Today marks one year since the final Tragically Hip show in their hometown of Kingston.

 

CBC aired their performance, with over 11.7 million people tuning it. It was actually the second most-watched program in Canada EVER. First was Crosby’s goal against the US at the 2010 Olympics.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau paid his respect to the band before they took the stage.

 

Of course, the most emotional part of the show was when Downie sang “Grace, Too”.

 

 

The band’s perseverance wasn’t only felt by Canadians – Pearl Jam paid tribute to the Hip on the night of their final show.  

Eddie Vedder dedicated Pearl Jam’s “Light Years” to Gord:

“There’s something going on up north of the border tonight, and it involves somebody that we can say is a family member. He’s part of the group of touring musicians we’ve met over the years and they were…

There’s a guy who’s got a band called Tragically Hip, and lucky for some of us, he did some recording with a guy we recorded with all the time with in Seattle and I got to spend a few days with him and we were all informed of some sad news that he had a really tough form of brain cancer called Glioblastoma, which some of us know a lot about and it’s a tough one if not one the toughest forms and he was very courageous and decided to take his group out on one last tour and tonight’s the last night of the that run.

So they’re up there going through the emotions up there. And I just want to send them our energy from our gathering up to there gathering up there and wish the best to Mr. Gord Downie… We love you.”

 

Over this past year, the band has gone on to receive the Order of Canada and Gord released his fifth studio album, A Secret Path, chronicling the story of Chanie Wenjack, a First Nations boy who died while trying to escape a residential school.

Downie also sat down with Peter Mansbridge to talk about his cancer diagnoses and the tour.

On December 6, 2016, Downie was honoured at the Assembly of First Nations in Quebec for his reconciliation work with the Aboriginal community.

 

A documentary following along with the Man Machine Poem tour is set to premier at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

 

 

Thanks to the Tragically Hip, it’s always a pleasure doing business with you. 

 

 

Filed under: A Secret Path, Final Show, kingston, Pearl Jam, The Tragically Hip