On Tuesday night, Daveed Goldman and Nobu Adilman, directors of sing-along collective Choir! Choir! Choir!, organized a tribute for Gord Downie at Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto.
Thousands of Tragically Hip fans attended and joined in, singing classics like "Ahead by a Century," "Bobcaygeon," "Courage" and "Poets" in remembrance of the band's frontman, who died on Oct. 18 following his very public battle with brain cancer. He was 53 years old.
“When we lose some of the great ones, if we can provide a space where people can come together and share the music and feel connected in a difficult time, then we’ll do it. It just felt like the right thing to do and I feel like these tributes are happening all over the country and big or small, they all matter.," Adilman said, in an interview with the Toronto Star.
Watch the Choir! Choir! Choir! sing-along on their Facebook Live below.
In a later Facebook post, Choir! Choir! Choir! thanked all those who came and paid tribute to Downie. The group encouraged everyone to share their moments from the tribute night, to "celebrate Gord's legacy as we go into the next 150 years." The post also directed fans to the Downie Wenjack Fund "to help Canada on the road to reconciliation."
During the gathering, the internet was flooded with pictures and videos of the night.
Thousands of people have gathered at @npstoronto to pay tribute to the one and only @gorddownie ❤️Thank you @choirchoirchoir 💙 pic.twitter.com/37gD88J8tZ
— Universal Music CA (@umusic) October 25, 2017
Last night in Toronto, a beautiful tribute to Gord Downie in Nathan Phillips Square by @choirchoirchoir. #TorontoSingsForGord pic.twitter.com/ABYX9lwxqB
— John Tory (@JohnTory) October 25, 2017
Canada's rock poet Gord Downie leaves a legacy. Absolutely awe-inspiring to witness #TorontoSingsForGord. Thank you to all who joined. pic.twitter.com/aUGTR9PIEX
— Kristyn Wong-Tam (@kristynwongtam) October 25, 2017
Ahead by a century one of the many highlights of @choirchoirchoir’s #Torontosingsforgord @npstoronto #RIPGordDownie pic.twitter.com/bVfnXJLbmH
— Jane Stevenson (@JaneCStevenson) October 25, 2017
More to explore:
Decoding Gord Downie's final masterpiece
By questioning Canada's past, Gord Downie fought for a better future
'No one was more committed onstage': Rich Terfry remembers Gord Downie
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