On Thursday night, members of Toronto’s music industry came together for a fundraiser in support of the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research. The group attended a Toronto Blue Jays game and gathered beforehand at Steam Whistle Brewery for a pre-game social.
Through beer, snack, and ticket sales, as well as a silent auction, attendees raised $2,100 for the Sunnybrook charity, surpassing the $1,000 goal leading up to the event.
More than 170 tickets were sold to the Blue Jays game, which included a donation to the Downie Fund with purchase. The event was organized by Jon Box of Universal Music Canada, who hopes the event can continue again next year and surpass 200 ticket sales.
The Tragically Hip, one of Canada’s most beloved bands, and recipients of multiple Diamond, Platinum and Gold certifications, conclude their Man Machine Poem Tour this Saturday in the band’s hometown of Kingston, ON. The CBC has announced that it will be broadcasting the August 20 show live from the Rogers K-Rock Centre (located at 1 The Tragically Hip Way) across its television, radio and digital platforms.
A listing of CBC’s broadcast channels showing the concert is available here. The broadcast starts with a pre-show at 8pm EST and The Tragically Hip will begin promptly at 8:30pm EST.
Communities and businesses across Canada, as well as the US and UK, have organized viewing events for Saturday’s show. The CBC has compiled a list of places where fans can watch the live broadcast. Many viewing events are encouraging attendees to donate to cancer research foundations, including the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto.
In a touching tribute, staff from Sunnybrook filmed a performance of The Hip classic “Courage” as a thank you to Gord, the band, and everyone who has donated to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research.
In an interview with the CBC, Gord Downie’s chief oncologist, Dr. James Perry, thanked fans for all of their fundraising efforts following Downie’s decision to make his diagnosis public. “I’m really thankful to all of the folks from all of the cities on the tour so far that have held fundraising events outside the venues — you know, house parties, all kinds of things have been going on.” He reportedly likened the response to the Ice Bucket Challenge of 2014 supporting ALS research.
Music Canada