It’s been almost exactly seven years since Canadians lost The Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie , and more than eight years since the band played their last-ever show in Kingston, Ont. Time, elongated and obfuscated by the pandemic, seems cruel. Has it really been that long since we lost one of our country’s most charismatic, beloved musicians? And has it really been almost a decade since the group of guys fondly referred to as “Canada’s Band” ceased to play? The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal , a four-part docuseries streaming on Prime Video starting Sept.
20, provides an incredibly intimate look at the band, from its humble beginnings in small-town Ontario to its glory days onstage. Directed by Gord’s brother Mike Downie, all four hour-long segments of the docuseries are unapologetically raw, with vignettes from Gord himself and each of the band members as the plucky bunch of boys grow from teenagers dreaming of becoming rock stars into, well, rock stars in their own right. Jaw-dropping concert footage is featured throughout — even die-hard Hip fans will see things they’ve never seen before (no spoilers here!) — and there are interviews with family, friends and others who knew them during the journey.
Canadian celebrities and fans, including Dan Aykroyd, Jay Baruchel and Bruce McCulloch, among many others, express their love and incredulousness about the band, cementing what any fan already knows: The Tragically Hip were something special, and a cert.