The Tragically Hip is planning a special broadcast on CBC this summer, allowing Canadians to relive the band’s final show from 2016. The broadcast of “The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration” concert will air on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. local time on CBC TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio, and CBC Music’s YouTube page. The original concert occurred in Kingston, Ont., on Aug. 20, 2016, drawing 11.7 million viewers on CBC. This concert marked the band’s last tour before the passing of lead singer Gord Downie, who succumbed to brain cancer on Oct. 17, 2017.
In conjunction with the broadcast, the band will release a new live album on Aug. 21 titled “The Tragically Hip: Live July 22 – August 20, 2016.” The album, engineered by Mark Vreeken, the band’s audio engineer, features live renditions of popular tracks like “Ahead By a Century” and “New Orleans is Sinking” from their final nationwide tour. Live versions of “Fifty-Mission Cap” from Edmonton and “Locked In The Trunk Of A Car” from the last Kingston performance are already available.
Furthermore, The Tragically Hip is set to be honored with an induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in September at Toronto’s Massey Hall.