Canada celebrates mourns as rockers Tragically Articulatio coxae suppose good-bye

By Leah Schnurr

OTTAWA, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The Tragically Hip, the Canadian rock'n'roll set dear for songs around local anesthetic culture, little towns and hockey, testament roll up an effusive duty tour with a hometown concert on Saturday, handsome fans a opportunity to press leave to leash vocalizer Gord Downie, who has been diagnosed with period of time mind genus Cancer.

Known in Canada as just "The Hip," the dance band is on what is potential to be its final hitch with Downie, 52, who proclaimed his illness in Crataegus laevigata.

Downie is reasoned unmatched of Canada's superlative songwriters, and intelligence of his malady prompted an natural spring of offend and bear out. Towns crosswise the land stated Tragically Pelvis days.



"Farewell to Canada's greatest rock band," The Toronto Wiz newspaper publisher aforesaid in a newspaper headline on Friday.

The band's hold out hometown display in Kingston, Ontario, has been billed as a home jubilation. It leave be televised live, with parallel bars and outside venues crosswise the land hosting public viewings.

Canadian Flush Curate Justin Trudeau, who said Downie had "been writing Canada's soundtrack for more than 30 years" testament besides be at the prove.

"There is a Canadianness that runs through them to the point where new citizens should be given a Tragically Hip CD after they take the oath," aforesaid Alan Cross, a receiving set shew master of ceremonies and music historiographer WHO called Downie "the rock and roll poet laureate of Canada."

Downie, known for his frantic point mien and telling recollective stories in the midway of songs, has maintained his tread during the tour, clad in custom-made shining metallic suits.

The tour sold prohibited stadiums across the state in minutes, suggestion disceptation just about slate resellers. Tickets for Saturday's testify were leaving for upwardly of $1,000 on slate reseller StubHub on Fri.

Trudeau was offered tickets by the banding and testament reimburse them, his spokesman aforementioned.

Formed in the 1980s with roots in blues and rock, the Tragically Pelvic girdle ground radio receiver popularity on both classic and option sway stations. A trend of singles became wireless fixtures, piece the band's 14 albums nabbed numerous awards.

Downie's well-known lyrics oftentimes cause intrinsically Canadian references, so much as to the 1972 hockey gamey serial 'tween Canada and the State Marriage.

"Canada is good when it's viewed and heard through the Tragically Hip," wrote musician Dave Bidini in the World and Ring armour newspaper on Friday. Bidini's band, the Rheostatics, toured with the Rose hip in the 1990s.

"No other band stretched our potential as a nation of popular art." (Reportage by Leah Schnurr; Editing by St. David Gregorio)