Canada shuts down to honour a band and a life

If you hear of a band called “The Tragically Hip” it might not register right way because outside of Canada they were only a minor success. Having been around since the early 80s, having a farewell tour might not seem that news worth except that it has shut Canada down for the on performance.

“The Hip”, as they are called in Canada, is a blues and rock band that is close to the Canadian’s heart as they songs about living in Canada became national anthems. When the band made news earlier this year, it had nothing to do with the music. It was about lead singer and songwriter Gord Downie sharing that he had terminal brain cancer but wanted one more tour to say goodbye.

The tour has been a sellout across the country with the national paper reporting the shows “left a trail of heartbreak but also celebration across the nation”. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the final concert this weekend and told reporters that The Hip have “been writing Canada’s soundtrack for over 30 years”.

For the thousands that couldn’t get tickets to the final show flocked to the town’s square where the concert was shown on big screens. The sang, danced, and celebrated a band that unified them as a country.

The Toronto Police even tweeting out what everyone in the country was feeling at the time:

Dear World,
Please be advised that Canada will be closed tonight at 8:30 p.m ET.
Have a #TragicallyHip day.
^vk pic.twitter.com/TMRah6JTG3

— Toronto Police (@TorontoPolice) August 20, 2016

It’s a bitter-sweet story, and likely one to be told the rock legend in the future.

Do you think that Australia would do a similar thing? Perhaps we could for AC/DC who are reportedly calling it quits?

Feature image from Canadian Press / AP