SPILL SERIES REVIEW: THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL

THE TRAGICALLY HIP: NO DRESS REHEARSAL

AMAZON STUDIOS

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

I believe that passion is something everyone possesses, but only those who embrace it can truly revel in it. And, when one has a passion that they strongly pursue, others will take notice. The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal, is an expression of this type of passion, portrayed in ways that are pleasantly captured from all angles.

Love for the craft, and for the people, radiates from every nook and cranny of this four-episode series. Ranging from the love for the music, to the love for the fans, to the love for the band, and to the love for the journey, director Mike Downie captures the true spirit that The Tragically Hip both has and has granted to their listeners. And for viewers who may be asking, “who is The Tragically Hip,” this series offers more than a simple answer, which is easy to provide. No, this collective four hours of footage offers a taste of the band’s initial–and clearly ongoing–magnetism.

Not straying from the downfalls, the arguments, and the ugly, the highlights of the band’s career shine brighter because of it, making it a touching experience, to say the least. If only the experience never ended–both the band itself and the experience gifted by the series–but, then again, all things must eventually come to a close. Yet, it’s the rather fleeting nature of these things that makes them so valuable.

The true clue of the band’s impact is not only evident through their listeners, but evident through the impact their story has on viewers through this wonderfully crafted project. Whether old or new, aware or not of their story, The Tragically Hip: No Dress Rehearsal is raw. Stripping down their story to the bare bones of their origins, their trials and tribulations, their love, their intentions, and, most notably, their music, it is quite obvious that this story is a radiant one.

Repeated within each episode is “No dress rehearsal/This is our life,” from the band’s song “Ahead By A Century”, and there is no better way to put it. Despite being presented as a show about a band and their music, this is really a story about life; there is no way to prepare for it, but there are many ways to enjoy it.

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