REVIEW BY: SARAH BEANISH
Skyreach Centre, Edmonton, AB
Tuesday, November 21, 2000

Tonight, I saw Canadian spirit singing 15 feet in front of me. With a voice so strong it stole the breath right out of me, The Tragically Hip took the crowd and made it their own; a jumping, ecstatic mass of maple leaves, beer, and passionate energy.

I came to the Coliseum without any clue what I would witness later on that night. I followed the guide down to the basement, where I spent the next few hours going over a brief tour, instructions on running the video camera and digital camera, and dinner. Then I watched the band while they did their sound check and as the last few details of stage set-up were completed. After this, I explored a bit with the camera, and watched as the building started to fill with people. Soon it was full, and we all waited as the minutes passed, bringing us closer and closer to... The Hip.

They walked onto the stage and were greeted by a burst of loud cheering from the crowd. As the band opened with the well-received "Music At work", I grabbed a camera and got down to business. I tried out different angles, distances, positions, and the time passed quickly as I started taking photo after photo of the band. Soon it was my turn to record a song, so I chose "Meridian" (which was wonderfully done) and found a spot in the middle of the crowd, behind the metal gate that separated the security guards from the enthusiastic crowd. I found recording the band to be an amazing experience; my hands seemed to take over without my brain quite keeping up, and it seemed as though only a few seconds had passed before the song has ended and I took my eye away from the camera. I only noticed then how mentally exhausting it had been. It seemed that I spent the night more focused on zooming and panning then listening and enjoying. It was a hard task to remember to be an attentive concert-goer and document the concert at the same time. So for the last song, I put down the camera and just watched as the band played, and it was then that I started to notice the effects that the music was having on the crowd.

As far as I could see, there were people with their hands waving in the air, their bodies jumping and dancing to the music, their voices singing along like each song was their own. And then I realized, each song was their own. Somehow, The Tragically Hip had created music that went beyond notes and words, they have taken Canada, our Canada, and made it into something we could all share and love. It wasn't just that this was damn fine music (which it is), or that the band played with an intensity and maturity that many bands never reach, or even that with each song they got better and better. It was something else, some feeling of pride and celebration.

The people here were laughing and spilling their cold beer onto their hockey jerseys and sweaters. They cheered with a roar so loud it nearly rendered my foam earplugs useless, when The Hip came back onto the stage for a 3 song encore after the end of their second set. I watched as people clapped and screamed along with the powerful and overwhelming performance of "New Orleans Is Sinking", and their feelings were best summed up by the shirt of the man standing in front of me: In Gord We Trust.

Sarah Beanish (daughter of Margot Diehl)

Besides the fact that I think that the Hip is one of the best bands on the planet, I would use this opportunity to do something great with my teenage daughter who loves the Hip too.

Sarah, who is 14, has been studying photography and art independently preparing herself for a journalism career. As well, she has awesome taste in music appreciating music of all genres. Quality rock like the Hip is music all ages can appreciate and never goes out of style (i.e. the Stones, B.B., Aerosmith, etc). Plus, my daughter is very hip herself.

I would love to do this with her and I know that the quality of her work will blow you away.

Give her a chance and you'll see.

-- M. Diehl