Edmontonians crammed into bars and theatres Saturday to watch The Tragically Hip go out in the most tragically hip way.
Even thousands of kilometres from the Kingston, Ont. concert venue, they cheered a live stream of the terminally-ill Gord Downie rasping through one final set with band mates.
Some mouthed the words with him, while others sat and nodded along or dabbed at tears.
Todd Whillems ended his The Tragically Hip concert experience the same way he started — in a bar.
Todd Whillans says he used to sneak into bars in Kingston, ON, to watch The Tragically Hip play their startup concerts nearly three decades ago. (Zoe Todd/CBC)
He remembers sneaking past bouncers with high school friends to watch the band play start-up gigs in their home town of Kingston.
“It was just a nasty little dirty place,” Whillems recalled. “It was just an opportunity for us to get in trouble and go see a garage band play in a bar… when they made it big it was a real surprise.”
Nearly three decades later, Whillems invited those same friends to Edmonton “to relive our glory days.”
‘When they made it big it was a real surprise’ – Todd Whillans
They crowded into Rexall Place last month to say goodbye to a band they grew up with.
“It was one of those bands that really made an impression,” Whillems said.
“The last performance really kind of hit home. All of us feel like we’re invincible and seeing Gord up there doing just a wicked job with the rest of the guys just hit home that all of us should appreciate life every day.”
Charlene Watkins says her father passed on his love for The Tragically Hip. (Zoe Todd/CBC)
Charlene Watkins sat at the same bar with Whillems on Saturday night.
Watkins can’t remember exactly when she became a fan of The Hip. She says “it just kind of happened.”
Probably while dancing in the living room and crooning their songs into a hairbrush at age five, she said.
“It was my Dad’s favourite band so I heard it a lot growing up.”
Stanley Gallant remembers exactly when and where his love for The Tragically Hip started. He spent an afternoon with the band on a ferry from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland in 2001.
Stanley Gallant says band members of The Tragically Hip taught him a song on the guitar during a ferry-ride more than a decade ago. (Zoe Todd/CBC)
Gallant, a music teacher, had his guitar with him that day.
“They showed me how to play the song Bobcaygeon which I was having a little trouble with at the time,” he said. “I still play that song at my shows all the time.”
“Thank you for all the music and inspiration.”