The memory of the late Gord Downie was in sharp focus as the Kingston alt-rock band the Tragically Hip were among four musical acts inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame at a star-studded gala held at Toronto’s Massey Hall on Saturday night.
As members of the Tragically Hip took the stage to accept the honour, the band paid tribute to their bandmate, who died in 2017 after he was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of brain cancer.
Guitarist Rob Baker shared a message he said was from Downie, “who couldn’t be here.”
“I stood before the songwriters’ cabal, bearing gifts of drugs and alcohol. That’s not enough, and that’s not all. Wait over there until your number’s called. I stood before the songwriters’ cabal, all wide-eyed and enthralled, just to be included at all,” said Baker, who stood on stage alongside his bandmates Gord Sinclair and Paul Langlois.
The Hip entered the 2026 class along with Toronto indie music pioneer Feist, the songwriting duo behind rock band Loverboy (Mike Reno and Paul Dean) and French-Canadian artist Roch Voisine.
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The inductees’ beloved songs provided the soundtrack for the evening that had the crowd tapping their feet, clapping their hands and dancing in their seats as performers, including Finneas, Our Lady Peace, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and others who took the stage for the genre-spanning tributes that covered arena rock to indie pop to love ballads.
As the tribute to the Hip closed out the night’s ceremonies, a purple feathered hat hung on a microphone stand on stage, a nod to Downie’s eclectic fashion. Allison Russell, who was among the artists performing the Hip’s music, blew a kiss to the mic stand as she began Wheat Kings, then ended the song by saying, “We will always love you, Gord.”
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Baker said in his speech that the band had been thrilled “to have such a great frontman.”
“I remember taking (bassist) Gord Sinclair down to see him at a place in Kingston, saying, ‘You’ve got to see this guy, we’re going to stand on his coattails and ride them,”‘ said Baker in his speech, which also noted the Hip’s practice of sharing songwriting credit among all the band members.
Earlier in the evening, the Los Angeles songwriter and producer Finneas inducted Leslie Feist. The brother of Billie Eilish told a charming story about a chance meeting with the Toronto singer-songwriter at an airport in 2018 before calling her an “incredibly important, inspiring figure in my life.” Finneas performed her 2007 song My Moon My Man.
As she accepted her accolade on stage, Feist told the crowd, “talking is harder than singing for me” before launching into a speech that detailed how the 50-year-old musician used songs to process the ebbs and flows of her life.
“If all of the messy and meaningful and honest work can eventually lead anyone to a moment like this, then that’s how I figured out how to stand here and genuinely from my heart say thank you,” said Feist, who received video messages from notable figures such as Sam Smith, Joe Jonas, Olivia Rodrigo and director Jacob Tierney, whose hit TV show Heated Rivalry featured two Feist songs.
Among the evening’s many captivating performances was Tweedy, who host George Stroumboulopoulos introduced as one of the best living songwriters. The Wilco frontman sang a heartfelt cover of Feist’s mournful song The Park.
Earlier, Canadian songstress Amanda Marshall opened the show with a booming rendition of Loverboy’s 1980 hit Turn Me Loose that had the audience up from their seats immediately, while Toronto folk singer Charlotte Cornfield followed with a smooth and soulful performance of Feist’s How Come You Never Go There.
Later, the Ottawa-based musician Talk, wearing a fitted baby blue jumpsuit with fringed sleeves, rocked the venue with a high-energy cover of Loverboy’s classic hit Working for the Weekend, earning him a standing ovation.
The night also included notes of Canadian pride. Jim Vallance, inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside songwriting partner Bryan Adams in 2022, began his tribute to Loverboy by saying he was “so proud to be Canadian” and pointed out that the nation punched above its weight in producing great musicians.
Dean, Loverboy’s guitarist, accepted the honour on behalf of himself and lead singer Reno, who could not attend. Dean also thanked the other members of the band, including former bassist Scott Smith, who died in 2000 following a boating accident.
Other highlights included Olympic hockey gold medallists Laura Stacey and Marie Philip-Poulin, who inducted Voisine and noted the 63-year-old’s time playing hockey before he took up music.
Voisine said in his speech he started writing songs only for himself. But while studying at the University of Ottawa, he’d practice his songs in his residence’s stairwell and later learned fellow students would study along with his music.
Following his bilingual speech, in which he thanked his family and songwriting collaborators, Voisine performed an emotional, choir-backed duet of his ballad I’ll Always Be There with French Canadian artist Isabelle Boulay.
Beloved Canadian alt-rock band Our Lady Peace closed out the show with a high-octane cover of the Hip’s Locked in the Trunk of a Car.
Lead singer Raine Maida shared how watching a performance by the Tragically Hip when he was 18 inspired him to chase art over entertainment.
Before beginning the song, he told the crowd to get on their feet.
“And light your phones up for Mr. Gord Downie.”
