The Hip doing the Westwind/Cookie Factory version of NOIS featuring an early, VERY raw rendition of Ahead By A Century. Filmed June 5, 1995 at the PinkPop Festival (Landgraaf, Holland)
its 1989 and im driving home from my girlfriends house in northern california early in the morning.the DJ on the local radio station was ignoring the playlist , and what should he put on but this song.i did not know who it was but was so floored by the weight of the tune i pulled over at the next gas station and called the radio station and was told, "tragically hip".the rest for me is history. i am a guitarist songwriter and these cats have been a huge influence on my art. total heavy duty band
Really super fucking cool to hear that from an American, as The Hip weren’t very popular down there due to the recent grunge boom. Glad they touched you the way they did our people too. Cheers from the great white north pal✌️🇨🇦
@@zetasong I m from Montréal and I know the band from many years...but it s just recently that I take time to listen for seriously...My God ! I don t know why I was not to the Hip when they were popular in Canada ! This singer so deep, and good, the band amazing ! This song...New Orléans,and then change with the cookies factory scories...so them good, Make almost cry !
I am actually in the crowd in a couple episodes. I've met them and they were so down to earth and just...good. I cried and cried watching it. Such great memories. I will miss them always.
pretty much the greatest live song recorded in the history of music (yep, I said it)...I would put this with anything live from any era. from Downie's vocals to Robby's riffs to Johnny and Gord carrying the boys through Paul's rhythm...just amazing and blessed to have heard them live...we will cherish these moments forever. Thanks deeply to das hip !!
I was @Pinkpop, 15 years old and a big fan of The Hip. It was and in fact still is the most breathtaking, intense, beautiful and mystic performance I have ever seen in my life. Still love them after all these years.
whats amaze me is, i used to live in toronto canada in 1992 and i played this song over and over in my taxi. i loved the hip even then. Now i live in New Orleans since 2004 and when cathrina hit, i thought to myself"hummm the hip had seen it coming long ago"
Every time i find a gem like this i am thankful, the Tragically Hip are by far my favourite band, and live performances like this area a real gift. Gord's lyrical genius, and tendency to improvise during live performances gives me goosebumps... None of his story telling could be made possible to anywhere near the same effect without the skill and harmony offered by the entire band, Gord (D), Gord (S), Paul, Rob, and Johnny. Together, they have produced something really special, and every member of this band should be keenly aware of just how awesome they are. i wish them luck in whatever they move onto. (R.I.P. Gord)
Well said Bro. The raw "Ahead by a Century" portion was almost a year before it was officially released. Those people heard it first... It was also the last song they ever played live. RIP Gordie
I swear to god he said "AAAAAAAHAHAHHAHA.....NOOOOOOOO, OK" Fucking best part of this clip, just watch Gord, absolutely brilliant performance, FUCK I love these guys. He can make you laugh and cry all at once. God bless TH-cam for allowing us to come across great little gems like this one. Just awesome.
My dad took my to see the hip when I was in grade 5 and I’ve been hooked ever since. My dad passed away in July and I made sure when he took his last breath he was listening to the hip. Best band ever I’d give anything to take my son to go see them but I know that’s impossible :( thank you for all the great tunes.
If you don't get into this, you either hate rock and roll, you are from New Orleans and don't want to be reminded, or you're ethnocentric as hell and can't let a Canadian band besides Rush or Heart melt your face off. I am totally enthralled by this performance. RIP Gord
I've seen April Wine 4 times. They are awesome. My daughter saw The Hip last year when the K-Rock Centre opened. They are from our home town, Kingston, Ontario. Can't get much better.
This is one example of the great live performances they put on. I always loved the mash up, power and poetry they displayed. My favourite bad ever. So happy to have seen them many times live.
