Tragically Hip fans full of smiles and nostalgia at Calgary concert
Despite an early rush, there were still tickets available for the band's 1st of 2 shows
There was plenty of nostalgia and plenty of smiles at the Saddledome on Monday as the Tragically Hip took to the stage for the first of two Calgary shows.
"I'm here to celebrate music, to celebrate the band, to celebrate Gord Downie," said Shawna Graham, who — like most people CBC News spoke to — grew up listening to the band.
The same wasn't true for Quentin Young, who's 10 years old.
"I hope I have fun," he said. "Every time I'm stuck in the car, my mom or my dad puts on the Hip and I just kind of move my feet and move my head and just dance."
Tickets available
Despite a rush on tickets when the concert was first announced, there were plenty to be picked up online on Monday for reasonable prices.
Marie Simpson wasn't expecting to be in Calgary for the show, but as luck would have it, she was — and she found tickets right away.
"I tend to operate on the principle that the world is a friendly place, so I sort of expected that I would find something," she said.
She didn't have to look hard, either. She simply posted an ad on Kijiji and snagged two tickets for $80.
"I'm very glad I found tickets at such a low cost."
There were tickets released on Ticketmaster, and plenty up for grabs on Kijiji.
'He's God'
But perhaps Simpson's luck was divine intervention from Downie, the lead singer of the band who announced he had terminal brain cancer shortly before the latest tour was revealed.
"Gord is like Jim Morrison of The Doors, but Canadian. He's God," said a clearly excited Darren Pfingsttag from Creston, B.C. "He's the best man ever. If you don't listen to the Hip, then you're not Canadian. You might as well go back and live with Donald Trump."
"It's good times, buddy, good times," he added.
The Tragically Hip returns to the Saddledome on Wednesday. As of Monday night, there were still tickets available — although you'll be tucked behind the stage if ordering from Ticketmaster.
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With files from Andrew Brown and Evelyne Asselin