FILE PHOTO - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to the crowd as he attends the Acadian Day celebration in Caraquet, N.B., on Monday, August 15, 2016. Trudeau plans to join Tragically Hip fans Saturday night in Kingston, Ont., as they pay tribute to the prolific Canadian rock band.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ron Ward
August 17, 2016 - 4:35 PM
TORONTO - Justin Trudeau plans to join Tragically Hip fans Saturday night in Kingston, Ont., as they pay tribute to the prolific Canadian rock band.
Trudeau spokeswoman Kate Purchase says the prime minister has tickets to the last stop on the "Man Machine Poem" summer tour.
Many consider this to be the final show for the Hip as lead singer Gord Downie faces terminal brain cancer.
Tickets sold out almost immediately as fans raced to get seats and faced off against scalpers who used complex bot programs to grab extra tickets and sell them at a marked-up price.
The concert will be broadcast on CBC television, radio and through digital platforms, and many fans have already planned viewing parties across the country. Some communities have also set up public screenings in parks and arenas.
Trudeau wasn't sure whether he would make it to a Hip tour stop when asked in June. He said he was lucky enough to see the band perform at many concerts, and has met Downie several times.
"Gord Downie is someone I have an extraordinary amount of respect for,'' he told a news conference.
"His status as an extraordinary Canadian creative force and icon is not to be understated."
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News from © The Canadian Press, 2016