Just amazing. starts out with New Orleans Is Sinking morphs into Ahead by a century and then finishes with the last verse of New Orleans. and the band followed him the whole time. Just amazing
The Tragicllay Hip,,,my Hometown group ,,i was in a video clip with them AHEAD BY A CENTURY ,,I WAS A THUG IN THE CAR PASSENGER SIDE SMOKING...GORD ,,,THE SINGER ROCKS ,,PRAY FOR HIM,,HE HAS TERMINAL CANCER ,,WE ALL PRAY FOR HIS RECOVERY,,HE BROUGHT SO MUCH TO US ALL,,,,GREAT TIMES THANKS GORD,...GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS AND THE HIP,,ROCK ON,!
THANK YOU KINDLY Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker. Gord Sinclair and Gordon Edgar Downey for the perfect soundtrack of three generations of lucky Canadians. I will miss you and like all Canadians pray for a remission tour in the near future.
I think there were 4 or more songs mashed in there.. Gordie also ended off with some lyrics from Springtime in Vienna... "We live to survive our paradoxes.." ..Precious! 👌
ABAC and SIV weren't even songs yet. Trouble at the Henhouse wasn't released until almost a year after this show was recorded. They used to try out new song ideas during Gord's rants. Clearly this was an early version of ABAC, considering the "dirty" lyrics. Clearly those songs were in the process of being made, but nobody in the audience has heard any of them yet. How lucky they were.
The worst day has arrived. Absolutely devastated. RIP Gord. You will be DEEPLY DEEPLY missed. Peace, love and sincerest condolences to the entire Downie family + Paul, Johnny, Gord, Robbie and the HIP crew.
I was lucky enough to see them six times from small venues to Another Roadside Attraction. Gord Downey was a mesmerizing front man. Miss you, Gordie baby.
Esti!!! ... chaque fois, each time, this part of concert give me a BIG trip in tne head!!, chaque fois je trippes et je regrette d'avoir manqué ce show... GORD in GOD !!!! Yeah!!!!!!
My favourite song by The Hip , but this .... wow . I must have watched this a dozen times . They were definitely ahead by a century . Rest peacefully Gord
I had the opportunity to see the Hip at Massey Hall in early '90's my boyfriend's treat. It was an amazing concert they did 3 encore performances. Thanks Terry
My friend lives in the most flood ridden area of nawlins and he had never heard this song. You made his day, thanks man. Canadian folk rock for the win!
True art in real time at every show. They are consistent and never fake. Each show Ive seen, they always give you something unrehearsed. It seems as if it's a way of making it personal for you, because you came to see a show, could be their way of saying thank you in a classy musician way. Oh and yes,....I am Canadian.........
Gord !! Spent 5 years in Ontario with the coolest people imaginable my European/ English music sense wasn’t initially drawn to the hip but saw them live in Toronto and was hooked line and sinker !!! Live as fantastic as listening on a cd !! Wow !! RIP Gord !! Magnificent pure and simple!!
I remember driving home from work one day & the radio was playing this song...& I said holy chit man....I got to find out who sings this...I've been a fan ever since!!!!!! Love The Hip......
I know this is years later. I know this is hind-site, but in my own opinion, the greatest Rock n' Roller ever! Yes, I am Canadian. I do understand there are others. But the honesty with Gord Downey and the Tragically Hip; I love!!!!
I can’t believe 100 people disliked this This is easily one of my favourite songs, and easily one of my favourite live performances of all time The middle “westwind” section makes my brain tingle up my spine
Thank you to TH-cam for having this pop up today. Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I didn’t grow up with The Hip. What a soundtrack they provided.
theres no way to describe the power ,you guys bought in my brightest days, I still play the hip hard out, I always will. thank you so much boys, I tried to see you gord, travelled 23,000ks just to be detained at the the Calais boarder, and didn't make the show, I will forever be gutted, I feel like I grew up with you guys, through the years, again thanks you to the worlds great hip.
