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CALGARY - The Tragically Hip are still the same.
Here in support of their latest studio offering -- We Are The Same -- the Hip showed they are still the same band Canada has loved for the last 26 years with a powerful performance at the Jubilee Auditorium last night.
The packed house leapt to its feet with a thunderous roar when the Kingston rockers took the stage and didn't sit back down as the band worked through their impressive 11-album catalogue.
Frontman Gord Downie opened the first of three shows this week with a guttural version of New Orleans is Sinking and let his trademark stage presence loose while interacting with the crowd -- even wiping sweat from the brow of one fan in the front row.
Standing in front of a giant light board, the Hip then slowed the tempo slightly with a rendition of the Depression Suite before bouncing back into familiar territory with a guitar-heavy version of Twist My Arm that showcased the dual talents of Paul Langlois and Rob Baker.
Not wanting to ignore the ladies in attendance, Downie whispered a little something at them with Coffee Girl for his third number.
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Known for his playful interaction with the crowd and infectious enthusiasm, Downie invited 31-year-old Jevon Duke and his wife Lisa, 30, to sing a few bars during Courage.
"That was unbelievable, one of the things on my list to do in my life is now ticked off," said a beaming Jevon.
A fan since first hearing the album Road Apples, Jevon was a little shocked when Downie thrust the mic in front of him.
"I was singing every single lyric since they got on the stage, he said.
"He looked at me a few times and I thought that was pretty crazy then he put (the mic) down and I just belted it out."
Dancing like only he can, Downie was on point as the Hip worked through tried and true favourites such as Thugs, In View and At the Hundredth Meridian, even turning the mic stand into a pseudo-Laz-y-boy during an extended guitar solo as he stretched out on the stage with a towel over his head.
Last night's crowd ranged from pre-teens who weren't even born when the Hip began playing together in 1983, right up to a few white-haired fans who looked old enough to be Downie's father.
Two more shows are scheduled tomorrow and Thursday -- their only western Canadian dates -- before the Hip head back to Ontario for a few dates leading into a tour of the U.S. and Europe through the fall.
dave.dormer@sunmedia.ca