Anyone who’s been to a Tragically Hip show knows that frontman Gord Downie — with his stream-of-consciousness rants, eccentric dancing and various antics — is an unmatched performer.
Or is he?
Well, Vancouver’s Matt Mattson is doing his best to imitate the inimitable as the frontman of The Hip Show — a Tragically Hip tribute band. Yes, you read that right, tribute band.
Even though the real Hip is alive and well, The Hip Show is offering fans a chance to see what they consider the next best thing. And you don’t have to pay $80 or more or stand in line, said Hip Show co-founder Joe Foley (who plays Robby Baker, the Hip’s lead guitarist).
“We feel it’s the closest thing you’ll ever see to seeing them,” he said.
Mattson has certainly done his homework. He sports a shaved head and performs with the trademark white towel Downie often carries on stage. Mattson even attempts to recreate Downie’s mid-song rants.
In a promo video for The Hip Show, Mattson says it’s as much acting as singing to front the band.
“We’re really fortunate we’ve got a great Gordie,” Foley said. “Matt really pours himself into the role.”
People in Whistler can check out The Hip Show’s version of the iconic Canadian band on July 30 at Dusty’s as part of the Canadian National BBQ Championships weekend.
Foley said the band works hard to recreate the Hip’s sound and look, even going so far as to listen to a few different live versions of a single song from different years to help formulate an authentic recreation.
He admitted he actually didn’t realize how much work it would be to reproduce the Hip’s classic sound.
“We didn’t know what we were getting into,” Foley said. “It’s been more work than I expected.”
The band members attempt to offer the whole Hip package — starting with the music and carrying on into the look of each band member and their onstage attitude and persona. Foley said he didn’t realize until seeing the Hip live last year that the rest of the band is pretty low-key on stage, letting Downie be the centre of attention. He and the other Hip Show members had to learn to offer more of a support role as performers, he said.
The Hip Show got its start in late 2008 after a casual conversation between Foley and Mattson in which they bounced around ideas for a new musical venture. Mattson said he had long thought about a Tragically Hip cover band.
Even though Foley wasn’t a big Hip fan at the time, he immediately started thinking about band names and recruiting other longtime musicians to join.
Foley said there are about eight Tragically Hip tribute acts across Canada, and one with a talented Downie impersonator in Hamilton, Ont. But the rest don’t put as much effort into recreating the Hip experience, he said.
“We probably work harder at the whole package than any of them,” he said.
Though Foley said he takes the band pretty seriously and pushes the other members to learn new songs and always improve, they’re all enjoying themselves.
“At the end of the day it’s just turned out to be a whole lot of fun,” he said.
Have some fun with The Hip Show on July 30 at Dusty’s. Doors open at 10 p.m. For more info on the Canadian National BBQ Championships and a full weekend schedule, visit whistlerblackcomb.com/todo/events/detail/bbqchamps.
