A hot June night turned stickier by the minute as Canadian rock heroes The Tragically Hip treated 1,600 sweaty fans to a rare club gig last night at the Concert Hall.

The performance, essentially a scaled-down version of the Hip's upcoming Another Roadside Attraction tour that's due to hit Molson Park in Barrie on Aug. 2, was a surprise benefit show. The proceeds go to Ontario's Camp Trillium for kids with cancer.

Also on the bill were local singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith and Change of Heart, both part of the Roadside tour. But the fans who packed the steamy hall were there for one reason only as they broke out several times into chants of "Hip, Hip, Hip."

When the Kingston, Ont., band finally took the stage the crowd jumped to its feet and remained there for the rest of the show, eager to sing, clap and dance along to its favorite Hip songs.

Getting the full audience attention were older classics like Grace, Too, Courage and At The Hundredth Meredian, and new favorites Springtime In Vienna and Ahead By A Century.

Sweat streamed off those in the crowd, even during quieter songs like Flamenco, and, given the rising temperatures, a towel and water handout would have come in handy.

The audience participation -- Toronto filmmaker Atom Egoyan and his actress wife Arsinee were among those grooving to the beat -- delighted lead singer Gord Downie in particular, who was up to his usual foot-raising, belly-dancing moves. He also threw in some tap dancing and microphone-stand stradling for good measure.

Last night's surprise show was announced yesterday morning at 6 a.m. on radio station 102.1 The Edge and websites for both this week's North By Northeast Music Festival and the Hip, whose new live album, Live Between Us, recently debuted at No. 1 in Canada.

Tickets, $20, went on sale at 8 a.m. at the Concert Hall and sold out in three hours. The first 300 people to show up with NXNE wristbands yesterday morning also got a wristband that enabled them to get into the Hip show.

The band pulled a similar last-minute manoeuvre last May when they gave two benefit shows at the Horseshoe, also for Trillium.

Other artists on this year's Another Roadside Attraction lineup include Sheryl Crow, Ashley MacIsaac, Wilco, Los Lobos and Van Allen Belt, who also hail from The Hip's home town of Kingston.