Gord Downie, Tragically Hip singer, has terminal cancer

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Hip councillor 'looking for a place to happen'
Wants city to show final concert of Tragically Hip tour


By Maryam Shah, Toronto Sun
First posted: Saturday, July 09, 2016 02:36 PM EDT
Eager Tragically Hip fan Mike Layton wants to bring what could be the band’s last concert to as many people as possible.

In a motion cheekily titled ‘Looking For a Place to Happen,’ the Trinity-Spadina (Ward 19) councillor wants city staff to find a place where residents can gather to watch a broadcast of the final concert of this summer’s Tragically Hip tour.

“I couldn’t get tickets, so I’d like a place to watch,” Layton joked.

Earlier this year, The Hip revealed frontman Gord Downie had terminal brain cancer and announced a 15-show tour.

The final concert — which will be broadcasted on CBC — takes place Aug. 20 in Kingston, Ont.

Now Layton just wants a place for people in Toronto to watch that concert.

“Perhaps (the CBC) would agree to allow us to re-broadcast in a public square or a public park or a public theatre,” he said. “The city has a lot of these types of venues that should be used for this kind of thing, for celebrating a moment in time that means a lot to a lot of people.”

Layton’s top Hip songs from his years growing up include ‘Ahead By A Century’ and ‘Bobcaygeon.’

“I couldn’t think of a more fitting tribute to celebrate that kind of music out with friends somewhere,” he said.

The motion is due for consideration at city council on Wednesday.
Hip councillor 'looking for a place to happen' | Toronto & GTA | News | Toronto
 
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Man charged for allegedly selling fake Tragically Hip tickets
By Nick Westoll, Toronto Sun
First posted: Thursday, July 14, 2016 05:30 PM EDT
A North York man has been charged by police for allegedly selling fake Tragically Hip concert tickets.
The bust comes as the band prepares to embark on a cross-country tour after announcing that lead singer Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer.
Durham Regional Police said a woman met the ticket seller in Scarborough but subsequently discovered an ad on Kijiji for the same tickets after she paid and picked up the tickets.
She contacted the seller using a different name and he allegedly sent a picture of the tickets with the same seat numbers and row at the venue.
The woman went to the DRPS central east station on Wednesday to file a complaint.
Officers set up a meeting with the man, but he took off after police arrived.
He was arrested after a brief struggle, police said.
Coleman Ward, 27, has been charged with fraud under $5,000, escaping custody, resisting arrest and possession of the proceeds of crime.
He has been held for a bail hearing.
Officers are encouraging anyone who thinks they have purchased fake tickets to contact police.
nwestoll@postmedia.com
Man charged for allegedly selling fake Tragically Hip tickets | Toronto & GTA |
 
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Tragically Hip fans could get second shot at concert tickets with lottery
THE CANADIAN PRESS
First posted: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 10:17 PM EDT | Updated: Wednesday, July 20, 2016 10:25 PM EDT
TORONTO -- Fans of the Tragically Hip still hoping to see the band on their upcoming tour could score tickets through a newly announced lottery.
For each date on the "Man Machine Poem" tour, there will be an opportunity to buy tickets on the day of the show.
Fifty winners will be selected from each show's lottery, and those people will each be able to purchase two tickets.
The cutoff for lottery entry is 11 a.m. local time on the day of the show, and winners will be notified by email by 1 p.m. that day.
The tickets will be priced at face value and will range from best in house and mid-level. Unclaimed tickets will be released to the venue's box office for general sale after 7 p.m. local time.
Two months after the band revealed that lead singer Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer, the Hip is embarking on a 15-date tour that kicks off Friday in Victoria.
The tour will end with a concert in their hometown of Kingston, Ont., on Aug. 20 which will be broadcast live by CBC.
For more information on the lottery, visit The Tragically Hip.
Tragically Hip fans could get second shot at concert tickets with lottery | Musi
 
