TicketMOMster’s Top 5 Favourite Shows of 2016 – #1
For those of you who haven’t followed this blog from the beginning (we’re now into the second year), you may be wondering what credentials I have to create such a list. Well, I go to a lot of shows. Do you want to know how many bands I reviewed this year alone? (Drum roll please)
As of today’s date…ONE HUNDRED AND TWO bands and/or shows!
Did your jaw hit the floor? Because mine did. Seriously? I reviewed that many bands IN ONE YEAR? Jeez, I was busy. I think that’s double from last year!
Anyway, I’m on a musical journey and I’m learning stuff by seeing tons of things and now I know more stuff about things than last year, so here’s a list of stuff and things I liked from this year (those are my credentials in a nutshell – heh):
1. The Tragically Hip @ MTS Centre
I feel like this show shouldn’t even be on this list. It was so much more than a concert; it was a national event. I count myself as one of the lucky ones to have witnessed it.
Unlike many national events, this one was unique in that it repeated all across Canada. It wasn’t an easy show to attend, but the inability to get tickets and the fact this may have been the last opportunity to see “Canada’s band” live, made it all the more desirable.
Never in my life have I been to a show that felt so significant. I remember standing in the 11th row on the floor of MTS Centre thinking, “Holy shit, this is an important moment in Canadian music history and I’m in the middle of it. I’m right here.”
It was overwhelming and powerful, and yet I felt intimately connected to everyone around me through our common love and support of this band. It was so very special and rare and I’ll never forget it.

Canadian music history in the making: Tragically Hip performing at MTS Centre earlier this year. /ANNE MARTIN
On a side note, the strength and courage of Gord Downie astounds me. Honestly, I had no idea he was this type of human being. I think if I was told I had terminal cancer, I would spend my remaining days very selfishly, soaking in every second with loved ones.
But I’m not Gord Downie and while there is “private Gord”, there’s also “public Gord”. Public Gord has our attention; all of Canada is looking at him. To direct our attention to an ugly Canadian issue which is long overdue for some recognition, to STILL be out there working in his condition…it speaks volumes of the man he is and the man we will all remember.
I’m honoured I was able to watch him and the rest of the band that night. Honoured…and so very grateful.
Read the full review on Community News Commons or here on the TicketMOMster Facebook page:
Review: The Tragically Hip @ MTS CentreI haven’t listened to any Tragically Hip music since “The News”. This year has…
Posted by Ticketmomster on Saturday, August 6, 2016
Happy New Year’s Eve guys! Here’s hoping for more amazing shows in Winnipeg in 2017!
TicketMOMster is a Rock and Jazz-loving Mom; single-handedly keeping Ticketmaster alive in Winnipeg. Follow her musical journey here: www.facebook.com/TicketMOMsters