Seeing this gives me absolute chills. Such an amazing artist and band.. been a Hip fan for years and sadly never got to see them live before Gordie passed.. RIP to an amazing Canadian hero and icon ❤️
Yes!! I saw them live years ago in Calgary Alberta.. Sound the best live! Thank you for sharing this fantastic song and this sensational group of guys! Thank you for all the wonderful moments I have enjoyed with your music a part of it all.. Cheers from BC! Xo
What an amazing band The Hip xam free your mind and get you thinking. They are so tight, hard riffs, slick smooth solos, rhythmic bass, hard driving drums and that voice takes me way into another plane.
okay that was cool. I was mesmerized by the singer. He was like a really cool marionette puppet mixed with a cabaret show. I mean that in the best possible way. And the band was pretty good too wink wink
Lots have wondered the "Meaning of the Songs". For the Tragically hip, Gord Downie goes _especially deep_, and often, to the point that everyone has something they can take away. "New Orleans is Sinking" is no exception. It goes far beyond 'that the town is physically sinking'. Consider: Prior to the Louisiana Purchase, N.O. was under the French Common Law - Black people were allowed to own propriety, some were quite wealthy, and were essentially no different than whites. Everything changed afterwards, culturally - mostly for the worse, and especially so if you were black or creole - and the Cultural religions were deeply respected, too, such as the African American Hoodoo/Voodoo (folk magic) religions in the South. They used dances and coloured candles to invoke a particular magic, "Blue" and "Green" candles represented healing and renewal. Here is where the song begins... _"Bourbon blues, on the street/loose and complete"_ references the location, New Orleans' street band history, and the relaxed laws and life of such a mercantile town. _"Under skies of smoky blue green"_ references the Hoodoo candles and their prevalence, as mentioned above. _"I can't forsake a dixie dead- shake/so we danced the sidewalks clean"_ references a particular Hoodoo dance - the dixie dead shake, and that's a lot of dancing. _"My memory is muddy, what's this river that I'm in?/ New Orleans is sinking man, and I don't wanna swim"_ references either that all of the above is forgotten, and/or the constant floodings are too numerous to recall. New Orleans will go downhill culturally imminently, when the States moves in, and the "character" doesn't want to stick around anymore. _"Colonel Tom, what's wrong?/What's going on? Cant tie yourselves up for a deal?"_ references the debate over the Louisiana purchase, and/or NAFTA (also contentious when the song came out). Colonel Tom being a play on 'Uncle Sam'. _"He said, 'Hey North! You're south, shut your big mouth/You gotta do what you feel is real"_ references the divisions beginning to form in the States over the new lands and/or, a chiding rebuke to Canada in the NAFTA agreements as a bit player, and that in both cases the States - especially the South - has always preferred a more "direct", gut decision over slower negotiations, Canada- style. _"Ain't got no picture postcards. Ain't got no souvenirs/My baby, she don't know me when I'm thinking 'bout those years"_ is a lamentation at the downward spiral that New Orleans had to play during the transition periods - and a dig that the "Old" N.O. wouldn't look at the post- Purchase N.O. without sadness. _"Pale as a lightbulb, hanging from a wire/sucking up to someone just to stoke the fire"_ could refer to the entrance of the "White supremacists" and the clout they had with politicians. _"picking out the highlights of the scenery... saw some little clouds they looked a little like me"_ could metaphorically be a dig at how overly coloured the population was, but at how irrelevant that now meant - the only highlights are now pretty clouds. _"I had my hands in the river/my feet back up on the banks/Looked up to the Lord above and said "Hey, man. Thanks/Sometimes I feel so good, I gotta scream/She said Gordie baby I know exactly what you mean/She said, she said, I swear to god she said..."_ could be as written. I'm out of metaphor. The song repeats the first 'chorus' line and ends.
I always thought the "smoky blue-green" lyrics referenced hurricanes. Since 1989, this song grabbed me. Still won't let go. Great explanation of the lyrics. Heard some great guitar work prior to this song, and plenty since. One of the all time best. Thanks
Gordon Downie and the hip in their PRIME!!! Saw them in Las Vegas last year at the H.O.B. and he was the showman of all showmen though. They did a version of "Suspicious Minds" that blew my mind. They still got it and always will!
So its not just me? What a great song. When I'm sippin on a rum and coke down on the Mississippi at Jackson SQ Im guaranteed only 1 thing, this song. Thanks guys
MsPaula46. Two thumbs up! With you all the way! The Hip showed the world that Canadians and Canadian musicians rock with the best of them. The mid-passage of this song rivals the musical innovation of the Doors' "Break on Through."
