The Tragically Hip will perform as a band for the first time since the 2017 death of frontman Gord Downie at the 2021 JUNO Awards, it was announced Thursday.
The Hip will be joined by singer-songwriter Feist for a performance on the June 6th show.
“We’ve known Leslie Feist for over 20 years, having toured together in 1999,” read a statement from the band. “We are all huge fans and Gord loved her. It’s an honour to be able to play one of our songs with her.
“It’s been such a difficult year for our fellow musicians, we wanted to do something to honour them in a way that would make Gord smile.”
The Hip is being honoured at the 50th JUNO Awards with the Humanitarian Award, which will be presented by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush.
The band has earned 15 JUNO Awards and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
Feist said, in a release: “I had a chance to tour with The Hip early on in my touring life, for something like a year. Getting to be a fly on the wall of a camp that operated with such warmth and community by day, and then watch them transform and transcend every night to touch so many people was my first big education.
“I was a kid in their midst and I’m touched to be invited into the clan now, to play alongside them. The only way I’m making any sense of it is to imagine I’ll be singing backups for Gord, and know my 20-year-old self wouldn’t believe it. Like the rest of Canada, I’ll be so happy to hear these kings of song play again.”
This year's JUNOs were postponed from May 16 to June 6 due to COVID-19 restrictions in Toronto.