Now for Plan A

The live rock experience is something I go on about regularly, but it's important and something that makes life a little less soul-crushing. And when I find bands who can deliver the goods in concert, I tend to become a repeat customer. Which is why I've been such a big fan of The Tragically Hip over the years.

I saw them for the first time in 1991 at the Paradise along with 25 other lucky folks and it was an amazing experience. I already was sold on the band after picking up their first album a few years earlier, but seeing the Hip live takes them to another level. The X factor is frontman Gord Downie, whose rubbery stage movements and extemporaneous mid-song rants make every show a unique experience. His appearance has changed drastically over the last 21 years--back then, he had long hair, a beard and wore a flannel shirt, jeans and shitkickers and now he's bald, a little skinnier and tends to wear dress shirts--but he's still the same sweaty madman on stage. The Hip's latest tour brought them to the House of Blues in Boston last Friday.


Touring behind their 12th studio album, Now for Plan A, the Hip took a cue from fellow Canuck rock legends Rush and eschewed an opening act in favor of doing two long sets drawn from their long career. It's interesting to juxtapose Downie's convoluted, abstract lyrics with the often-drunk Canadian fratboy-types who tend to go to their concerts. I was up front (in the same spot I stood for the Afghan Whigs in September) and was surrounded by friendly but intoxicated hosers. One kid spent about 15 minutes in the middle of the show trying to convince a security guard to let him onstage; it didn't work.

The Hip played two hours, sprinkling seven songs from the new album among some concert staples ("New Orleans is Sinking," "Ahead by a Century," "Grace, Too") and deep cuts ("Scared," "Last of the Unplucked Gems," "Greasy Jungle"). Now for Plan A is a solid album, better than the last few (which were produced by Bob Rock) and the songs shone in the live setting. "At Transformation" is the best song the band has had in years, but the title track, "Streets Ahead," "We Want to Be It" and "Goodnight Attawapiskat" were all standouts.

Downie was his usual frenetic self, battling with his mic stand, lamenting the lack of NHL hockey  and noting that the band has always felt connected to Boston (his brother lives here). The band was tight as always, with guitarist Rob Baker ripping off fluid solos and Paul Langlois, the Hip's healthier version of Keith Richards, laying down solid riffage and providing backing vocals. The rhythm section of Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay is never flashy and always dependable. But Downie is the real showman, and the band accepts and embraces that fact. And that's why the Hip remains a vital live act.