Not only is there a rendition of Ahead By A Century, but he also utters some lyrices from what would become Springtime In Vienna (one of my favourite songs)!
This recording actually features a little bit of Hip history in that the middle of NOIS used to feature the uncompleted lyrics of AHOC. Remember this concert was before the 1996 release of Trouble At The Henhouse. Once they finished the song it became it's own entity and the lyrics to NOIS were cleaned up. This recording is known as the earliest form of the song.
sorry for my french, but this is fucking incredible pure awesomeness from an amazing and talented group...it literally does not get better than this. Hip you are fab!!
its 1989 and im driving home from my girlfriends house in northern california early in the morning.the DJ on the local radio station was ignoring the playlist , and what should he put on but this song.i did not know who it was but was so floored by the weight of the tune i pulled over at the next gas station and called the radio station and was told, "tragically hip".the rest for me is history. i am a guitarist songwriter and these cats have been a huge influence on my art. total heavy duty band
Thank you so much for sharing this
Really super fucking cool to hear that from an American, as The Hip weren’t very popular down there due to the recent grunge boom. Glad they touched you the way they did our people too. Cheers from the great white north pal✌️🇨🇦
@@BigNavy8175 had "Grace Too" playing today at max volume...what a great rock band...greetings and salutations from AK USA...
@@zetasong I m from Montréal and I know the band from many years...but it s just recently that I take time to listen for seriously...My God ! I don t know why I was not to the Hip when they were popular in Canada !
This singer so deep, and good, the band amazing !
This song...New Orléans,and then change with the cookies factory scories...so them good, Make almost cry !
It's 2023 and I'm diggin' that garden Bro.
Their doc has sent me down the Hip rabbit hole- reliving how f’ing awesome they were and how much I still adore them…
Seen it twice and will see it a third time.
I am actually in the crowd in a couple episodes. I've met them and they were so down to earth and just...good. I cried and cried watching it. Such great memories. I will miss them always.
couldn't agree more.. well said
We miss you Gord 😢
The band can still give me chills all these years down the road.
I know what you mean.
2021,still......
pretty much the greatest live song recorded in the history of music (yep, I said it)...I would put this with anything live from any era. from Downie's vocals to Robby's riffs to Johnny and Gord carrying the boys through Paul's rhythm...just amazing and blessed to have heard them live...we will cherish these moments forever. Thanks deeply to das hip !!
I was @Pinkpop, 15 years old and a big fan of The Hip. It was and in fact still is the most breathtaking, intense, beautiful and mystic performance I have ever seen in my life. Still love them after all these years.
Not gonna argue. My favourite live version of this song. It even beats (narrowly) Killer Whale Tank in my ears.
Personally my favorite version is the one at Woodstock 99. This one is also phenomenal.
Agreed......
i like the song they did on SNL
whats amaze me is, i used to live in toronto canada in 1992 and i played this song over and over in my taxi. i loved the hip even then. Now i live in New Orleans since 2004 and when cathrina hit, i thought to myself"hummm the hip had seen it coming long ago"
I love my home and NATIVE land, I love the hip for there songs and I feel proud to be CANADIAN
🇨🇦❤️🙏 Rip Gord
I watch this video once every couple months or so. It is a documentation of mad genius at work.
Just found I am addicted to this band. This is like my 10th visit to this video and had to post. Pure rock. RIP Gord.
Every time i find a gem like this i am thankful, the Tragically Hip are by far my favourite band, and live performances like this area a real gift.
Gord's lyrical genius, and tendency to improvise during live performances gives me goosebumps...
None of his story telling could be made possible to anywhere near the same effect without the skill and harmony offered by the entire band, Gord (D), Gord (S), Paul, Rob, and Johnny.
Together, they have produced something really special, and every member of this band should be keenly aware of just how awesome they are.
i wish them luck in whatever they move onto.
(R.I.P. Gord)
Well said Bro.
