Nov. 5, 2021
Has there ever been a more riveting rock-and-roll performer than Gordon Edgar Downie? There’s certainly never been a more captivating Canadian rock-star, I can tell you that. Today, you might be able to choose from any one of a ton of Tragically Hip performances to view online, but trust me when I say, experiencing Downie’s art that way simply doesn’t do it justice. In order to really get a sense of who he was and what he meant to the legion of Hip fans, you had to be there in the moment to truly feel his energy. Even after being diagnosed with glioblastoma, an extremely fast-acting and deadly type of brain-cancer, Downie traveled across Canada, drawing out every last bit of happiness he could from the fans who were preemptively mourning his loss. No major performer in the history of pop music has ever undertaken such a venture while seriously ill, and yet, it was only one of Gord Downie’s unprecedented achievements.
