See The Tragically Hip’s final iconic performance from 2016 at the K-Rock Centre in the band’s hometown of Kingston, Ontario
The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration airs Sunday, July 28, 2024 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV
In 2015 the band’s captivating frontman, Gord Downie, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, a prognosis that shook the band’s devoted fans around the world. Gord’s response was to spend this precious time as he always had — making music, making memories, and expressing deep gratitude to his family and friends.
Having just finished their latest record, Man Machine Poem, the band took it out on tour — a tour that felt like a farewell. The 15-show run, culminated in a National Celebration on Aug. 20, 2016, at the K-Rock Centre in The Tragically Hip’s hometown of Kingston, Ontario, which would be their last performance as a five-piece band. The concert was broadcast live on CBC, an event that remains among the biggest in the country’s broadcast history.
Among the songs included in the special are “New Orleans Is Sinking,” “Fiddler’s Green,” “Fifty Mission Cap,” “My Music at Work,” “Ahead by a Century,” “Little Bones,” and “Courage.”