The raw "Ahead by a Century" portion was almost a year before it was officially released. Those people heard it first... It was also the last song they ever played live.
RIP Gordie
Here’s a not so secret. User mojopaw. Edmonton show is my fav
I swear to god he said "AAAAAAAHAHAHHAHA.....NOOOOOOOO, OK" Fucking best part of this clip, just watch Gord, absolutely brilliant performance, FUCK I love these guys. He can make you laugh and cry all at once. God bless TH-cam for allowing us to come across great little gems like this one. Just awesome.
An astonishingly gifted lead man at the peak of his powers.
My dad took my to see the hip when I was in grade 5 and I’ve been hooked ever since. My dad passed away in July and I made sure when he took his last breath he was listening to the hip. Best band ever I’d give anything to take my son to go see them but I know that’s impossible :( thank you for all the great tunes.
Saw them in Watertown NY 6/24 glad I finally got to see them in person. Great act, and a super talented front man.
They grew a lot of bordertown radio fans. Buffalo, Syracuse, Detroit, etc.
One of the Hips biggest strengths was the ability to sound just like the album. Very impressive band.
I don't think a more phenomenal performance is possible. Love the Hip especially when I am lucky enough to see them live.
I was lucky enough to be at this show. 😊
If you don't get into this, you either hate rock and roll, you are from New Orleans and don't want to be reminded, or you're ethnocentric as hell and can't let a Canadian band besides Rush or Heart melt your face off. I am totally enthralled by this performance. RIP Gord
Didn’t know Heart is a Canadian band.
I've seen April Wine 4 times. They are awesome.
My daughter saw The Hip last year when the K-Rock Centre opened. They are from our home town, Kingston, Ontario. Can't get much better.
This is one example of the great live performances they put on. I always loved the mash up, power and poetry they displayed. My favourite bad ever. So happy to have seen them many times live.
Just amazing.
starts out with New Orleans Is Sinking morphs into Ahead by a century and then finishes with the last verse of New Orleans. and the band followed him the whole time.
Just amazing
Gord's last few lines were from 'Springtime In Vienna".
Very Zeppelin-esque. No wonder they toured with Plant and Page in 94 or 95. Wonderful band.
I saw THE TRAGICALLY HIP
Austin,Texas at The Liberty Lunch
March 18th, 1995 still one of the Best shows ever.
The Tragicllay Hip,,,my Hometown group ,,i was in a video clip with them AHEAD BY A CENTURY ,,I WAS A THUG IN THE CAR PASSENGER SIDE SMOKING...GORD ,,,THE SINGER ROCKS ,,PRAY FOR HIM,,HE HAS TERMINAL CANCER ,,WE ALL PRAY FOR HIS RECOVERY,,HE BROUGHT SO MUCH TO US ALL,,,,GREAT TIMES THANKS GORD,...GOD BLESS YOU ALWAYS AND THE HIP,,ROCK ON,!
THANK YOU KINDLY Johnny Fay, Paul Langlois, Rob Baker. Gord Sinclair and Gordon Edgar Downey for the perfect soundtrack of three generations of lucky Canadians. I will miss you and like all Canadians pray for a remission tour in the near future.
and a few U.S.A. too. My mother was Canadian, I live on a Island near Seattle . Proximity might have a bit to do with it but I recocnise good music.
one hell of canadian rock band. I love there music. i remember jamming this and driving taxi in Toronto Ont 20 years ago. lol
This is amazing, it's basically a four-for-one deal on my favorite hip songs.
:) four for one deal?
I think there were 4 or more songs mashed in there.. Gordie also ended off with some lyrics from Springtime in Vienna... "We live to survive our paradoxes.." ..Precious! 👌
BEST FUCKING PERFORMANCE EVER!!!!
ABAC and SIV weren't even songs yet. Trouble at the Henhouse wasn't released until almost a year after this show was recorded. They used to try out new song ideas during Gord's rants. Clearly this was an early version of ABAC, considering the "dirty" lyrics. Clearly those songs were in the process of being made, but nobody in the audience has heard any of them yet. How lucky they were.
