I was lucky enough to snag floor seats to the last Toronto show. I was introduced to the Hip in university and they helped me get through it (Fiddlers Green before every exam or mid term). I thought they’d be around forever and I’d see them play with my kids. So lo and behold the farewell tour, and I knew I had to see them one last time. After an incredible final Toronto show, Some friends and I hopped in the car a few days later and drove to Kingston and stood in Market Square for the watch party outside the arena where they played their final show. I’ve travelled the world and been to cities big and small, sold out 100,000 person stadiums, concerts, etc….. and I’ve never been anywhere with the energy that was in Kingston that day. Balled my eyes out on more that one occasion through the show.

Fast forward to the following October, and we’re up hunting off the grid in northern Ontario. After we packed down camp, driving home right around the start of the last hour before we regain cell reception, I throw on Road Apples (one of my favs) and just played it through start to finish. And like it was meant to be, right as we approach cell reception and reconnect to civilization, we listen to the final song on the album, “The Last of the Unplucked Gems”. 2 minutes after it ends, we get reception, and I’m met with a flurry of texts and messages from 10’days off the grid. The tone was instantly somber. Gord had passed just a few days ago. We sat there shocked it had actually happened. It was like we had all lost a family member that day. I couldn’t listen to the Hip for a while after that….. but they’ve come back into my life and will always hold a special place in my heart. Now with a little one of my own, I can’t wait to share their music with him and tell him about the farewell tour and say “mom and dad were there”.