Ten years on, jD sits down with three fans who were there the night the Tragically Hip played Vancouver on the Man Machine Poem tour — the second stop of Gord Downie's final run across Canada. Tina, Joe, and Shaun walk through the whole arc of that evening: the scramble for tickets when floor seats and Ticketmaster luck meant everything, the electric-but-apprehensive mood in the building as everyone wondered how Gord would hold up, and the moment his shaking hand during "Three Pistols" turned nerves into relief.

The conversation ranges from the emotional gut-punches — "Grace, Too," "Bobcaygeon," "Tired as Fuck," and "At Transformation" — to the craft behind the show: the band huddling close around Gord like a bar band again, the retrospective set lists that pulled from nearly half their catalog, and the stripped-down staging that only fully landed watching the final concert on TV. Along the way there's talk of secondary-market ticket gouging and dynamic pricing, the pride of a country coming together over a rock band, and how each of them found their way home that night carrying a feeling Tina sums up perfectly: "How can you feel so empty and so full at the same time?"

Next episode: July 26 — Vancouver Night 2, with a new panel.

Tina from Vancouver

A devoted Hip fan (by her own admission the bigger fan in her household) who scored floor seats, row 26, through Ticketmaster while nearly everyone she knew was shut out. "Grace, Too" was the song that hit her hardest that night. By day she works for a Canadian pet-treat company.

• Only One Treats — Canadian-made pet treats with a single ingredient. Find them on Facebook, Instagram, and other socials, and in local pet food stores.

Joe from Vancouver

A lifelong musician (playing in bands since he was 15) and an entertainment-lighting professional — a rental account manager for a major North American lighting company. He got into Vancouver Night 1 on a spare ticket from his cousin's daughter, sat on Rob's side of the arena, and has played Rob Baker in a Hip tribute, which shaped how closely he watched the band that night. "Bobcaygeon" is the song that still takes him back.

• Blue Collar Overdrive — his Bachman Turner Overdrive tribute band (Joe on bass, handling the Fred Turner vocals).
• Website: bluecollaroverdrive.com
• Facebook: facebook.com/bluecollaroverdrive
• Upcoming shows: Kamloops Rib Fest (Aug 9), Langley Rib Fest (Aug 14), Retro Fest at Sun Peaks (Aug 24)

Shaun from Vancouver

A big fan who first heard the news — Gord's diagnosis and the one last tour — while riding the SkyTrain out to Surrey. He got a ticket on the first crack through Ticketmaster and watched from the rafters, just happy to be in the building. "Three Pistols" is forever linked for him to the image of Gord's shaking hand. Outside the music, he runs a pair of travel websites and recently drove an EV across Scandinavia to the top of Europe.

• thislifeandtrips.com
• myevtrips.com

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Reach jD: [email protected]

A presentation of the Tragically Hip Podcast Series.

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