
as always, when i embolden it's not to scream or be disrespectful:
instead it's just have certain points stand out in my often longer posts.
feel free to skip to songs and video below while reading.
When I get the new module I'll anoit it with love by playing some music by one of Canada's top bands
The Tragically Hip, who've been around 32 yrs, and winner of 14 juno awards (basically our canadian grammys)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragically_Hip
52 yr old Hip lead singer
Gord Downie has an incurable, terminal and aggressive brain cancer
called glioblastoma..(hence the fedora he's wearing to cover up
the surgery he had to remove most of the brain tumour... but also to go own with some fashionable bang)
...he had 4 or so different coloured
Lamé suits made up for the tour.
Lamé ...so Elvis retro like!
each concert was immediately sold out...many tears of both gratitude and sadness
were shed at each one, by the fans in attendance according to many reports.
despite having the tumour removed during surgery 8 or so months ago, then followed by many bouts of chemo and radiation therapy,
the cancer came back (screw** CANCER!)
nonetheless, and given their new album 'the man in machine poem' had come out
'Downie the band decided to courageously stay on course and launch a small, (and what many feel is their final farewell) tour across western/central /Canada
to say goodbye and thanks to their fans...it was recorded by our CBC (basically think BBC or ABC)
their final stop,
a show in Kingston, Ontario (the band's hometown) happened just last weekend on Aug 20, and was watched by some
11.7 million fans across Canada (hell that is 1/3 of our population) with many public venues across the country broadcasting it live, coast to coast....hope it will be released internationally shortly so
you can all see it...was bitter sweet watching Downie up there, giving it all he could, looking a bit frail, often having to rely on monitors for the words.
even our PM Justin Trudeau attended (as did Geddy Lee of Rush), among other VIPs in the music industry.
pic below: no, not the actual concert crowd but instead
one (of many) of the free venues for people to watch on a screen...believe its from Kingston.

Anyway, before watching the concert I wasn't a huge Hipster...sure i had their live CD and knew of some of their tunes, but didn't know their lineage in depth.
however, post concert, my perspective and respect and embrace of them has now done a 360, such that I just ordered some CDs and will (for the first time) download them.
so........in an attempt to try to turn on my UK, Aussie, Kiwi and southern (US) cousins, I have provided 4 of their classics
...listen a few times each and I dare you to not fall in love with them.
50 mission cap,
courage,
bobycaygeon....and then '
ahead by a century ', imo the last one being kick-ass classic can stand up to anything out there.
sure it starts out softly enough, acoustically/bluesy feeling to it...and then picks up steam with powerful rhythm guitar riffs and drumming to punch into your emotions and take you along for a fab ride lovely ride, as wonderfully ebuillient feeling as being in a convertible on a sunny day, driving a coastal highway without a worry in the world.
(see video at bottom).
50 mission cap https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-t8W4X8Obo&ab_channel=GordonYYZ
Courage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOgFnO4EXRg&ab_channel=GordonYYZ
Bobcaygeon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6QDjDPRF5c&ab_channel=TheTragicallyHipVEVO
Ahead by a century; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE2joQsWXJg&ab_channel=TheTragicallyHipVEVO
Note: in this hamilton ont aug 16th concert (so not the final kingston concert on aug 20th)
the final 'GOODBYE' closing tune is 'Ahead by a century' ...it was wonderfully drawn out with some FAB guitar playing so Downie
could have time to 'say goodbye' to the crowd for the final time...very poignant.
i could watch it 20 x cranked full and not tire of it.
Bless you, Gordie!...may you and all those
close to you have much TLC in the coming days ahead.
while I love Rush (as you all know) the Hip reaches into my core on a more emotional, visceral level..maybe it is because of Downie's situation, I don't know.
haven't figured it out yet.
lastly if you can see the CBC concert online somehow, get the tissues handy when Downie loses it during the
end of '
Grace, too' , already an intense song in itself.
you'll probably get equally gutted as he starts crying/screaming into the mic:
see if this link works, showing it: http://indie88.com/watch-gord-downie-fights-back-tears-during-grace-too/
you can just feel all that raw vulnerability, sadness and anger spill out, given the tragic hand dealt to him...you just want to reach out and hug the guy.
don't know if you have access outside of Canada...job droppingly raw.

below: Gord Downie meeting his friend, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

