San Francisco, O Canada, and The Tragically Hip
On July 4th, 1996, I drove into San Francisco. I knew nobody, and within 24 hours I was all alone to find a place to live, a job, a life. A month later things were very different. I’d had some incredible experiences in the city, found a place to live, got a job, and made some great friends (some of which are still in my life). That said, I was a bit homesick and longing for some familiarity. And then, a month later, on August 2, 1996, I went to see The Tragically Hip live at The Fillmore.
It was my first show at the legendary Fillmore in San Francisco, and I was in awe just walking up to the venue. As I walked in and flashed my Ontario Driver’s License, the doorman said, “Seen a lot of these tonight.” I thought, ‘REALLY?!’ I mean of course, right — but at that point I had only met 2 other Canadians in San Francisco, and they were just passing through. I hadn’t met another Canadian that lived there. And in that moment I realized that I did have Canadian company in SF, I just hadn’t met them yet.
The show was incredible. I couldn’t have asked for a more memorable or symbolic experience for my first Fillmore show. After the Hip had left the stage following their first encore, the crowd filtered out some. It seemed like all that were left were Canadians; and it became apparent that was largely true when someone started singing ‘O Canada’, and most of the room joined in. Yes, we sang The Hip back onto the stage for their second encore with a crowd rendition of ‘O Canada’.
I left the show that night feeling like Canada had just given me a big hug. In many ways it was just what I needed, and I’ve always remembered The Hip’s support in my SF and US integration.
Eleven years later, on October 10, 2007, I would see The Hip for a second time in San Francisco. I was in a much different place, and it was like seeing an old friend. Truthfully, we hadn’t talked much in years (aka, I hadn’t been listening to a lot of The Hip at the time), and after the show I remember remarking to a friend that I’d almost forgot what an incredible front man Gord Downie was. He was on fire that night. And I remembered that he is one of the all-time greats. In a class of his own in many ways; and in the same conversation as Jim Morrison, Robert Plant, Patti Smith, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury, and Elvis Presley.
Tonight I will see The Tragically Hip for the first time since that 2007 show and barring a miracle (which do happen every day), the last time. I am not going to the show to say ‘Goodbye’ — because they will be with me until I die. I am going partially to say ‘Thank you’, but mostly to see one of the greatest bands of all time, one more time. To be entertained. To dance. To laugh. To shed tears. To scream. To sing. To clap. And who knows, maybe I’ll get to be a part of one more concert crowd rendition of ‘O Canada’.