The worst day has arrived. Absolutely devastated. RIP Gord. You will be DEEPLY DEEPLY missed. Peace, love and sincerest condolences to the entire Downie family + Paul, Johnny, Gord, Robbie and the HIP crew.
BRILLIANCE! Miss you Gord...
The hip ooze creativity and originality, thats why they are awesome
This performance was recorded June 5, 1995 at the PinkPop Festival (Landgraaf, Holland).
I hope they play this version of Ahead By A Century live on CBC in Kingston. Long Live The HIP!
the music was perfect. love the Hip, and Gord is a genius.
This has to be the best live performance ever
I was lucky enough to see them six times from small venues to Another Roadside Attraction. Gord Downey was a mesmerizing front man. Miss you, Gordie baby.
T-Hip is in its own universe, there is no other band that comes to mind that can match the unexpectedness, and lyrical content.
In my humble opinion...the best band to come out of Canada in a long time.Always been a fan.Love this mash up.
Esti!!! ... chaque fois, each time, this part of concert give me a BIG trip in tne head!!, chaque fois je trippes et je regrette d'avoir manqué ce show... GORD in GOD !!!! Yeah!!!!!!
That’s what they used to say: Gord is lord
It's normal to watch this once a week.
Canada has given me a lot over the years. If I remember nothing else, it will be the Hip. Cool live performance. Pure magic.
My favourite song by The Hip , but this .... wow . I must have watched this a dozen times . They were definitely ahead by a century . Rest peacefully Gord
That's one of the greatest guitar riffs and one awesome song!
Saw these guys in Chicago around this song's time. Absolutely awesome.
I have a vhs that has the whole set on it absolutely epic the interveiw with johnny right before the show is awesome!!!
🥰 Hometown Boys...Love them so much!! Miss Gordie...Canada's Best Treasure!!!
OMG! Blows me away! My favorite. I always stop what I'm doing and am spellbound by this song.
I had the opportunity to see the Hip at Massey Hall in early '90's my boyfriend's treat. It was an amazing concert they did 3 encore performances. Thanks Terry
T Hip , music you feel to the core of your soul , makes me tingle all over 🤟
My friend lives in the most flood ridden area of nawlins and he had never heard this song. You made his day, thanks man.
Canadian folk rock for the win!
True art in real time at every show. They are consistent and never fake. Each show Ive seen, they always give you something unrehearsed. It seems as if it's a way of making it personal for you, because you came to see a show, could be their way of saying thank you in a classy musician way. Oh and yes,....I am Canadian.........
the hip is so fucking awesome because each and every instrument would sound amazing on its own, when its all together its fucking PERFECT.
Gord !! Spent 5 years in Ontario with the coolest people imaginable my European/ English music sense wasn’t initially drawn to the hip but saw them live in Toronto and was hooked line and sinker !!! Live as fantastic as listening on a cd !! Wow !! RIP Gord !! Magnificent pure and simple!!
I remember driving home from work one day & the radio was playing this song...& I said holy chit man....I got to find out who sings this...I've been a fan ever since!!!!!! Love The Hip......
Wow listen to Gordie sing & the quitar playing is out of this world. This is my favorite!
MWAAHAHAHAAA...I was at this show! :P
It was a stunning performance, I remember they kicked in with FullyCompletely and GraceToo.
I know this is years later. I know this is hind-site, but in my own opinion, the greatest Rock n' Roller ever! Yes, I am Canadian. I do understand there are others. But the honesty with Gord Downey and the Tragically Hip; I love!!!!
He becomes the song every fricken time. Amazing!!
Wow this is amazing. Had never heard them before.
Now a fan.
I can’t believe 100 people disliked this
This is easily one of my favourite songs, and easily one of my favourite live performances of all time
The middle “westwind” section makes my brain tingle up my spine
Thank you to TH-cam for having this pop up today. Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I didn’t grow up with The Hip. What a soundtrack they provided.
i honestly think this is the best hip vid o youtube, ive watched them all...and this is it.
theres no way to describe the power ,you guys bought in my brightest days, I still play the hip hard out, I always will. thank you so much boys, I tried to see you gord, travelled 23,000ks just to be detained at the the Calais boarder, and didn't make the show, I will forever be gutted, I feel like I grew up with you guys, through the years, again thanks you to the worlds great hip.
