William J. Stewart
On August 20, 2016, Kingston hosted what was no doubt the largest concert in the city’s history, and perhaps the biggest concert in Canadian history. The K-Rock Centre was filled to capacity, with some big names in attendance, including our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. An estimated 25,000+ also spilled out into the streets surrounding Springer Market Square, where a Jumbotron and massive speakers gave the outdoor crowd the feel of being part of the event taking place just a few blocks away. In addition to this, the event was live streamed to 400+ venues nationwide: arenas, theme parks, movie theatres, parking lots, restaurants, etc.. In fact, the event could be seen in any house in Canada with a TV or a computer, as it was made available on CBC TV and cbc.ca.
Unless you were camped out under a rock somewhere (or perhaps are are not a Canadian), you know what the event was. The Tragically Hip, a Canadian rock band from the Kingston area were playing their last concern. Whether you like the band or not, the circumstances are sad. Lead singer, Gord Downie, had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. It’s nice the band has been able to play a farewell tour, both for themselves and their fans; but as I heard the concern that night, a real tragedy came to mind (NOTE, I wasn’t at the concert – the sound of it carried approximately 5 km up the Cataraqui River to my backyard).
The real tragedy is that on a Saturday night, millions upon millions of people were celebrating Downie’s life and career, but the next morning, the number of people who would gather to celebrate the life and person of Jesus Christ were far fewer.
The real tragedy is that some people traveled hundreds of miles to be at the concert, but most people are not willing to travel more than a few blocks to go to worship God.
The real tragedy is that people are intimately familiar with a musician’s lyrics (not just the Hip, any entertainer), but few are even loosely familiar with the words of life.
The real tragedy is that people were wearing T-shirts that read In Gord We Trust, which is not just support for a dying man, but idolatry (an intentional change to In God We Trust). In fact, a major Canadian paper ran the following headline the morning of the concert: One Nation Under Gord1. It’s idolatry, plain and simple.
I have nothing against the Tragically Hip. They are simply musicians making a living and celebrating their career. It is sad that Gord Downie is terminally ill. It is sad when anyone has an illness that threatens to cut this life short. But more tragic than the impending loss of a man whom many deem to be a national treasure, is the loss that so many will experience by entering into eternity without knowing and serving Jesus Christ. That’s a tragedy that is not hip at all!
