If Gord Downie had an extra spring in his step — some extra swagger in his leather pants — on February 6, that’s because he was celebrating his 51st birthday while playing to a packed Rogers Arena on their Fully Completely tour. After over 30 years, The Hip have still got it, and they know how to put on an impressive rock ‘n’ roll show.
Upon entering Rogers Arena, I was greeted with clouds of smoke – everyone was on their feet and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Downie shuffled across the stage, shimmying and shaking in his signature dance style as he belted out classics like “My Music at Work” and “The Lonely End of the Rink.”
Downie’s fancy footwork with the mic stand and theatrics like pretending the microphone was a fishing rod added a bit of quirky charm to their performance, and it was clear that this band is still having tons of fun with their stage show.
The energy in the arena when they played “In View” was electric, as the audience chanted “phone rings once, phone rings twice, phone rings three times” along with the band. Seeing this song performed live made me love it even more.
He opened the show wearing a black bowler hat, but after a brief break, the band returned to the stage and Downie was in a white cowboy hat. This matched the change in tone to some of their earlier work.
Sheer video screens surrounded the stage, and many of the songs were accompanied by footage that set the tone. For example, “At the Hundredth Meridian” had video of wild horses and buffalo running across the prairies, fitting song lyrics such as, “where the great plains begin.”
For “Locked in the Trunk of a Car,” there was a great video of driving down a long stretch of remote highway. Singing lines like this song’s “You could say I became chronologically fucked up,” The Hip showed off their lyrical genius as well. “We’ll Go Too” is another lyrical tour de force that had everyone singing along to the lines: “What can you do, they’ve all gone, we’ll go too.”
Although I was a kid when The Hip released a lot of their material, it was still a treat to see them play classics like “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan),” “Bobcaygeon,” and “Poets.” These songs don’t sound outdated at all.
As black and white hockey footage played in the background, they sang “the last goal he ever scored won the Leafs the Cup” from “50 Mission Cap” to many boos at the mention of the Leafs. “Wheat Kings,” one of their most emotional songs, brought out everyone’s lighters (or cellphone lights) as they swayed along singing, “Let’s just see what the morning brings.”
They came back for a long encore including the chilling “Scared” and they ended on “Blow at High Dough.” Downie and the rest of the group showed why The Hip are one of Canada’s seminal rock bands, and I was very impressed by their smooth moves and genuine rock ‘n’ roll showmanship.
