The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal

I consider myself somewhat of a "mans man". Usually keep my emotion close to my chest. There were several times throughout the first 3 parts of this excellently produced docu-series I found myself choking back a few tears. By the end of part four I couldn't hold back any longer. It was a sharp reminder of how important this band was to not only myself - but the country I love.

The director Mike Downie, Gord's brother, captured all the emotion and uniquely Canadian mystique of the Tragically Hip from their humble beginnings gigging in small bars to playing sold out stadiums. Behind the scenes triumphs and tribulations. Watching them evolve artistically and as people. I was fascinated that all this footage was captured and glad that he decided to make this series.

I will be recommending this to anyone who is a fan of music, history and fantastic documentaries.

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved this documentary.

As soon is it started, I swiftly realized that while I grew up with the Hip, I didn't really know a whole lot about them. I knew all the music, at least up to World Container, the lyrics, etc. But I didn't know much about the band themselves except for that they came from Kingston.

The series successfully covers the band's beginnings, their path to success across Canada, their less than successful years and their truly inspirational final tour across Canada.

I'd recommended this series to both hardcore fans and to those new to the Hip as well.

Long live the Tragically Hip.

So well done that I hope people discover this band that may have missed them. I never cried so much my entire a life. It is a beautiful piece of work.

If you are Canadian rock fan, between the ages of 40-55, this if the most important band of your adolescence/early adulthood. This documentary hits at the right notes, tugs on your heart strings. It's so raw and emotional.

If you are a rock fan this is an absolute must see. I think this doc may finally get the hip the profile they deserve outside of Canada.

600 words? Really? What happened to brevity. Nine is going to read 600 words I've written.k. 600+.

Just watch it.

Love this documentary series by Mike Downie. He does a fantastic job of illustrating the band's roots from their youth in Kingston Ontario to their epic journey captivating Canada in their farewell tour and final performance.

The doc series provides context on how they came to be, their friendships, their internal conflict and their drive to deliver music with Canadian content. The only knock against it is some of the added guest interviews - for example, too many cameos from the trailer park boys and Justin Trudeau, but there are some nice surprise guests too. Otherwise a fantastic series for lovers of music, Canadian content and rock history.

I watched all 4 episodes (an hour each) within 2 days. If you love the Hip be ready to binge. Highly recommend!

@briz: I hear you. To me it shows that deep deep deep down, there is a person inside JT, or at least there was at some point. And Gord believed in him, believed that he would start the long road of reparations to First Nations people. He has to live every day knowing he is letting down Gord Downie.

He's only in it a bit, don't punish yourself. It's really good! Just take a swig of beer or something at those parts and ignore him.

*******

I started crying 1 minute and 8 seconds in and had to take lots of breaks. Afterwards I watched the entire last concert and dug deeping into the stories behind the songs. I may not have had a productive weekend, but it was worth it.