The Tragically Hip is set to perform the first of three shows at the Air Canada Centre on Wednesday night in what could be the Canadian rock band’s final tour with lead singer Gord Downie following the announcement of his terminal brain cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
The Hip’s Man Machine Poem Tour will grace the main stage at the ACC beginning at 8:30 p.m. with two other dates scheduled for Friday and Sunday.
WATCH: Doctor for Tragically Hip’s Gord Downie ‘impressed’ by rock icon’s resiliency
Downie’s cancer news shocked fans across Canada and prompted the band to launch a 10-city tour named after its latest album.
READ MORE: Canadian artists reflect on the legacy, inspiration of The Tragically Hip
To honour the band, the City of Toronto has proclaimed Aug. 10 as The Tragically Hip Day to celebrate the final series of concerts.
WATCH: Toronto declares Aug. 10 ‘Tragically Hip Day’
“A Canadian band from Kingston, Ontario, The Tragically Hip have been rocking audiences since the mid-80s and have captured the heart of Canadians ever since,” the proclamation states.
“Although The Hip will be playing their last Toronto shows, their iconic music will continue to make its mark on Toronto’s musical and cultural scene.”
READ MORE: Here are the 5 most mentioned The Tragically Hip songs on Twitter
Since their formation in high school in 1984, the Hip – Downie, guitarist Rob Baker, drummer Johnny Fay, bassist Gord Sinclair and latecomer guitarist Paul Langlois, who joined in 1986 – have released 16 albums and won 14 Juno awards.
The final show is planned for Aug. 20 in their hometown of Kingston, Ont.