Tragically Hip fans pack Halifax's Grand Parade for viewing party

It was the biggest concert of the year in Halifax, and the band wasn't even in the city.

More than 5,000 people packed into Grand Parade to get a glimpse of three large screens broadcasting the Tragically Hip's final show of the Man Machine Poem tour. 

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"To see this crowd, it's heartwarming, really," said Mathew Brennan, who decided to come from his home near New Glasgow to watch the show with other Hip lovers. "Imagine what they're going to think when they see pictures of this."

Celebrating together

People squished in elbow-to-elbow to watch Gord Downie lead the band through a catalogue of their favourite songs. Some slow danced, wedged between strangers as they sang along. No one seemed to notice or mind if they bumped into each other. 

The set list was under much scrutiny, for the sheer fact that the band had so many songs to choose from.

"I cannot imagine what that would be like, to sit there and put that list together for the guys," said Marni Amirault. 

Canada's 'poet laureate'

Amirault showed up in Grand Parade more than three hours before the show began to make sure she had a good viewing spot. She first saw the band nearly 30 years ago, when they played at the Misty Moon.

"I remember watching Gord Downie. First song on the stage, he was sweating buckets. It was me and my friend and a bunch of biker guys on the dance floor."

She says that moment — before they were truly famous — was when she realized there's something special about the band. 

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"They're Canada's premier band. Gord is Canada's poet laureate. They've been a big part of my life," she said.

"There's no other band that I know of that something like this would happen for. That speaks volumes that I can't articulate."

Mixed emotions

While there were about 140 official viewing parties, communities across the country organized their own events. Some chose to fundraise for charities. Others focused on bringing people together to watch the show.

Joel Martin and Angela McNamara stood in the front row in Halifax, signing along to every song.

"I've seen the Hip live so many times," said Martin. "Every single time they're completely amazing. I can't believe I got down here to see it. It's exhilarating, it's happy, it's sad at the same time."

Chipping in

With a production of that size there were a few technical glitches at Grand Parade. The satellite feed dropped out for a few seconds at a time through the performance.

The crowd in Halifax didn't flinch, belting out the songs to make sure there were no gaps to the music.

"It was actually phenomenal," said Christine Attard, who wiped away tears as the night progressed. "I just appreciate how much [Gord Downie] brought people together."