#Gord tragically hip full

There is no questioning Downie’s love for his music, his bandmates, his fans, his country. “I… love… you,” he says slowly with an exhale, almost as if to mock the weakness of the words in the face of their meaning. “I love you,” laughs Downie to the camera. All members of the band, before every show on the MMP tour.

#Gord tragically hip full

In one particularly emotional scene, Downie talks about how what started off as before-concert hugs with all his bandmates turned into kisses on the cheek, then kisses on the mouth, then to kisses on the mouth and “I love you,” accompanied by a full embrace. And a macrocosm of that symbiosis is Canada, a country whose places, mannerisms, and very being run through the notes of each Hip song.ĭownie makes it clear whenever he speaks to the camera Langlois, Baker, Sinclair and Fay are imperative to his performance, and vice-versa. What’s made clear in Long Time Running is essentially its theme: The Tragically Hip is a unit, its symbiosis dependent on all members. Even his bandmates are aware, and you can literally feel the fear each of them has embarking on the MMP tour. Without his distinct voice and persona, it’s tough to envision the band. There’s no denying that Downie is the Tragically Hip. Despite his attempts to hide it, Perry’s awe at Downie’s recuperation and function is apparent. James Perry of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Research Institute, says that Downie’s entire temporal lobe has been removed, along with the majority of the tumour, and Downie has a prognosis of approximately three to five years. Thankfully, the film doesn’t succumb to morbidity and barely any time is spent on Downie’s medical condition, though it hangs over the proceedings like a circling storm. READ MORE: The Tragically Hip’s final show in Kingston was more than just the music Lizzo denies ‘outrageous’ harassment, fat-shaming allegations.Former ‘Bachelorette’ Gabby Windey reveals she has a girlfriend.Are you ready for it? Taylor Swift announces 6 Toronto dates for Eras Tour.Taylor Swift gifts $130K bonuses to truckers, $75M in total to Eras Tour staff.After the lights go down and the crowd goes home, it’s just these five guys who’ve known each other since (in some cases) early childhood, putting out the same music they’ve been playing for decades.

It’s actually in those scenes after the shows, or just before going onstage, that Long Time Running is its most impacting. While undoubtedly that feeling can be disconcerting - seeing the Hip stripped down, minus the ostentatious suits Downie would wear onstage during the MMP tour - there’s something very personal to it. For those who’ve never been backstage at a concert, it’s a place where you see your musical heroes without their onstage personas, without their instruments, instead just simple human beings, slouching, pasty, sipping ginger ale.

Featuring a bounty of primo concert footage and intimate interviews with Downie, guitarists Paul Langlois and Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair and drummer Johnny Fay, among many others (even our own PM Justin Trudeau!), Long Time Running is like a visit backstage.