CBC wants to air last show of the Tragically Hip’s upcoming tour

TORONTO – The CBC says it is “having conversations” with the Tragically Hip about the possibility of broadcasting the final show of the band’s tour this summer.

Many are speculating that the concert in Kingston, Ont., the Tragically Hip’s hometown, could be the band’s last-ever big show, given the recent news that frontman Gord Downie has terminal brain cancer.

Not surprising, there’s incredible demand for tickets for the band’s 15 scheduled concerts in July and August.

Presale tickets that went on sale Monday and Tuesday sold out immediately and fans lamented that many quickly appeared on secondary resale sites with grossly inflated prices. The general ticket sale begins on Friday.

Ontario’s attorney general said Tuesday that she’s prepared to try to find out why so many Tragically Hip fans were stymied during the presales.

She denied the province is to blame for scrapping a law that prevented primary sellers like Ticketmaster from owning resale sites like StubHub.

“The intent was to prevent this from happening,” Meilleur told reporters.

“And I’m very sorry for the (fans) of this group that they have to pay a great price to go to the concert.”

Meanwhile, the CBC is hoping to work out a deal so Canadians across the country can watch what could be a historical show in Kingston.

“We are interested in airing the Tragically Hip’s final show and are having conversations with the band to see if we can make it happen,” said spokesman Chuck Thompson in an email.