty cover, in which the band awkwardly gazed at Downie as he uneasily tried to back pedal his mistake, “Its not the guitar, its the lyrics!”, he said. “I think I need to start over, is that ok?” which was followed by an approving and forgiving cheer and the evening heckler “Its okay Gordie, start over! You make beautiful mistakes!”. Downie laughed, and began over and they successfully chugged on. Dorian closed the song with, “Well, it’s a classic and special tour moment when you can tell it’s the first date, and we haven’t practiced this song a lot yet, but it was fun!”

Another crowd winner which I think every Vancouverite connected to last night was the words of “Yellow Days”, a definite tribute to Canadian summers. A line reads: “Summers always going turning everything Canada –grey”. Canada-grey, something we Vancouverites know all too well and something no one’s quite ready to surrender to just yet. It definitely brought a sense of sadness and a sense of realism as to what’s so closely around the corner, but upon reflecting deeper into the lyrics, it can be also interpreted as to how we also change with the seasons and as one chapter so suddenly comes to an end, so does a new beginning. It was upon that realization I breathed a sense of relief and a smile emerged again on my face. A smile that remained after the wonderful performance as I left the Vogue that night, umbrella in hand, off into the dismal-grey horizon.

[Tthip]

Lots of visuals, including a projector which Gord had a lot of fun with. Spontaneous drawing, creating an ocean, etc...

overhead.jpg Size: 75.15 KB  Downloads: 170

overhead2.jpg Size: 54.13 KB  Downloads: 170

[nautical]

Hey Tthip. Those photos are from Edmonton, no? You must have been sitting right behind us.

[Tthip]

Hey Tthip. Those photos are from Edmonton, no? You must have been sitting right behind us.

Twitter graced me with those photos - Yes, they are from Edmonton.
I was just trying to put a visual to the overhead projector Downie has been drawing on.
But here is a picture from The Vogue:

gdvogue.jpg Size: 99.87 KB  Downloads: 130

[Ballgame]

This show for download?I'll check tracker