Concert Review: The Tragically Hip & Pretty Mighty Mighty @ the Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH (5/6/99)
Of all The Tragically Hip shows I’ve been too, and I’ve been to a lot, this is the most hazy. In fact, I really have no recollection of their set at all, whereas other shows I have clear memories of moments or songs. I should have loved this set, it’s chalk full of most of my favorite Hip tunes, but… nothing.
The opening band, however, I do remember. I had just moved to Columbus the previous fall, and that winter was spent to trying to find a place to live (instead of on my friend’s floor), a drummer and a job. All three were accomplished in a few months, and we started going to see bands. I just so happened that one of the bands we heard about from a lot of people were opening for the Hip.
For some reason, we all walked away from seeing Pretty Mighty Mighty thinking they were heavy in the Hum/Smashing Pumpkins vein, but that turned out to be less true the more times we saw them live. What did happen is they turned into one of not only my favorite local bands from that scene in the late 90s/early 00s, but one of my favorite bands period, combining loud by melodic guitar, Bob Mould-esque vocals, a tight rhythm section and the wild onstage antics of a very untraditional violinist.
SETLIST
Gift Shop
Poets
Fireworks
Pigeon Camera
Fully Completely
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
Ahead By A Century
Vapour Trails
The Luxury
Something On
Locked In The Trunk Of A Car
Chagrin Falls
New Orleans Is Sinking
Membership
Inevitability Of Death
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin’ Man
The opening band, however, I do remember. I had just moved to Columbus the previous fall, and that winter was spent to trying to find a place to live (instead of on my friend’s floor), a drummer and a job. All three were accomplished in a few months, and we started going to see bands. I just so happened that one of the bands we heard about from a lot of people were opening for the Hip.
For some reason, we all walked away from seeing Pretty Mighty Mighty thinking they were heavy in the Hum/Smashing Pumpkins vein, but that turned out to be less true the more times we saw them live. What did happen is they turned into one of not only my favorite local bands from that scene in the late 90s/early 00s, but one of my favorite bands period, combining loud by melodic guitar, Bob Mould-esque vocals, a tight rhythm section and the wild onstage antics of a very untraditional violinist.
SETLIST
Gift Shop
Poets
Fireworks
Pigeon Camera
Fully Completely
Bobcaygeon
Nautical Disaster
Ahead By A Century
Vapour Trails
The Luxury
Something On
Locked In The Trunk Of A Car
Chagrin Falls
New Orleans Is Sinking
Membership
Inevitability Of Death
Escape Is At Hand For The Travellin’ Man