by Velouria

At first glance, it was a typical Saturday night at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. Fans were packed in tight and there was an air of excitement that comes with the collective knowledge that in this venue, anything can happen. With a closer look, one realized that this crowd was not the normal 9:30 Club hipster crowd. There were hockey jerseys, mullets -- even she-mullets, and a bunch of people walking around with very peculiar pronunciations of "out" and "about." Of course, this crowd was approximately 90% Canadian. Many were Canadian-Americans, but some Hip-heads traveled from Canada to follow the Hip around on their US tour of small venues.

The Tragically Hip are not only Canadian, they belong to Canada. They are to Canada what U2 is to Ireland, native sons who love their country and whose country embraces them with enormous pride. Unfortunately they are not remotely close to being what U2 is to the US. It defies explanation that this band, with a tenure of almost 20 years, who sells out 20,000+ stadiums in a neighboring country, has never caught on with Americans. We have embraced hockey; their comedians; their actors; their pop-stars such as Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, and Alanis Morrisette, but not their greatest rock band. If an American has even heard of the Hip, it's likely that they were introduced to the band by a Canadian, as I was.

The Tragic thing for "hip" Americans is that they are missing out on a really great rock band at a time when there seems to be a dearth of quality rock music. They are true music veterans and they have a substance and grit that has garnered them comparisons to the Rolling Stones, REM, and U2. While there is truth in each of those comparisons, they have a sound and a voice that is their own. They are rock and roll with some blues and a little bit of country. Their music is based on simple chord progressions, but its many layers and textures give it a unique depth. Their frontman, Gordon Downie, is simply one of the best. His strong, unique voice grabs you and then holds your attention with some of the best storytelling lyrics of our time. His lyrics, whether about a depressed polar bear or a dead hockey player, are true poetry.

This band is also one of the best live bands currently touring. Their show at the 9:30 club last Saturday opened with "As Makeshift As We Are," a raw, rocking tune from their recently released In Between Evolution. The crowd was definitely in to this song and other tracks from the new album, but erupted and sang along to old, familiar favorites such as their second song, "Grace, Too." Other highlights were an amazing performance of "Bobcaygeon" and the new country-bluesy "It won't be Nashville Every Night." Downie, when not harnessed by an acoustic guitar, was a frenetic, gyrating contortionist. Gordon Sinclair (Bass, vocals) and Johnny Fay (Drums) were one of the most solid rhythm sections I have ever seen live. Rob Baker (Guitar) and Paul Langlois (rhythm Guitar, vocals) wove in licks that were sometimes edgy and other times delicate. Together they put on a show definitely worth going to see.

The Hip are headed out to Texas and the West Coast and will return to the Northeast and East Coast at the end of October, so be sure to catch them if you can.