I always come back to this performance, such an awesome band, great times in music!
The most powerful mix ever heard from them. Stunning and amazing 🤟
Ya boys!
What a band .. amazing drummer, guitar players, bass and a helluva singer ! wow
Thank you, Hip. I'll be glued to the CBC screen on August 20, 2016.
I love when Gordon goes off in his poetry!!!! Just beautiful, magical! 🇨🇦 will never ever be forgotten!!!!
An Awesome band....An awesome video. People need to get on with it and just enjoy the music.
It was a concert of pure magic, that it was ...
I can't help but love Canadian artists. From these guys to Dave Adams Richards. Canadians are too cool. Too cool.
Seeing this gives me absolute chills. Such an amazing artist and band.. been a Hip fan for years and sadly never got to see them live before Gordie passed.. RIP to an amazing Canadian hero and icon ❤️
I love whatever he says right from the beginning. Now, which ever version I listen to.. I make that noise beforehand haha!...
Yes!! I saw them live years ago in Calgary Alberta.. Sound the best live! Thank you for sharing this fantastic song and this sensational group of guys! Thank you for all the wonderful moments I have enjoyed with your music a part of it all.. Cheers from BC! Xo
1st time I ever heard this song I had to have it. Best riff ever. One of the BEST songs ever performed. Should be a real video
This 'raw' version of Century is mind blowing. Just powerful and real music. just wow
Wishing you the best Gordi!!! I will never forget meeting you in Calgary in 1994!!!! You can beat this!!!! Remember That!!!!
What an amazing band The Hip xam free your mind and get you thinking. They are so tight, hard riffs, slick smooth solos, rhythmic bass, hard driving drums and that voice takes me way into another plane.
Some fantastic guitar playing
On days like this one, The Hip were one of the greatest Jam Bands ever. Forget the Dead or Phish, this is a Jam Band.
okay that was cool. I was mesmerized by the singer. He was like a really cool marionette puppet mixed with a cabaret show. I mean that in the best possible way. And the band was pretty good too wink wink
I’ll accept that description
Amazing !!! I’m absolutely crushed Gord is no longer with us !!!
Lots have wondered the "Meaning of the Songs". For the Tragically hip, Gord Downie goes _especially deep_, and often, to the point that everyone has something they can take away. "New Orleans is Sinking" is no exception. It goes far beyond 'that the town is physically sinking'. Consider:
Prior to the Louisiana Purchase, N.O. was under the French Common Law - Black people were allowed to own propriety, some were quite wealthy, and were essentially no different than whites. Everything changed afterwards, culturally - mostly for the worse, and especially so if you were black or creole - and the
Cultural religions were deeply respected, too, such as the African American Hoodoo/Voodoo (folk magic) religions in the South. They used dances and coloured candles to invoke a particular magic, "Blue" and "Green" candles represented healing and renewal. Here is where the song begins...
_"Bourbon blues, on the street/loose and complete"_ references the location, New Orleans' street band history, and the relaxed laws and life of such a mercantile town.
_"Under skies of smoky blue green"_ references the Hoodoo candles and their prevalence, as mentioned above.
_"I can't forsake a dixie dead- shake/so we danced the sidewalks clean"_ references a particular Hoodoo dance - the dixie dead shake, and that's a lot of dancing.
_"My memory is muddy, what's this river that I'm in?/ New Orleans is sinking man, and I don't wanna swim"_ references either that all of the above is forgotten, and/or the constant floodings are too numerous to recall. New Orleans will go downhill culturally imminently, when the States moves in, and the "character" doesn't want to stick around anymore.
_"Colonel Tom, what's wrong?/What's going on? Cant tie yourselves up for a deal?"_ references the debate over the Louisiana purchase, and/or NAFTA (also contentious when the song came out). Colonel Tom being a play on 'Uncle Sam'.
