After a ten-year hiatus, The Tragically Hip is preparing to broadcast their final Man Machine Poem concert from 2016 on CBC this summer, allowing Canadians to relive the experience. The special airing of The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration concert is scheduled for August 22 at 7 p.m. local time and will be available on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio, and CBC Music’s YouTube channel. Communities have the opportunity to organize public screenings to ensure all fans can participate in the event.
The original concert, held in Kingston, Ontario, on August 20, 2016, was watched by 11.7 million viewers when it aired on CBC. This concert marked the band’s final tour before the passing of lead singer Gord Downie, who succumbed to brain cancer on October 17, 2017.
To honor the occasion, The Tragically Hip will release a new live album titled The Tragically Hip: Live July 22 – August 20, 2016 on August 21. The album, mixed and mastered by the band’s longtime audio engineer Mark Vreeken, will include live performances of popular songs like Ahead By a Century and New Orleans is Sinking from their last nationwide tour. Live versions of Fifty-Mission Cap from Edmonton and Locked In The Trunk Of A Car from the final Kingston show are already available.
In further recognition of their contribution to music, the band is slated to be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in September at Toronto’s Massey Hall.