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The Tragically Hip kicks off farewell tour in B.C.
Francois Marchand, Postmedia Network
First posted: Saturday, July 23, 2016 01:23 AM EDT | Updated: Saturday, July 23, 2016 02:09 AM EDT
VICTORIA — What will Canada do without Gord Downie?
That was the question hanging in the air at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre on Friday night, as 8,300 fans came to celebrate The Tragically Hip one last time on Vancouver Island.
"F--- cancer," read a fan's T-shirt outside the arena: A middle finger to the disease that will take Downie away from us and relegate the Hip to the history books.
There was sadness and anger but ultimately a great sense of joy in the kickoff concert for the band's Man Machine Poem Tour.
The arena was filled with memories as everyone told their favourite Hip stories and talked about the first time they heard the band.
"Too many to count" was a common answer, either referring to favourite songs or the number of times people had seen the band in concert.
And there were enough places and faces mentioned to, well, fill a few Tragically Hip records.
Since 1984 the band became Canada's own rock messengers, never destined to make it big anywhere else. Downie's lyrics were madman poetry dipped in so much Canadiana.
It only made sense to us because the songs were about us, the places we're from — from Bobcaygeon to Lake Memphremagog to Mistaken Point, Newfoundland — and the people that shaped our land — from Jacques Cartier to Bill Barilko.
So we were ready. Ready to lose ourselves in Downie, in guitarists Robbie Baker and Paul Langlois, in bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay.
The roar of the crowd was deafening as Downie and the band stepped on stage at exactly 8:30 p.m., Downie dressed in a shiny pink suit and with feathers in his hat, Mardi Gras style. (Costume changes later on would turn the suit silver, then gold.)
"When it starts to fall apart, it really falls apart," Downie sang right away on a disarming Boots Or Hearts before the band, huddled together in the middle of the stage as if playing a tiny bar in Sarnia, ripped straight into New Orleans Is Sinking. Everyone hollered the lyrics at the top of their lungs.
All the emotions came flooding in at once: Grins mingled with tears, shivers down your spine with arms outstretched.
Downie was giving everything he had. On Blow At High Dough, Baker's slide solo roared, high and mighty, on Machine it was Downie's turn to wail, "I'm a real machine."
A segment featuring more songs from 13th album Man Machine Poem included What Blue, the sarcastic and angry Tired As F--k and the crunchy Machine.
Downie broke into a rare spoken word bit during a portion dedicated to 1998's Phantom Power. At the end of crowd favourite Poets, he repeated, "You don't have to worry."
He then mimicked painting on a canvas and reeling in a fish with his microphone at the end of a starry Bobcaygeon. Many were hugging, plenty were crying. "I left your house this morning..."
Downie didn't say much to the crowd, preferring to let the lyrics and music do the work. (The inclusion of The Last of the Unplucked Gems — "It's hard to say, it's sad but true/I'm kinda dumb and so are you" — was pure tongue-in-cheek.)
When he did speak, it was a dedication.
"Here's one for my good old dad," he said before The Lonely End of the Rink.
A monster Little Bones during a part dedicated to classic album Road Apple had the crowd chanting, "Gordie! Gordie!"
"It's been a long time coming," Downie sang on a Long Time Running, cellphones lighting up the stand.
In the end, Downie stood alone in the spotlight, white top and gold pants, a feather in his cap and an entire room screaming for him.
A hero's farewell.
fmarchand@postmedia.com
twitter.com/FMarchandVS
The Tragically Hip kicks off farewell tour in B.C. | Music | Entertainment | Tor
 
