Legendary band the Tragically Hip kicks off farewell tour in B.C.
VICTORIA — Armed with will and determination — and grace, too — the Tragically Hip launched Friday what is sure to be an emotional farewell tour with a sold-out show at a hockey arena in Victoria.
The band took the stage at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre before 9,000 cheering fans, including luminaries such as John Mann, the Spirit of the West singer who was recently diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s.
The 15-date, cross-Canada tour promoting the band’s latest album, “Man Machine Poem,” was planned following the announcement in May that frontman Gord Downie had developed incurable brain cancer.
That lent an air of anticipation to the atmosphere in the audience, with many fans hugging and shaking hands before settling in to await the show.