Tragically Hip - Vernon Multiplex, Vernon BC (9.21.02)
Posted by Shayne Robinson on 10.03.2002
Will a band known for their concerts fulfill the expectations of a super fan?
Introduction
When I heard that the Tragically Hip wanted to only play small venues on their current tour, I was ecstatic. However, when I heard that the nearest town to me they would be playing in was Vernon I was less than pleased. For those of you who have never been to Vernon, British Columbia (and I assume that’s all of you) describing it as a shit hole would be generous. To paraphrase Bret Hart, if you were to give British Columbia an enema you would stick the tube in Vernon. Yet my allegiance to the band meant that I wouldn’t miss the show for anything. So I found 5 other souls brave enough to travel to the Ghetto of Vernon and off we went. One last note about Vernon, if you ever have the displeasure of being there avoid the restaurant White Spot at all costs. They managed to screw up French Fries, something I had previously viewed as being impossible.
Opening Act
Sam Roberts was the opener for the Hip and from what I saw he puts on a great live show. Unfortunately, I missed a few of his songs since we were late arriving to the venue. I did however make it in time for his current hit Brother Down, which sounded amazing live. The venue, the Vernon Multiplex, did a much better job at handling the sound than I thought it would and that was really obvious during Roberts’ short set. His fast paced guitar echoed throughout the building creating a really high-quality sound. After seeing him live I now firmly believe that he has a long future ahead of him. I encourage all of you to check his music out if you haven’t already.
The Tragically Hip
After a very short intermission the Hip came out and the Vernon crowd went nuts. I’m pretty sure this was the first time the band had ever played there and the crowd definitely showed their appreciation. To give you a good look at the concert I’m going to go over each song Individually. However, if you are in a rush to get back to MTV’s top 40, you can skip ahead to the bottom and just check out the highlights and lowlights of the show.
1)Silver Jets- This highly energetic song was a great way to open the show as it worked the crowd into a frenzy right away. This song is the band’s new single and if the crowd’s response was any indication they made the right choice.
2)New Orleans is SinkingTo be completely honest with you I don’t remember this song at all. Due to an illegal substance being passed around I somewhat blacked out during this song. It’s odd, because I remember everything else that was played. Ah well, from what I heard they did a great job with this song.
3)Fully CompletelyI have never been a huge fan of this song and their rendition here didn’t really change my mind. To be fair, this is one of my girlfriend’s favorite songs and she assures me that this was a pretty damn good version of it.
4)grace Too When I saw the Band in Seattle last month this song was one of the highlights of the show. My expectations for it were therefore really high. It’s not as if the band played a crappy version of the song it’s just that I have seen them play much better renditions.
5)Are You ReadyThis song is off their new album and as a result it didn’t get quite the response as some of their older material did. It’s a great song though and I think in a few years it will be a fan favorite.
6)BobcaygeonThis was a treat as the band doesn’t play this song very often. For an added bonus, they played a really great rendition of it as well. They even had a special lit backdrop of stars for this song. The crowd was definitely into Bobcaygeon and it was one of my highlights of the night.
7)Nautical Disaster This song was also a surprise. I have only heard them play it live once before but this version really sounded great. The entire crowd was trying to sing along and it made the song sound even better. Watching several thousand people trying to follow along with lyrics they don’t really know is a funny thing to see. In the fans’ defense the lyrics to this song are definitely odd so I can’t really blame the crowd for not being able to follow along, God knows I couldn’t.
8)Use it UpAnother new song that will one day be a fan favorite. The band put a lot of energy into it so I’m sure that by the time the next tour roles around everyone will be singing along to it.
9)CourageI have heard countless renditions of this song but trust me when I say that none of them touched this version. The band rocked the stage hard with this song and made me appreciate it even more than before. It was played so energetically that I don’t think I will ever be able to value the CD version in the same way ever again.
