Goodbye, Gord

In 1992, as a freshman college student in NYC, I caught a glimpse of a Village Voice ad for a show by The Tragically Hip taking place in the East Village. 

Knowing how big the Hip were in Canada at the time, I figured the venue would be a fairly big one. When I arrived, I discovered that it was a tiny, second-floor walk-up club that could hold no more than 150 people or so. There were no more than 25 people there for that show. 

I stood there, in awe, snapping photos of the shvitzing, screaming Gord Downie performing exuberantly, tormentedly, and at times quite contentedly, as if to a packed stadium. Here are a few of those shots from the front row, dug up from my archives and shared here for the first time, in honour of Gord's passing. 

My condolences to his friends families and to my fellow longtime fans. Another legend gone. More music and memories to revisit. 

Enjoy the photos above. 

Rock on and on, Gord. 

Love to all,

Ez