Ahead By a Century | Gord Downie's Crowning Moments

In celebration of what would have been Canada’s house band leader, Gord Downie’s 54th birthday, here are some of Gord’s finest moments.

1984: The Tragically Hip form in their hometown, Kingston, Ontario.

1987: The band releases their self-titled debut EP.

July 7, 1989: The Tragically Hip play to an audience of approximately 40 people at the O’Cayz Corral, Madison, Wis. The opening act was a band from Seattle, Washington named “Nirvana,” yes THAT Nirvana.    

September 5, 1989: The Hip release their first full-length album, Up to Here, selling 100,000 copies in its first year earning a Juno for most promising artist. The album would go on to earn certified Diamond status.

February 19, 1991: Just two weeks after Gord Downie’s 27th birthday, the band releases their second full-length studio album, Road Apples, which went Platinum in just 10 days, earning them entertainer of the year at the Juno Awards.

March 25, 1995: The band appears on Saturday Night Live, thanks in large part to the finagling of fellow Canadian and Kingston-area resident Dan Aykroyd. The band’s performance on the show was one of their highest profile media appearances in the United States.

“Grace Too”

“Nautical Disaster”
https://www.facebook.com/dcappe/videos/vb.501784800/10154260753314801/?type=2&video_source=user_video_tab

February 22, 1999: The Hip are selected to open Toronto’s Air Canada Centre, becoming the first band to perform at the new arena. The band would play there again on December 31, 1999 and January 1, 2000 to ring in the millennium.

July 24, 1999: The band plays an early morning set at Woodstock ’99 for a charged up group of flag waving Canadians.

https://youtu.be/lcK1P491lmk

2002: The Tragically Hip get a spot on Canada’s Walk of Fame.

2003: The Tragically Hip performs “It’s a Good Life If You Don’t Weaken” and “Poets”, as part of a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II.

April 3, 2005: The Tragically Hip is inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards in Winnipeg.

May 24, 2016: The band announce that Gord Downie will courageously lead The Hip on one final tour after Downie is diagnosed with incurable form of brain cancer.

August 20, 2016: The Tragically Hip returns home to Kingston’s K-Rock Centre for the final date on the Man Machine Poem tour. A concert viewed by 11.7 million nationwide.

October 18, 2016: Juno Award winning album and graphic novel, later accompanied by animated television film written by Downie and illustrated by Jeff Lemire is released.

December 6, 2016: Downie honoured at First Nations special assembly in Gatineau, Que for his push to reconcile with indigenous people, forcing Canadians to confront the legacy of residential schools.

July 17, 2017: Gord Downie is appointed to the Order Of Canada.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORD!