After a lapse of ten years since their final performance, The Tragically Hip is gearing up to offer Canadians a chance to relive the 2016 broadcast of their last Man Machine Poem concert through a special airing on CBC this summer. Fans can tune in to watch The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration concert at 7 p.m. local time on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio, and CBC Music’s YouTube channel on August 22.
The original concert, held in The Hip’s hometown of Kingston, Ontario, on August 20, 2016, was broadcasted on CBC and attracted 11.7 million viewers. This concert marked the band’s final tour before the passing of lead vocalist Gord Downie, who succumbed to brain cancer on October 17, 2017.
In honor of the event, the band is also set to release a new live album on August 21, the day before the broadcast. Titled The Tragically Hip: Live July 22 – August 20, 2016, this album was mixed and mastered by the band’s veteran audio engineer, Mark Vreeken. It will showcase live renditions of popular tracks like Ahead By a Century and New Orleans is Sinking from their final nationwide tour.
The live versions of Fifty-Mission Cap, recorded in Edmonton, and Locked In The Trunk Of A Car from their last Kingston performance are already available. Furthermore, the band is scheduled to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at Toronto’s Massey Hall in September.