The Tragically Hip, By Divine Right @ The Palace, Auburn Hills MI

I had 3 months to mull over the excitement that would be my first Hip show ever. It was December when Sarah and I went to the Ticketmaster box office at the Cleary to buy our tickets with the last of our money from the end of the semester. We waited in line, still contemplating how many tickets to buy, and wondering how we were going to get out to the Palace with no car. Then I had a brainstorm... we'd get an extra ticket, and bribe someone into driving us. So we left the box office with 4 tickets on the floor, one each for Sarah, Kathy and I, and our yet-to-be-determined driver.

As it turns out, it's really not that difficult to get someone to go to a Hip show with you (even though after exchange and service charges, the tickets ended up being $45 Can.) All I had to do was go to work and tell John about the show and the extra ticket, and our lack of a driver, and we were set.

The night of the show, we decided to grab a bite to eat beforehand, so John drove us to Mexicantown. It was my first time there, but not my last time since. :) After a quick bite, we piled back into the minivan and set out to the Palace. There was a light snow, so the roads were a little slippery, and we were being extra cautious. Sure enough, just before we got to the Palace, there was a bit of a slow-down where several cars had wiped out in the median ditch. Luckily, we made it to the Palace unscathed.

We got there at around 8:30 or so, but with the time it took us to find a parking space and to get inside and find our seats, the Hip were just starting with the opening bars to Something On. Which meant we missed By Divine Right, but oh well.

We were quite a way back from the stage, right next to the sound board at the back, but it didn't take away from any of the energy we were feeling. We must have sang out loud (along with everyone else at the show) to every single song. Sarah had brought along her dad's binocs, so we could get a good glimpse of Gordie and the guys every now and then, but it was kinda tough to get an unobstructed view.

Towards the end of the show and into the encore, I had to leave the crowd to get some water. As I ventured through the concourse, I realized that no one was really checking tickets in the aisles closer to the stage, so I ventured down one, and then back up, then down the next and back up... then finally at the one closest to the Hip. I managed to get down close enough to take a few good pics for the night.

So definitely a good show, especially for my first Hip show. Although, I really wanted to get closer... :)