After 11 days of cinematic magic, moments, and memories, TIFF officially concluded the 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival by celebrating the best of the fest with its annual awards slate.
A total of 10 awards were handed out at the awards ceremony this weekend, including jury-awarded prizes and the renowned Peoples Choice Awards, where Mike Downie’s The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal won in the documentary category.
The achievement comes on the heels of the TIFF premiere screening of their docuseries The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, which has been met with rave reviews. The full series launches globally via Prime Video on September 20 in 240 territories.
In a remarkable feat that echoes their enduring legacy, The Tragically Hip has reclaimed the top spot at Active Rock Radio in Canada, as tracked by Mediabase Canada for the week of September 8, 2024.
“Get Back Again,” considered by fans to be the holy grail of unreleased tracks, finally saw its release as part of the Up To Here boxset announcement set for November. This milestone marks the band’s first #1 radio hit in 15 years.
The #1 single plays during the closing credits of the final episode and is available now through Universal Music Canada, here.
Bassist Gord Sinclair shared his enthusiasm, saying, “Woke up to the news that Get Back Again went #1 at Rock radio in Canada! Thanks to everyone for all the support and for proving our DeLorean flux capacitor is now operational!”
The Tragically Hip’s upcoming boxset of their Diamond-certified debut album, Up To Here, the latest instalment of special deluxe packages, is set to release on November 8 via UMe.
Up To Here was originally released on September 5, 1989, as The Tragically Hip’s first full-length studio album, an introduction that brought them breakthrough success, including two Canadian rock radio #1 singles, “Blow At High Dough” and “New Orleans Is Sinking” as well earning the band a JUNO Award for “Most Promising Artist” in 1990. Fans can pre-order the boxset and find the complete tracklisting, here.
The expanded reissue of Up To Here is a must-have for collectors, presented as a four-LP set on 180g vinyl alongside a book documenting the history of the debut album era. The reissue includes a 2024 remastering of the original album and four previously unreleased songs that didn’t make it on the original Up To Here album – “She’s Got What It Takes,” “Get Back Again,” “Rain, Hearts And Fire” and “Wait So Long” – that are also shared as part of this expanded package, are remastered and mixed in Atmos. A recording of Live At Misty Moon, the special filmed for MuchMusic in 1990 from the Misty Moon Cabaret in Halifax, with an accompanying 1-hour concert film, is also included on Blu-ray. The package also contains demos from 1988 recorded before the Up To Here recording session. The package will be available as a three-disc CD format.
Today, as a sneak peak, The Tragically Hip officially releases “Get Back Again,” which fans consider the holy grail of unreleased tracks from the band. The track was recorded before signing to their first major record deal with MCA (now Universal Music Canada), produced by Chris Wardman in November 1988, before the Up To Here sessions, now recently remixed and mastered to today’s standards. The band performed “Get Back Again” as part of the Live At Misty Moon set, which has been the only recorded version of the track from the band until now, making this a meaningful release for the band and their fans. A brand-new official music video for “Get Back Again”- directed by Cleveland Henderson, son of Pete Henderson, who had previously directed many videos of the band, including the award-winning “Locked In The Trunk Of A Car” and “Courage (For Hugh MacLennan),” will premiere tonight at 7 PM on The Tragically Hip’s YouTube.
Established in 1984, this year marks 40 Years of The Tragically Hip – a milestone for the beloved band. 2024 sees The Tragically Hip break open the archives, reminiscing with fans on four decades of music, friendship, and philanthropy. The band’s legacy will be honored with a yearlong celebration, which started with the designation of the Record Store Day Canada Ambassadors, the upcoming launch of a four-part Amazon Prime Documentary titled No Dress Rehearsal, and on October 1, the release of a deluxe, hand-crafted book titled This Is Our Life, the band’s story as told in their own words and features more than 300 pages of unseen rarities pulled from the band’s personal collections.
The Up To Here boxset celebrates the early days of The Tragically Hip and is the latest instalment of a series of reissues released over the last few years honoring the band’s extensive catalog – Road Apples 30th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset (2021), Fully Completely Vinyl Release (2022), Phantom Power 25th Anniversary Deluxe Boxset (2023).
40 Years Of The Tragically Hip:
The Tragically Hip has been at the heart of the Canadian musical zeitgeist, evoking a strong emotional connection between their music and their fans that remains unrivalled. A five-piece group of friends including Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Downie (vocals, guitar), Johnny Fay (drums), Paul Langlois (guitar) and Gord Sinclair (bass), who grew up in Kingston, Ontario, The Tragically Hip have achieved both mass popularity with more than 12 million albums in Canada and over 2 million sold in the U.S, as well as peer recognition through 17 Juno Awards – picking up the distinguished Humanitarian Award in 2021 at the 50th annual JUNO Awards, which recognizes Canadian artists or industry leaders whose humanitarian contributions have positively enhanced the social fabric of Canada and beyond.
In 2022, they were inducted into Canada’s Walk Of Fame for Humanitarianism in pursuit of social and environmental justice. They had previously received a star on the Walk Of Fame in 2002 for Arts & Entertainment. Most recently, the band along with their manager, Jake Gold, received the War Child Canada Founder’s Award celebrating over 20 years of support for the global humanitarian organization.
The Tragically Hip’s tireless activism and philanthropic pursuits have raised millions of dollars for multiple social and environmental causes, such as Camp Trillium, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Sunnybrook Foundation, WAR Child, the Special Olympics, and the Unison Benevolent Fund.
Their studio catalogue includes their self-titled debut album The Tragically Hip (1987), Up To Here (1989), Road Apples (1991), Fully Completely (1992), Day For Night (1994), Trouble At The Henhouse (1996), Phantom Power (1998), Music @ Work (2000), In Violet Light (2002), In Between Evolution (2004), World Container (2006), We Are The Same (2009), Now For Plan A (2012), Man Machine Poem (2016) and Saskadelphia (2021).
A National Celebration was the final show of The Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem Tour recorded on August 20th, 2016, at the K-Rock Centre in their hometown of Kingston, Ontario, and is their last performance as a five-piece band. Through their career the band became a cultural touchstone in Canada, who despite their accolades and numerous recognitions, will always be proudest of the humanitarian work they have done over the years through numerous charitable organizations and causes. The legacy of the band’s frontman, the late Gord Downie, continues with The Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund, which aims to build cultural understanding and create a path toward reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.
(Photo – The Tragically Hip Archives)