Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - The Final Hip tour and reminiscing about Gord Downie

direwolf · 10-26-2018, 11:09 PM

I've only watched the final concert once, live on the night it aired. I have the bluray, but I still haven't watched it a 2nd time. Not sure if I ever will to be honest. That glorious version of "Grace, Too" just absolutely destroyed me.

The documentary is very good. There are sad moments for sure, but I found it to be mostly a celebration of what Gord and the band accomplished during that final tour, and the insane amount of preparation that went into it due to his condition. Poor guy couldn't remember song titles or lyrics, so they used teleprompters on stage and the band would help with giving him cues so he knew when to come in. Pretty amazing how they managed to pull it off. You also get to know the guys as people a little bit with some good stories about the formation of the band in the early days and how they all met.

Gord's new album is beautiful. Easily one of the most intimate, unique, and emotional records I've ever heard. I highly recommend checking it out, even if it might be a little painful. Trust me, it's worth it.

And we still haven't even heard the last of his work. Apparently he still has 2 more solo albums in the can: a rumored concept album about a train derailment that he recorded with Bob Rock, and another one he made with Dale Morningstar/Dinner is Ruined. He was also working on some new/unreleased material with the Hip just before he passed, which I hope will eventually see the light of day.

10-26-2018, 11:09 PM	#1163
direwolf Franchise Player Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: North Vancouver Exp:	I've only watched the final concert once, live on the night it aired. I have the bluray, but I still haven't watched it a 2nd time. Not sure if I ever will to be honest. That glorious version of "Grace, Too" just absolutely destroyed me. The documentary is very good. There are sad moments for sure, but I found it to be mostly a celebration of what Gord and the band accomplished during that final tour, and the insane amount of preparation that went into it due to his condition. Poor guy couldn't remember song titles or lyrics, so they used teleprompters on stage and the band would help with giving him cues so he knew when to come in. Pretty amazing how they managed to pull it off. You also get to know the guys as people a little bit with some good stories about the formation of the band in the early days and how they all met. Gord's new album is beautiful. Easily one of the most intimate, unique, and emotional records I've ever heard. I highly recommend checking it out, even if it might be a little painful. Trust me, it's worth it. And we still haven't even heard the last of his work. Apparently he still has 2 more solo albums in the can: a rumored concept album about a train derailment that he recorded with Bob Rock, and another one he made with Dale Morningstar/Dinner is Ruined. He was also working on some new/unreleased material with the Hip just before he passed, which I hope will eventually see the light of day. Last edited by direwolf; 10-26-2018 at 11:12 PM.