The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 17, 2018

The Tragically Hip: Long Time Running was simultaneously one of the most triumphant and one of the most indelibly sad music related releases I covered last year, and I have to say much that same bifurcated quality ports over to the linked release of The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration. As was documented in our The Tragically Hip: Long Time Running Blu- ray review, Gordon Downie’s bout with terminal brain cancer gave the first release in this emotional “double whammy” a visceral tug at the heartstrings, especially when that first release parted from pure performance footage to document the horrors of Downie’s diagnosis, his surgeries, and his heroic attempts to keep performing despite his illness. The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration does have a few interstitial “additions”, but it’s muc more of a traditional concert film than the first release was, offering a chance to see The Tragically Hip’s final performance in their hometown of Kingston on August 20, 2016 (see my review of the first release for a little peek at at least one luminary who showed up to pay his respects to the band).

As moving as the concert itself is, even the few opening moments documenting the backstage bear hugs and (full lip) kisses between the band members may start the water works flowing for the more emotionally prone viewer. But the concert itself is a wonderful “living homage” to the Hip’s legacy. I have to say Gordon almost reminded me of David Byrne at several key junctures during this concert, kind of growling out the lyrics of his songs while moving about “herky jerky” style (in a variety of luxe jackets and hats, of course). The band is relentlessly energetic, and it seems like Gordon doesn’t ever want to leave the stage, as if he knows that a different kind of final curtain is coming.

The band's set list for this final concert includes:

1. Fifty Mission Cap

2. Courage

3. Wheat Kings

4. At the One Hundredth Meridian

5. In a World Possessed by the Human Mind

6. What Blue

7. Tired as F***

8. My Music at Work

9. Lake Fever

10. Toronto #4

11. Puttin' Down

12. Twist My Arm

13. Three Pistols

14. Fiddler's Green

15. Little Bones

16. The Last of the Unplucked Gems

17. Something On

18. Poets

19. Bobcaygeon

20. Fireworks

21. New Orleans is Sinking

22. Boots or Hearts

23. Blow at High Dough

24. Nautical Disaster

25. Scared

26. Grace, Too

27. Locked in the Trunk of a Car

28. Gift Shop

29. Ahead by a Century

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Music Canada with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. There is some archival and what looks to be stock footage (of various scenic vistas) scattered throughout this presentation where things can look slightly roughhewn, but on the whole the bulk of the actual concert footage is quite appealingly well detailed. There's good coverage by a coterie of cameras, and quite a few of the songs are brightly lit, offering good support for detail levels on things like the feathers in Gordon's hats. That said, once again some kind of odd lighting choices tend to suck a lot of the detail out of selected moments. Both heavy blue and (especially) purple lighting bathe the entire frame in a kind of scrim like haze, to the point that in some scenes it almost looks like the band is disappearing (see screenshot 13 for one example).

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Almost shockingly (at least to me), Universal Music Canada has provided only lossy tracks on this release, a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track and a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track, much as they did in partnership with Eagle Rock Entertainment for The Tragically Hip: Long Time Running. That release at least could claim to be more of a documentary, with a lot of "talking head" material and music (at least quite a bit of the time) presented only interstitially. I just continue to smack my head at releases that don't pay attention to lossless audio, especially releases that are music-centric. While I gave the first release a 3.5 for its lossy audio options, I simply refuse to score this any higher than 3.0 since it's a bona fide concert offering, probably as more of a protest than anything. That said, with an understanding that a lossless track most certainly would have upped the force of the midrange and low end, what's here is perfectly acceptable if obviously not optimal. The surround track is really quite widely splayed at times, with a lot of crowd noise penetrating into the side and rear channels (something that may actually annoy some listeners), and with the band appropriately placed spatially in the soundfield. Gordon's gravelly vocals are typically mixed well in front of the instrumental masses. Clarity and fidelity are both fine, but, wow, I really wish I could have heard this concert in lossless audio.

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, there are no supplements included on this release. The insert booklet has a long list of credits for the tour personnel.

The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It's next to impossible to watch The Tragically Hip: A National Celebration without developing a pretty sizable lump in your throat, maybe even if you've never even heard of this band before (as I mentioned in the review of the first release, the Hip has always been more of a "thing" in their native Canada than "down south" here in the United States). This final performance finds the band in high spirits and with a good, straight ahead mentality in terms of a kind of no frills performance style. While the video element of this release is (mostly) fine, I really have to take issue with a Blu-ray concert video offering only lossy audio, and so I will leave it to individual fans and/or potential consumers to decide how they feel, rather than giving this what would otherwise be an unqualified recommendation.