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, βwho is The Tragically Hip,β 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 bandβs initialβand clearly ongoingβmagnetism.
Not straying from the downfalls, the arguments, and the ugly, the highlights of the bandβs career shine brighter because of it, making it a touching experience, to say the least. If only the experience never endedβboth the band itself and the experience gifted by the seriesβbut, then again, all things must eventually come to a close. Yet, itβs the rather fleeting nature of these things that makes them so valuable.
The true clue of the bandβs 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 βNo dress rehearsal/This is our life,β from the bandβs song βAhead By A Centuryβ, 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.