‘Ottawa’ Best of 2016: When Gord Downie Gave us a Night to Remember
Contrary to the song Bobcaygeon, we couldn’t see the constellations. In fact, there was a 40% chance of rain on the evening of Aug. 20 in Toronto, rising to 60% as the night wore on.
And yet, the stars ultimately aligned with my plan to project The Tragically Hip’s final concert live in my backyard.
The Wi-Fi turned out to be up to the task, range-wise. My laptop connected to a digital projector, which brought Gord Downie to life on a wall-sized sheet of white vinyl I’d bought at Home Depot.
A cranked-up 5.1 Surround Sound brought the rest of the experience home beautifully.
A block away, at a local city park, a neighbourhood association had the same idea, and was also screening the concert al fresco on a big screen. Some 18 friends squeezed into my small backyard. Scores more brought their fold-out lawn-chairs to the park.