10)Vapour Trails Hearing this song live made the trek to Vernon worthwhile. I was completely shocked that they played this song. It’s one of my favorite songs off of Phantom Power and I have never seen them play it in concert before. The crowd was definitely into this song so I hope they start to play it more often.
11)’It’s A Good Life If You Don’t Weaken’This is another new song but the crowd absolutely loved it. It’s a beautiful song and the crowd swayed along to every word. It’s not my first time hearing it live but I think it was the best rendition of the song I have ever heard in concert. I also think it’s safe to say that this song is already a classic with the fans.
12)PoetsThis song is always great live and as usual the band rocked the stage completely with it. It’s a fan favorite and it seemed as if everyone knew the lyrics as they were all singing along to it. I guess I have heard harder, perhaps better versions of the song before, but for some reasons I really liked this one.
13)Dark CanuckAnother new song but unlike the others I don’t think this one is destined to be a classic. I don’t mind the song myself but the crowd never seems to get into it. That might be due to the song being split into two parts. I have seen people confuse it as being two separate songs before. So that might have something to do with the lack of crowd interest.
14)At the Hundredth MeridianAnother great song that is known for being an exceptional live song. This particular rendition of it definitely didn’t fail to live up to its legend among fans. It had the whole crowd dancing and singing along. Hehe, which I guess could be a bad thing since we all pretty much sucked. But I guess that’s why they get paid to sing and we don’t.
15)Dire Wolf This was the very last new song of the night and it was a good way to end the new material. Out of all the new songs this is definitely one of my favourites and was great to hear it live. And it’s a mellow song that inevitably brings out the raised lighters, which is always funny to see
16)GiftShopAnother song that is known for being a live song. They really played their hearts out on this one. This version seemed harder than usual which made the song even that much better. Another classic that the crowd really loved hearing live.
17)Little Bones This is the probably the most well known song the band has ever recorded. It’s weird, other songs have charted higher but when I talk to people about the band this is always the song they talk about. The band really played it well and it was a great way to end the first part of the concert.
Encore 1)Ahead By a centuryI have only heard this song live once before so I was super excited that it was on the set list. It’s another mellow song that brought out the lighters in the crowd. Gord Downie (the leader singer) seemed to really get into this song and as a result it turned out great. My dopey best friend hates this song though and it made my night to see four thousand people dancing and singing along to the song and him standing with his arms crossed looking at the ground. The contrast made me laugh harder than it probably should have.
2)My Music at workTo be honest I didn’t used to like this song that much. However, in the last few months I have really changed my mind. It gets better every time I hear it.
3)Blow at HighDoughYet another song that is know for being a great live song. It was the last song of the night and the band didn’t disappoint. They played it extremely well and had the entire crowd rocking to it. They proved why they are one of the best live bands in the world and why their concerts are definitely not to be missed. This song was another highlight of the night.
Highlights
1) Gord Downie was really into the show. His rants were long, fast and funny (from what I could understand) and he even talked to the crowd a lot, something he doesn’t do that often.
2) The set list was very diverse which made for an interesting show.
3) The Multiplex handled the sound very well. A nice switch from some of the crappy venues I’m used to.
4) The crowd was totally into the band. A shitty crowd can kill any show but this crowd erupted for the Hip almost every song.
5) The band seemed to play most of the songs harder than usual which gave them an entirely different feel. They entire concert had a nice edge to it.
Lowlights
1) They completely ignored one CD and only played one track off another. It’s easy to tell what albums the band doesn’t like. That sucks for those who do like those ones though.
2) The show was pretty short. They only played twenty songs, which is the shortest concert of theirs that I have ever been to. I once saw them play 31 songs during a concert, which made this one seem even worse.
3) They only played one encore even though the crowd was still completely into the show. The crowd was cheering so loudly that I was sure they would come out again. Unfortunately they didn’t.
The 411: A hot opener by a future star, and a great concert by a band that is already on top of their game.
