geekent’s stuff’n things

I am not, in any way, what you’d call a Hip fan. I’m not a hater either, but to me, the Hip was my sister’s music when we were at our most contentious in the early 1990’s. She would blast her stereo, which was a magnificent beast I must admit, and it would easily overpower my meager all-in-one jam box as I tried to listen to my hip hop at a volume so that my mother wouldn’t hear the occasional swearing. The Hip drowned out A Tribe Called Quest, “At The Hundredth Meridian” would overtake my remix of “A Rollerskating Jam Called Saturday”, “Fully Completely” would make inaudible “Tru Fushnick” and it riled me so.

My tastes veered away (not fully, mind) from hip hop into other realms, including Canadian indie rock, which I’m sure our neighbours to the south would consider the Hip, but the notorious/ravenous frat-boy fanbase made it not just an unwelcoming band to approach, but ripe for derision. In the middle of the 1990s, the first Hip song to find me enthused was “Ahead By A Century”, a melancholy song of beautiful memories of youth, and it was a song I could (and did) listen to over and over and over again. Still, little else the Hip has done has penetrated my barricade.

In a whole new century I wound up marrying a Hip fan. At that point I was just getting past the point of *really* caring about music (something had to give with my many pop culture habits, music was it), and I was already getting to the point where I wasn’t judging people based on their music tastes. Aden was never one to blast music (at least not since I’ve been around) and I’ve kind of followed suit. Our musical tastes don’t exactly gel so I think we kind of avoid it for the most part. I do seem to recall her asking at one point though if there was a Tragically Hip concert would I go with her. Of course I would. Hey, if there was a Modest Mouse concert, I’d want her to come with me, cause I like her company. So, essentially, I knew this day would come.

I honestly don’t have anything against the Hip, and I’d often heard about what a fantastic frontman Gord Downy is, so there was the chance that I could be surprised or unexpectedly engaged by the concert. Well, the fans culling into Massey Hall were about 50% the expected screaming frat kids from University and the other 50% a mix of former frat kids now grown up, some matured and with family in tow, others, well, reliving their former glory days through music. I was feeling a fish out of water long before the show started. Aden regaled me with tales of Hip concerts past.

The show started at a surprisingly prompt 8:05 pm, Downy promising to take us on a journey through songs old and new (they are, afterall, supporting a new album). The first four songs were a blur, a trait of the Hips’ earlier music where their instrumentation was uncomplicated and Downy’s warbling was incessant. Despite my apathy towards the music, Downy did his best to entertain otherwise, with rants during the long wind downs at the ends of songs and a barrage of strange “dancing” and on-stage maneuvers (not to mention his predilection towards doing tricks with his white handkerchiefs which he’d use to wipe the sweat from his brow, then dispense into the audience… tragically unsanitary). There’s something to be said for the man’s style though, he’s part Michael Stipe, part Mick Jagger, part Andy Kaufmann, and he emerges on stage as the best dressed guy in the room (the band were befitting more the tragic side of style, rather than hip)

An intermission came after the first hour, when they returned a more “intimate” stage setup was presented with stools and a softer drum kit. A trio of “mother’s day tribute” songs were presented before the band kicked back out into their unintended jock rock. Of their two sets plus encore, I recognized about 80% of the songs (of those about 20% I outright loathe, but I digress). Of the entire show, the most alluring tracks turned out to be the newer ones like Morning Moon, which showcased diversity and complex rhythms and harmonies. I’m not a lyrics guy so I listen not to what’s being sung but how it is sung, and when Downy wasn’t warbling I found a strong admiration for his vocal capabilities.

Though Downy put in a punch-out performance, the rest of the band was non-existent wallpaper, lacking much in the way of energy or enthusiasm, leaving any showmanship to Downy. I’m sure this set-up has been honed over the past two decades but it makes for a strange dichotomy on stage. Downy’s frequent interaction with the audience is great but some sense of camaraderie with his bandmates would further extend the warmth, and perhaps energize their performance.

A solid show for sure, but music just not to my taste. I haven’t asked her yet, but I’m wondering if Aden was hoping to make me a convert after seeing the live show? (Answer in the comments, sweetheart :P). Not so much, but I am intrigued to hear those songs from the new album which really stood out in the live show… so you never know.