TORONTO - Last March, when The Tragically Hip's singer Gordon Downie was promoting his solo album, he expressed some dissatisfaction with how the group's popularity had been dismissed by some critics.

"Beer + backward baseball cap + obvious patriotic button-pushing = mass success," was how Downie summarized the alleged formula behind the group's celebrity.

And while that's an inaccurate accounting of The Hip's appeal, there the band was onstage at Lee's Palace in Toronto Wednesday night, playing a hastily-announced charity show for the Special Olympics, and parts of the formula were in strong evidence.

Plenty of beer being consumed and spilled, lots of backwards baseball caps and ... well, the patriotic button didn't exactly need to be pushed, when later that evening, Team Canada was scheduled to defend the country's hockey honor against Finland. But the truth is, the group hasn't calculated this intimate association with the national character. For The Hip's devoted following, the music has become an organic part of the Canadian experience.

The combination of impending hockey battle and a rare, small-venue showcase for The Hip set fan ardor off-the-meter. The show's location was only revealed at noon, and many of those in attendance had been lined up, in the rain, until the doors opened around 5 p.m. The volume inside Lee's Palace was deafening, a full 90 minutes before the group was due, with chants of the band's name and ragged verses of "O Canada" echoing around the sweltering venue.

When they did arrive onstage, the crowd was treated to a set that was heavy on rousing numbers and - beyond how tight the group sounded after a long road lay-off - short on surprises.

There was, however, the premiere of three new songs, presumably part of the group's completed-but-untitled new studio disc, recorded with producer Hugh Padgham (The Police, XTC, Phil Collins).

We're guessing at titles here, but "Use It Up" alternated quiet, drum-machine interludes with haymaking passages and Downie's tribute to "music that can take you away." Another number, which might be called "Darkest Wall" had a nimble rhythm and hints of a more austere approach to lyric writing for Downie ("You can explain if you want to explain ... You can complain if you want to complain," he sang).

The pick of the litter was "All Torn Up," which was set at an uncharacteristically breakneck pace and would seem a likely single. It's hard to triangulate what a new album will sound like based on three live renditions, but there were hints the new record will be a more streamlined effort, with the group placing a new emphasis on the rhythmic pulse of their music, while shearing away the excess.

The climax of the show came with "At The 100th Meridian," when the charged-up audience drowned out Downie's voice and took over delivery of the song's closing rap. And while The Hip may suffer brickbats for obvious patriotic button-pushing, on this hallowed hockey night, they eschewed the obvious "50 Mission Cap" in favor of a couple of overlooked gems - "Puttin' Down" and a sultry reading of "Lake Fever" that is as close as The Hip will get to Marvin Gaye territory.

"I know we're all going to rush out of here to go watch the Great White Game," Downie announced during a pause in the set. And true to his word, the show ended with five minutes to spare, before the puck was dropped between Canada and Finland in Salt Lake City. On Thursday, the band travels to Utah to perform a special concert for Canada's Olympic athletes.

An opening acoustic set by Skydiggers Andy Maize and Josh Finlayson saw Maize jokingly introduce the duo as The Lambs.

"And this is called 'Coming Through Slaughter,'" Maize said, before performing an austere reading of "You've Got A Lot Of Nerve." And while The Hip's audience didn't slaughter the pair, it was clear Maize and Finlayson's understated style made for an uphill battle to hold the crowd's attention.

Those who could hear above the din were treated to a nice reconfiguration of "Only A Fool," a spirited charge through the country nugget "You Win Again" and a rollicking "Slow Burning Fire." Do they give peacetime medals for courage under fire? (More on: The Tragically Hip).

Set List

>Poets
New Orleans Is Sinking
Fireworks
Fully Completely
Grace, Too
Courage
New song (Use It Up?)
Gift Shop
Ahead By A Century
New song (Darkest Wall?)
Puttin' Down
At The 100th Meridian
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
My Music At Work
(encore)
Lake Fever
New song (All Torn Up?)
Blow At High Dough