By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Many Canadians can remember exactly where they were on Aug. 20, 2016. A decade later, after The Tragically Hip walked off the stage for the last time in Kingston, Ont., Gord Downie’s voice can still be heard across the vast lakes of Haliburton County.
“In a lot of people’s minds, they’re Canada’s greatest band,” Haliburton’s MooseFM host Rick Lowes said.
On Aug. 20, MooseFM joined dozens of radio stations to mark the 10th anniversary of the band’s final show. The station dedicated a three-hour block to playing nothing but The Hip.
For Lowes, dedicating a massive chunk of afternoon airtime to the iconic Ontario rockers wasn’t a complex programming decision; it was simply common sense.
“Certainly, a lot of our listeners listen to The Hip… it just seemed like the logical move,” Lowes explained.
With the age-old debate about what is the country’s greatest band, the host points to the bond between The Hip and small-town audiences, especially in cottage country.
“The Hip have a special place in Canada’s heart, I think, because they made it huge in Canada, but they really didn’t pursue any kind of career outside of the country,” Lowes said. “So many of their songs are so relatable to every Canadian.”
The Hip’s legacy isn’t just felt across local airwaves; it’s alive on stages across the Highlands. For father-son duo VanHillert, The Hip represents pure Canadian rock, and a shared interest that spans generations.
The father reflected on seeing the band before they were a household name, during a summer gig at Wasaga Beach in July 1986.
“They were nobody,” Chris Hillert told The Highlander before a gig at Minden’s Boshkung Social.
“They played at the Dardanella, and downstairs was this little schlocky pool hall. The first impression was [Gord] had a piece of plywood that he used to stand on, stomping his feet around like Stompin’ Tom [Connors]. He kind of reminded me of Jim Morrison. That kind of stuck with me. If you were to define that sound, that Canadian rock sound, that’s The Hip.”
For Owen Hillert, drummer in VanHillert, the connection to the Kingston band was formed during that final night a decade ago. Nearly twelve million people tuned in to watch the final concert that was aired on the CBC.
“It was kind of sombre,” Chris said. “We all knew what was going on. We really absorbed it.”
Owen was just eight years old at the time.
“I watched that whole thing, and that’s what really got me into them. Now we play a bunch of their songs,” Owen said.
For local performers, Hip tracks aren’t just covers; they’re cottage country anthems. When VanHillert rips into songs like “Blow At High Dough,” the reaction in the room is instant.
“They pay attention more to The Hip than anything,” Owen said. “It’s a universal ring bell for their minds to just focus on.”
“Whenever we play it, it’s the biggest response of the night,” his father added. “I don’t know, it’s just a universal language up here.”
Downie was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in December 2015. He died on Oct. 17, 2017, at the age of 53.
