Fans in cities across Canada spent their evening with The Tragically Hip on Saturday, and it was no different in London.
Hundreds flocked to Victoria Park expecting an emotional farewell as The Hip were broadcast live for the final stop of their “Man Machine Poem” tour. The sold out concert was broadcast live from the band's hometown in Kingston by the CBC.
"It felt like something you shouldn't miss," says London fan Jasmine Vegso. "I think it's a great way for them to say goodbye to what they've been doing for the last how many decades, and to the fans."
The 15-date tour was announced in the wake of that the band’s singer, Gord Downie, being diagnosed with incurable brain cancer. Many anticipate that it will be the band’s final tour.
Dave Vegso, Jasmine's father, also attended the event at Victoria Park and says the concert is a real tribute to Canada.
"They're a Canadian band, started in Kingston... It's a real Canadian story," he says. "For [Downie] to be doing this, at the end of his life, is really special."
Jasmine says the tour marks an "end of an era" for the band.
"There's not a lot of bands that have had that kind of popularity; that had that staying power," she says. "It's the longevity, for how long they've been around, and what they've done for other Canadian bands too."
-With files from Scott Kitching and The Canadian Press