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Toronto CEO sending Peterborough dad battling cancer and his family to Tragically Hip concert
JOELLE KOVACH, POSTMEDIA NETWORK
First posted: Saturday, August 06, 2016 02:41 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, August 06, 2016 06:21 PM EDT
A Peterborough family is going to see the Tragically Hip concert in Toronto later this month, courtesy of a good-hearted stranger.
The Davidson family - John, his wife Rose, and their kids Ashley, Kim and Jeremy - are going to the concert together.
John Davidson - a long-time Hip fan - has a cancerous tumour similar to that of Hip frontman Gord Downie.
Right now, Davidson is on long-term leave from his job at Quaker as he undergoes chemo and deals with frequent seizures.
He’s the same age as Gord Downie - both men are 52. They also have the same doctor, in Toronto.
Ashley Davidson, 21, said her father reacted with shock when he saw his own doctor on TV in May, breaking news of Downie’s cancer.
“My Dad just loves The Hip - this was very, very heartbreaking to him,” Ashley said.
In June, Ashley’s mother Rose noticed an online contest run by the Toronto restaurant The Ballroom.
They had 10 pairs of Hip tickets to give away to people who wrote a compelling memory of The Hip on the restaurant’s website.
Ashley, 21, decided to enter the contest.
She said her father has a brain tumour that isn’t as aggressive as Downie’s: John Davidson has been living with it and undergoing treatment for 11 years now.
When he was first diagnosed in 2005, doctors had given him a decade to live. Ashley says she’s grateful her Dad has defied the odds, but these days he is quite ill.
She wrote to The Ballroom that family outings have been few and far between, since the cancer diagnosis, and that the family would love to see the Hip together.
Unfortunately, the entry came too late for the contest. The deadline for submission had passed, and the 10 pairs of tickets had been given away.
But Ashley’s appeal caught the eye of Paul Donato, the president and CEO of The Ballroom. Although they’d never met, Donato was moved.
He then decided to do whatever it took to buy five more tickets and give them to the Davidsons.
It wasn’t easy - the tickets are hard to come by. But Donator figured he could pull a few strings.
For one thing, he’s met the Hip before. He’s a life-long fan who’s seen them perform 60 times.
And he has another connection: Hip guitarist Rob Baker is a friend of a friend. Donato figured he could make sure the band knew he wanted to buy five tickets - and why.
While he was at it, Donato decided he’d go even further: He hired a limo to come get the Davidsons in Peterborough and drive them to Toronto.
They’ll also stay in a hotel after the show, and get a limo ride home to Peterborough the next day.
All of this is Donato’s treat. He’s a prominent financial advisor in his hometown of Dundas, Ont., in addition to being the president and co-owner of the Ballroom in Toronto.
He says he can afford it, and he wants nothing more than to make it an evening to remember for the Davidsons.
“My goal is to make it the night of their life,” he said. “It means so much to me.”
Ashley Davidson says she is overwhelmed by the generosity.
“We’re still in shock,” she said.
But the family is looking forward to a great show, one they’d never see otherwise. It will be precious time spent with Dad at an unforgettable concert, she said.
What will she remember forever, from all this?
“You really can’t take life for granted.”
JKovach@postmedia.com
The Davidson family of Peterborough got free tickets to see The Tragically Hip in Toronto. John Davidson (left) is a long-time fan who has the same cancer as Hip frontman Gord Downie. Left to right are John, Kim, Rose, Ashley and Jeremy Davidson. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Toronto CEO sending Peterborough dad battling cancer and his family to Tragicall
 
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Justin Trudeau joining fans at Tragically Hip's final show in Kingston
THE CANADIAN PRESS
First posted: Thursday, August 18, 2016 08:40 AM EDT | Updated: Thursday, August 18, 2016 08:59 AM EDT
TORONTO -- Justin Trudeau plans to join Tragically Hip fans Saturday night in Kingston, Ont., as they pay tribute to the prolific Canadian rock band.
Trudeau spokeswoman Kate Purchase says the prime minister has tickets to the last stop on the "Man Machine Poem" summer tour.
Many consider this to be the final show for the Hip as lead singer Gord Downie faces terminal brain cancer.
Tickets sold out almost immediately as fans raced to get seats and faced off against scalpers who used complex bot programs to grab extra tickets and sell them at a marked-up price.
The concert will be broadcast on CBC television, radio and through digital platforms, and many fans have already planned viewing parties across the country. Some communities have also set up public screenings in parks and arenas.
Trudeau wasn't sure whether he would make it to a Hip tour stop when asked in June. He said he was lucky enough to see the band perform at many concerts, and has met Downie several times.
"Gord Downie is someone I have an extraordinary amount of respect for," he told a news conference.
"His status as an extraordinary Canadian creative force and icon is not to be understated."
Justin Trudeau and Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip. (CP/Postmedia Network photos)

Justin Trudeau joining fans at Tragically Hip's final show in Kingston | Music |
 
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Tragically Hip's Gord Downie saved my cat: former neighbour

