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District of North Vancouver sponsors screening of Tragically Hip show

Outdoor venue considered for public viewing of final concert
Tragically Hip

District of North Vancouver council is sponsoring a live public screening of the Tragically Hip’s final show on Aug. 20. Now it’s just looking for a place to happen.

After proclaiming their love for the iconic Canadian band and inserting plenty of lyrics and song titles into the debate, district council voted Monday night to pursue the idea from Coun. Mathew Bond. Council will put up $4,000 in funding so that on Aug. 20, North Shore Hip fans can see the poets’ final concert screened in their hometown.

The band announced in May that lead singer Gord Downie had been diagnosed with a rare and terminal brain cancer. But Downie and the band, being completists, mustered the courage to go on one final tour.

Tickets went on sale in June but many fans found themselves so hard done by as the shows were fully completely sold out, thanks in large part to scalpers.

“When I heard that the band partnered with CBC to live stream their Aug. 20 concert to the masses, to all of Canada, I immediately thought of the live concert series we have in Lynn Valley and the movie nights we have at Delbrook Park and in Edgemont,” Bond said.

Bond took to social media and floated the idea of a public screening, which got an overwhelmingly supportive response, he said. He then compiled a list of possible locations and pulled together a list of organizations and individuals who could help organize.

“We think of the Tragically Hip as really the music of a generation of Canadians, that associate with so many of the fond moments of our lives,” he said, urging council to allow those fans to add one more fond memory to the collection.

But far from a big city venue with a 700-foot ceiling, the district is looking for something outdoors for the forest edge community. In what could be considered a nautical disaster, the Shipyards in the City of North Vancouver was already booked for the night, but other ideas on the table include the parking lot of Centennial Theatre, Lynn Valley Village or Lynn Valley Park. New Westminster’s Business Improvement Area is ahead of district (although not quite by a century) and has already planned an outdoor screening in view of their food truck festival and beer gardens. Donations raised at the New West event will be donated for cancer research.

Bond sourced a 10-foot by 20-foot LED screen, which is suitable for all lighting conditions, day for night. The concert will be a long time running from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Council was largely receptive; however, Coun. Robin Hicks was curious why council members were being asked to discuss music @ work.

“I think there are lots of good causes our tax money could be directed to and I’m not particularly sure we should be allocating money to entertainment. The CBC is broadcasting this live so anybody can watch it. I think most people who have TVs have CBC and it will be on in pubs and other venues,” he said.

But Coun. Roger Bassam, countered that the event will end up being much more than that.

“While this will certainly be an entertaining evening, it is a cultural event, absolutely. I think anybody who has experienced the Hip knows that watching the Hip is best done with a group of friends, rather than sitting at home on the sofa watching it on the CBC, even if it’s late-breaking.”

Although still somewhat reticent, Hicks accepted the decision with grace, too.