The Tragically Hip On Shuffle - Live Stream: 'Vapour Trails'

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Panel: Ryan from Toronto • Patrick from Toronto • Adam from Tampa

Intro

There’s nothing uglier than a man hitting his stride - and there’s nothing better than a panel that doesn’t agree on what that line even means.

This week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle, jD pulled ‘Vapour Trails’ from “Phantom Power” - track eight of twelve from The Tragically Hip’s sixth studio record, produced by Steve Berlin, recorded at The Bathhouse in Bath, Ontario, and released July 14, 1998. It was a promo CD single that never got a video. It ranked #72 on the TTHTop40 Countdown. And for a song that lives in the shadow of ‘Bobcaygeon’ and ‘Poets’ on the same record, it had absolutely no problem holding its own for an hour of live discussion.

So there’s that.

About This Episode

‘Vapour Trails’ is a road song. Or a loneliness song. Or a song about Gord watching Mexican farmworkers from a highway somewhere in rural Ontario and being moved enough to write it down. It might be all three at once - which is, of course, exactly how Gord Downie worked.

jD is joined this week by Ryan from Toronto - a first-timer on the show and a veteran podcaster whose ear for music analysis makes itself known immediately - alongside returning panelists Patrick from Toronto and Adam from Tampa, both of whom came loaded with research, opinions, and very strong feelings about the back half of the “Phantom Power” discography.

• What followed was one of those conversations that starts with bass and drums and ends somewhere near ephemeral, the Canadian spelling of vapour, and whether Rob Baker was playing a Rickenbacker.

Coming Up

Next week on The Tragically Hip On Shuffle, jD hits shuffle again - and this time it landed on ‘Train Overnight.’ Three new panelists. Wednesday night. 8 PM. You know the drill.

An Evening for Sara J

Before you go - An Evening for Sara J is happening Saturday, April 11, 2026 at Firkin on Yonge, 207 Yonge Street, Toronto. Doors at 7:30 PM, live podcast at 8, Forever Hip takes the stage at 9.

Sara is one of our own, and this whole night is for her. There’s a live podcast with Patrick Downie, a 50/50 draw, a raffle, and every dollar raised goes to Sara’s GoFundMe. Go to tickets.tthpods.com to get yers now!

Early Bird tickets are $20 - and they won’t last. After March 25, it’s $25 general admission or $30 at the door.

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The Tragically Hip On Shuffle is part of The Tragically Hip Podcast Series - Est. 2018.

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