_"He said, 'Hey North! You're south, shut your big mouth/You gotta do what you feel is real"_ references the divisions beginning to form in the States over the new lands and/or, a chiding rebuke to Canada in the NAFTA agreements as a bit player, and that in both cases the States - especially the South - has always preferred a more "direct", gut decision over slower negotiations, Canada- style.
_"Ain't got no picture postcards. Ain't got no souvenirs/My baby, she don't know me when I'm thinking 'bout those years"_ is a lamentation at the downward spiral that New Orleans had to play during the transition periods - and a dig that the "Old" N.O. wouldn't look at the post- Purchase N.O. without sadness.
_"Pale as a lightbulb, hanging from a wire/sucking up to someone just to stoke the fire"_ could refer to the entrance of the "White supremacists" and the clout they had with politicians.
_"picking out the highlights of the scenery... saw some little clouds they looked a little like me"_ could metaphorically be a dig at how overly coloured the population was, but at how irrelevant that now meant - the only highlights are now pretty clouds.
_"I had my hands in the river/my feet back up on the banks/Looked up to the Lord above and said "Hey, man. Thanks/Sometimes I feel so good, I gotta scream/She said Gordie baby I know exactly what you mean/She said, she said, I swear to god she said..."_ could be as written. I'm out of metaphor.
The song repeats the first 'chorus' line and ends.
wow..thx for this dude
Very,very cool! Thank you!
Downie was a poet by nature.....shame they didn't play this song after hurricane Katrina for sometime.
Great history lesson for an awesome song
I always thought the "smoky blue-green" lyrics referenced hurricanes. Since 1989, this song grabbed me. Still won't let go. Great explanation of the lyrics. Heard some great guitar work prior to this song, and plenty since. One of the all time best. Thanks
this song is 20 years old sweet tune Gord is a genius
Gordon Downie and the hip in their PRIME!!! Saw them in Las Vegas last year at the H.O.B. and he was the showman of all showmen though. They did a version of "Suspicious Minds" that blew my mind.
They still got it and always will!
We as Canadians have so much to be proud for..
So its not just me? What a great song. When I'm sippin on a rum and coke down on the Mississippi at Jackson SQ Im guaranteed only 1 thing, this song. Thanks guys
i love gord....his stage presense and insane look in his eyes is only what i dream about.
thank man, one of the most rockinest bands still going these days!
I will miss you R.I.P. my Brother!
yes... thanks for this great video. these guys have always been one of my favourite bands..... EVER!
This is great, New Orleans Is Sinking, Ahead by a Century, and Springtime in Vienna all in one song!
When was springtime in Vienna? Timestamp?
@@747ConeI think he’s referring the the middle part of the song but it doesn’t sound like that song
Best Canadian band ever! No question... no question...
MsPaula46. Two thumbs up! With you all the way! The Hip showed the world that Canadians and Canadian musicians rock with the best of them. The mid-passage of this song rivals the musical innovation of the Doors' "Break on Through."
one of the greatest bands in the world live a must see gord is defenitly a TRIPPER
gordo such a powerful and unique voice. i love it.
i love how they mixed the two songs together so well
Not only is there a rendition of Ahead By A Century, but he also utters some lyrices from what would become Springtime In Vienna (one of my favourite songs)!
This recording actually features a little bit of Hip history in that the middle of NOIS used to feature the uncompleted lyrics of AHOC. Remember this concert was before the 1996 release of Trouble At The Henhouse. Once they finished the song it became it's own entity and the lyrics to NOIS were cleaned up. This recording is known as the earliest form of the song.
the way i understand it, they used to riff in the middle of NOIS to explore and try out new material. This is a friggin awesome example...
eight and a half fascinating minutes, this video never bores me, thanks for posting...
I just can't stop watching this! Great combination of songs! Gord is awesome~
4:27
forever will be missed, love you gord
great song, will live on forever.
sorry for my french, but this is fucking incredible pure awesomeness from an amazing and talented group...it literally does not get better than this. Hip you are fab!!
anyone who likes decent blues/rock will like this. I just showed my dad, hes 59, and he loved it.