Music

Toronto and Mississauga propose free Tragically Hip shows

by Jeremy Mersereau

Photo: Stephen McGill

Now that scalpers and their army of scavenging bots have hijacked Tragically Hip tickets for their upcoming, possibly-final Canadian tour, it seems like some of the band’s biggest fans may be left out in the cold. If you’re unable to properly show your appreciation for Gord Downie and co., never fear, because city councillors in Toronto and Mississauga have a potential perfect solution. (In best Leslie Knope voice): “Municipal legislative bodies to the rescue!”

Toronto city councillor Josh Colle told the Toronto Star that he’s looking into throwing a free Hip show at Downsview Park, and has contacted the band’s management as well as York Centre MP Michael Levitt about the exciting possibility.

After all, why couldn’t it work? Downsview has previously played host to 450,000 Rolling Stones fans during SARSStock, sorry, the “The Rolling Stones SARS Benefit Concert Experience”, and twice that number for a papal mass from John Paul II, so a Tragically Hip concert should be easy enough. Maybe not, though… within the borders of the GTA, I bet Gord Downie’s way more popular than JPII: The Second Coming.

“It would just be a really fantastic opportunity to let everyone thank, celebrate the Tragically Hip and what they’ve meant to the city and to Canada and to all our music lives,” Colle said, adding “I hope it is a possibility; that of course is a decision for the band’s management to consider.”

“I’m sure it could be a really special moment and poignant and sad, and it’s being ruined in a way by scalpers,” Colle said, stoking the anti-scalper fires that have erupted in the wake of fans finding tickets near-instantly at hyper-inflated prices on secondary resale sites like StubHub.

Over in the verdant western lands once ruled over by the benevolent Queen Hazel, a similar proposal has been made by councillor Nando Iannicca. He proposed the Hip play a free show in the Saug’s Celebration Square for around 30,000 fans, and said he would personally organize the fundraising to make the show happen.”We intend to get in touch with the Tragically Hip after just hearing the discussion at council this morning,” said Paul Mitcham, head of community services for Mississauga.

[h/t Exclaim!]