That Eric Alper

Last night, millions in Canada and around the world gathered around screens and radios and at hundreds of public viewing events worldwide to celebrate Canada’s unofficial poet laureates, The Tragically Hip, as they brought down the house in an emotional and historic performance. According to Numeris*, the live, commercial-free broadcast of The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration reached 11.7 million (2+) Canadians across all CBC television, radio and digital platforms as Gord Downie, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker, Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay played the final date of their Man Machine Poem tour at Kingston’s K-Rock Centre. The concert special was also streamed 900,000 times in Canada and around the world. The nearly three-hour Saturday evening broadcast attracted an average minute audience of 4.04 million.

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration was broadcast nationally and streamed globally live and commercial free from 8:35 pm to 11:17 pm ET on Saturday, August 20 on CBC, CBC Radio One, CBC Radio One on SiriusXM Channel 169, CBC Radio 2, CBCMusic.ca/thehip, ICIMusique.ca, CBC Music’s YouTube channel and Facebook page, and the CBC Music app on iPhone, iPad and Android devices and the new Apple TV.

“It was an honour and a privilege for CBC to bring this unprecedented event to audiences across the country and around the world. This is public broadcasting at its very best,” said Heather Conway, executive vice-president, English Services, CBC. “For nearly three hours on a summer Saturday night, an entire nation paused to celebrate and pay tribute together. Thank you to Gord, Paul, Rob, Gord and Johnny for an intimate and unforgettable shared experience.”

The broadcast event was the result of a partnership between CBC, The Tragically Hip and Insight Productions to celebrate the band’s hometown stop on their 15-date sold-out cross-Canada Man Machine Poem tour, making it available to all Canadians and audiences around the world in a live, commercial-free, all-platform broadcast.

Formed in Kingston in the mid-80s, The Tragically Hip have sold millions of records worldwide, managing to enjoy both mass popularity and critical acclaim. The group released their first album in 1987, and have since released 14 studio albums, earning two diamond certifications and 20 #1 hits. The Hip has won 14 Juno Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005. They have also received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, as well as honorary degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music and most recently Queen’s University.

Well, this is it. For those attending the August 20th show at the Rogers K-Rock Centre in Kingston, Live Nation has posted the following for important information about road closures, parking, ticket pick up, merchandise and more.

The Tragically Hip concert at the Rogers K-Rock Centre on August 20th will air live on CBC television and will begin at 8:30pm ET sharp. Ticket holders should expect significant delays due to road closures, limited parking, and security measures at the building and are strongly encouraged to plan accordingly and arrive early to avoid missing the start of the show.

The Tragically Hip concert at the Rogers K-Rock Centre is completely sold out and there will be
NO ADDITIONAL TICKETS released for this show at the box office or online through Ticketmaster.

On the evening of the concert, lines at entry points and the box office are expected to be long. The Rogers K-Rock Centre Ticketmaster Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 9:00am – 6:00pm. On Friday, August 19th, the Box Office will remain open until 8:00pm. Ticket holders are strongly encouraged to pick up their tickets in advance. The Rogers K-Rock Centre Box Office is located on The Tragically Hip Way at Gate 4.

Ticket holders that do not require assistance are encouraged to utilize Gate 1 (Place D’Armes) to avoid high traffic areas near the Box Office.

To accommodate high levels of pedestrian traffic around the Rogers K-Rock Centre and Springer Market Square, the City of Kingston will close a number of streets in the area. Ticket holders are advised to expect significant delays and limited access if travelling in a vehicle. Alternate forms of transportation are strongly encouraged, such as walking, bikes, and public transit. For a full list (and map) of downtown road closures, shuttle information, parking and transit information, please visit www.cityofkingston.ca.

Parking in the Kingston downtown core will be extremely limited and ticket holders are encouraged to find alternate methods of transportation to avoid disappointment and significant delays. Public transit in Kingston is FREE for the night and will run until 2:30am on Sunday, August 21st.

Concert attendees are welcome to shoot photographs and take video footage from their seats with hand-held, non-professional cameras (No DSLR cameras or cameras with removable lenses are allowed).  Audience members are permitted to record audio of the show, but from the position of a ticketed seat only and any equipment being utilized must not obstruct or inhibit the experience of any other patron. Selfie-sticks are not permitted.

In addition to merchandise stands inside the Rogers K-Rock Centre, there will be merchandise stands open in Springer Market Square and outside of the Rogers K-Rock Centre for non-ticket holders and early purchasing. Exterior merchandise stands will open by 2:00pm on Saturday, August 20th. Ticket holders are encouraged to purchase merchandise early, and are recommended to complete exterior merchandise transactions no later than 7:30pm to ensure a timely entrance for the start of the show.

The City of Kingston will broadcast the CBC concert live in Springer Market Square. Information regarding this event and all other logistic information related to City of Kingston planning can be found here: www.cityofkingston.ca.