Bluesfest Day 7: The Tragically Hip were stellar
I was hanging out with a buddy all afternoon and then prepared to leave on my bike to Bluesfest, a 25-minute ride at most. I was all set to show up in time for some great local acts, Jack Pine and the Fire, as well as Les Mosquitos. Unfortunately I made it to the gate and realized I left my pass at home. I pulled a u-turn and biked 25 minutes home and then another 25 back. People with hair could claim a blonde moment, but I have to claim a bald moment. Previous sunny days must have fried that part of my memory seeing as there is no hair to protect it.
Needless to say I missed the locals and settled in for Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. John Spencer was pretty entertaining, but I found it a little repetitive. I did really liked the song “What Love Is,” and the rocking sound of the organ player.
I then wondered to the River Stage to check out Larry McCray. He was essentially a never-ending guitar solo.Very talented but just not my thing. So we decided to head back to the main stages for LP.
LP had a very high pitch voice, but it had some impressive range and was quite powerful. What really sold me on her was the whistling. She might as well be the female Andrew Byrd when it comes to chops in the whistle category. Really enjoyed her songs “Into the Wild” and “One Less Mistake.”
Had some time to run back to the River stage and catch a few songs by the Blues Broads. There were four amazing voices going on at the same time every song. It was very bluesy and full of soul.
Finally it was time for The Tragically Hip. My friends warned me, “Every time I see Gord (Downey) he is a little more out there than the last time.” My friends were not wrong. Gord adds a bunch of random banter at the end of songs, while the band is still playing. One thing I truly enjoyed though are the liberties he takes with his own vocals. You could never accuse The Tragically Hip of lip-synching, because of all the fluctuations and melody changes. I love that kind of stuff. It makes a performance real, not just a live version of the record.
They played all my favourites, “Ahead by a Century,” “Poets,” “Bobcaygeon,” “Gift Shop,” and “Courage.” They sounded great which was nice change after some of the sounds problems of previous days. And on a personal note it is always weird for me to see The Hip because as a child my guitar instructor looked exactly like their guitarist. As I left day seven, the constellations revealed themselves one star at a time.