Fans from around the country reunited in Kingston to hear Gord Downie sing his final lyric on stage one more time, just over 10 years after The Tragically Hip’s final performance.
On Aug. 22 at 7 p.m., thousands were packed into Market Square in downtown Kingston, filling the square and spilling onto both Brock and King Streets. The eager attendees came together for a watch party of the CBC’s rebroadcast of The Tragically Hip’s final concert in Kingston, which took place on Aug. 20, 2016, as part of The Hip’s Man Machine Poem Tour following Gord Downie’s cancer diagnosis.
Thousands gathered in the evening on Aug. 22 in Market Square to watch the rebroadcasting of The Hip’s final concert. PHOTO BY JONATHAN REILLY
The Queen’s student-band-turned-national-icons’ final 2016 show was viewed live by 11.7 million people through television and online streams. An additional 6,700 watched the show in person at K-Rock Centre, now renamed Slush Puppie Place, and 25,000 watched the live stream from Market Square.
The rebroadcasting event held downtown was part of a broader group of events held by the City of Kingston as part of their “Forever Hip” celebration, in honour of the 10th anniversary of that final day in Kingston.
With the footage from the 2016 concert projected onto a large screen, and speakers delivering audio that could be heard from blocks away, fans were in for a good show.
The screen, as seen by concert-goers, displaying the footage taken from the 2016 concert. PHOTO BY JONATHAN REILLY
The mood of the event shifted throughout the night. As the sound of The Hip’s more upbeat rock songs echoed through the square, such as “Machine”, fans acted accordingly: head-banging and singing — although arguably better categorized as screaming — their hearts out to the lyrics.
Other tunes elicited a more somber reaction from the crowd. As the hit song “Fiddler’s Green” rang through the speakers, fans turned down the energy and opted for a slow flashlight wave and a calm sing-along.
Many in attendance dressed the part, too, touting Downie’s signature fedora feathered cap and the Jaws shirt he wore to his final concert — which has since become iconic.
Despite the show’s runtime of three hours, the vast majority of fans stuck it out until the end, with the size of the crowd remaining largely unchanged throughout the night.
This commitment could be attributed to the immersion of those watching. The square cheered for multiple encores despite knowing the crowd 10 years ago did all the work for them, and that three encores were already coming.
As the concert came to an end, the impact the band had on their fans became clear on the faces of those in attendance. Tears were shed, and hugs were exchanged as the powerful story of The Hip and their lead singer clearly continued to move people 10 years later.
This feeling was palpable throughout the night. While the music certainly drew fans to the show, the shared connection through Canadian culture and the shared love of Downie brought the crowd together in a beautifully tragic way.
While that final concert in 2016 was the last time The Hip would play together live as it marked the end of the band, which would go on to disband following Downie’s death, the 2026 rebroadcast made one thing abundantly clear: their legacy continues to move people to this day.
Tags
Forever Hip, Springer Market Square, The Tragically Hip
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