It turns out the topic was on Gord Downie’s mind because he was, illness be damned, on the verge of releasing The Secret Path, a multi-media project based on the story of Chanie “Charlie” Wenjack. With roughly one-third of the entire country watching, Downie used this unique platform to address the country’s dark history as it relates to indigenous peoples. Where this final show should have been (and was) a triumphant exclamation point to the band’s illustrious career, Gord Downie used it as an opportunity to draw attention to his most important project yet, one of greater national significance than songs about Bobcaygeon, the prairies, or that time the Leafs won the Cup. Sure, the band’s songs are paeans to Canadiana, which fans love, but this reflexive outpouring of coast-to-coast support and heartfelt emotion was largely directed at the The Hip’s beloved and electric frontman Gord Downie, who had recently announced that he had been diagnosed with glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer. Downie died on Octoat the age of 53.Why was this show, a mere rock concert, such a galvanizing force? The Hip, as they’re known, is among the most iconic and inimitable Canadian bands ever, even if they aren’t the most successful south of the border. He continued to tour in support of the band's recently released 13th studio album, Man Machine Poem, culminating in a massive final concert at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston that was streamed and broadcast live on the CBC to an estimated 11.7 million people. On Downie announced through the Tragically Hip's website that he had been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. Released in 2010, the well-received The Grand Bounce featured production work by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, and in 2014 Downie collaborated with the Sadies on And the Conquering Sun. A second solo effort, Battle of the Nudes, appeared two summers later, and featured guest spots from Julie Doiron, Josh Finlayson, and members of experimental blues-rock outfit the Dinner Is Ruined. Coke Machine Glow, which was also the title of his first book of poetry and prose - was recorded at Gas Station Studios and featured additional help from Barenaked Ladies' Kevin Hearn, bandmate Paul Langlois, and Don Kerr of Rheostatics. He worked alongside Skydiggers' Josh Finlayson and ex-Odds bass player Steven Drake to complete and produce his first solo effort - 2001's Coke Machine Glow. The clarity in his songwriting exuded a passion, a poignant sensibility for the most simplistic and the most complex.Īside from his band duties, the new millennium saw Downie making time for a solo career. Downie, however, was the leading force - not only as a vocalist, but also as an artist. Beginning in 1983, he fronted Kingston, Ontario's beloved trad rock band the Tragically Hip, and Downie's lush and charming lyrical stories garnered the Hip many fans across the globe, particularly in pockets of New York and Michigan. Singer/songwriter and poetic improviser Gordon Downie was one of Canada's most treasured artists.

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