My most recent concert, just this week, was seeing the Tragically Hip at the 930 Club in Washington, DC. Canadians are agog over eggnog to see the Hip in a venue as small as the 930 Club, as they sell out stadiums in Canada - and with good reason. The Hip belong in the upper echelon of the greatest rock bands on the planet. They weave between a wall of churning guitars, classic sounding rock built on power riffs from lead guitarist Rob Baker and rhythm guitarist Paul Langlois, and brilliant lyrics from lead singer Gordon Downie. However, it's all eyes on Gordon Downie, who is mesmerizing, climbing into the crowd, ranting to the audience and delivering a powerful performance, per usual. He is awesome and he is entertaining. The Hip's songs are brilliant, and their shows are not to be missed, yet for some reason, here in America, way too many people continue to miss them. For now, they remain Canada's treasure.
The Hip are a true rock show. While at the show my wife and I met some great Canadian people there who bought me a beer, I think mainly because I knew of some Canadian bands, including Triumph, Stars, and Broken Social Scene, and also because the woman was apologizing for screaming in my ear. I didn't mind.
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