By Joe Warmington, Toronto Sun
First posted: Friday, August 19, 2016 05:21 PM EDT | Updated: Friday, August 19, 2016 08:53 PM EDT
To many Canadians, the Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie is a musical super hero.
For Barry Godin, it’s not just because of the incredible performances.
Some talk about how Downie helped rescue their youth through his patriotic poetry. Barry also talks of how Downie rescued his cat.
“It’s just the kind of guy he is.”
They got to know each other late in the last century when they were neighbours for two years in Riverdale. Barry found Gord to be smart, friendly and generous.
Also brave.
One time Barry’s cat, Babe, was scared up a tree and would not come down. What to do? Phone the fire department?
No need. Over comes Super Gord.
“He insisted on climbing up the tree while I held the ladder,” says Barry with a chuckle. “Gord gently got a hold of her and brought her down.”
There’s no Juno for that. Just a handshake from a grateful neighbour.
“He’s a down to earth, genuine person,” says Barry.
Barry’s not surprised about the outpouring of love for Downie as Canada prepares for Saturday’s potential swan song concert in Kingston given the inoperable brain tumour the legendary singer has been diagnosed with.
The reaction, says Barry, is because Downie is so real.
“He’s brilliant but bigger is his humanity,” he adds. “I saw the way people reacted to me when Gord took me to one of his shows. It was quite an experience.”
Barry, also a friend of mine, is an understated researcher and writer — not star struck or attention seeking. I am not surprised he and Gord hit it off.
“We used to run together and talk about the different books we liked to read,” recalls Barry. “He is a good listener, too.”
An example was when Gord overheard Barry was turning 50.
“On the day of my birthday, I went into the backyard to get on my bike when I noticed something,” he says. “There was a gift-wrapped package from Gord. It was the latest book, Cities of the Plain, by Cormac MacCarthy, an author we both read.”
With it was a signed note: “Go for a run later? Gord.”
Smiling, Barry says he “always liked Gord’s music” but found he became more of a fan because Gord was the perfect Canadian neighbour.
“One time I was playing hockey and we needed a goalie to fill in so I asked Gord,” says Barry.
All he told his teammates was he had a fill-in goalie. “The looks on he players faces when he walked into the dressing room was priceless,” recalls Barry. “And he was good.”
After the game, one of the players started to say: “I really like your ...”
But before he could finish, Gord teased: “the way I played goal.”
The room filled with laughter.
I have seen Gord’s big heart up close, too. I remember being at the Salt Lake City Olympics and not only seeing Gord and the Hip put on an incredible show on the night before the gold medal hockey game, but how Gord made sure his now late dad, Edgar, got into see Canada win its first hockey gold medal in 50 years.
It’s not hard to see why Gord became an excellent father himself. He was a good son.
Barry hasn’t seen or talked with his old running pal in a decade as they both moved away from the neighbourhood. But he’s hoping for the best after hearing the health news. He’s concerned like everyone else, but remains hopeful because “Gord is so strong.”
Gord has courage.
“The success of the tour does not surprise me. Nor will it if there are more down the road,” says Barry.
Barry — like the rest of the country — will be watching on the CBC Saturday night, enjoying the talents of a great Canadian band and front man who not only spoke for a generation but also once was the super hero who saved his cat.
Have an amazingly Hip weekend. Scrawler out.
Tragically Hip's Gord Downie saved my cat: former neighbour | WARMINGTON | Toron
 
Locutus

Locutus

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am I the only one who doesn't give a good goddamn about this sh!tty over-rated band and some preachy millionaire who has cancer?

I could be wrong but it's not very important.
 
JLM

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Locutus said:
am I the only one who doesn't give a good goddamn about this sh!tty over-rated band and some preachy millionaire who has cancer?

I could be wrong but it's not very important.
Click to expand...


As with most things, I think you are sadly outnumbered.....................Little man! :) :)
 
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Locutus said:
am I the only one who doesn't give a good goddamn about this sh!tty over-rated band and some preachy millionaire who has cancer?

I could be wrong but it's not very important.
Click to expand...

So don't watch. Go outside and yell at some children or throw a rock at a stray dog, instead.
 
JLM

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Curious Cdn said:
So don't watch. Go outside and yell at some children or throw a rock at a stray dog, instead.
Click to expand...


It's not my "cup of tea" as far as music is concerned, but I certainly don't see any point in denigrating a sick man .............he's obviously loved by many people!
 
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