New Special Captures Iconic Band’s Final Performance
The Tragically Hip has been at the heart of the Canadian musical zeitgeist for forty years, evoking a strong emotional connection between their music and their fans that remains unrivaled and extends far into the United States. For the first time, the iconic band’s final performance in 2016 will air in the US. Watch “The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration” on Saturday, April 20 at 7pm and again at 8:30pm on WNED PBS.
In 2015 the band’s captivating frontman, Gord Downie, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, a prognosis that shook the band’s devoted fans around the world. Gord’s response was to spend this precious time as he always had — making music, making memories, and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends.
Having just finished their latest record, Man Machine Poem, the band took it out on tour — a tour that felt like a farewell. The 15-show run, culminated in a National Celebration on Aug. 20, 2016, at the K-Rock Centre in The Tragically Hip’s hometown of Kingston, Ontario, which would be their last performance as a five-piece band. The concert was broadcast live on CBC, an event that remains among the biggest in the country’s broadcast history. Now, to celebrate Record Store Day and 40 years of The Tragically Hip, for the first time ever, the final show will air in the United States.
Among the songs included in the special are “New Orleans Is Sinking,” “Fiddler’s Green,” “Fifty Mission Cap,” “My Music at Work,” “Ahead by a Century,” “Little Bones,” and “Courage.”
BAND BIOGRAPHY
The Tragically Hip was a five-piece group of friends including Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Downie (vocals, guitar), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (guitar) and Gord Sinclair (bass), who grew up in Kingston, Ontario, The Tragically Hip achieved both mass popularity with more than 10 million albums in Canada and over 1.5 million sold in the U.S. They won 17 Juno Awards — picking up the distinguished Humanitarian Award in 2021 at the 50th annual JUNO Awards, which recognizes Canadian artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond.
Their studio catalogue includes their self-titled debut album The Tragically Hip (1987), Up To Here (1989), Road Apples (1991), Fully Completely (1992), Day For Night (1994), Trouble At The Henhouse (1996), Phantom Power (1998), Music @ Work (2000), In Violet Light (2002), In Between Evolution (2004), World Container (2006), We Are The Same (2009), Now For Plan A (2012), Man Machine Poem (2016) and Saskadelphia (2021).
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