Tragically Hip announce 10-city tour; many shows in Ontario

Members of The Tragically Hip (left to right) Gord Sinclair, Paul Langlois, Gord Downie, Johnny Fay and Rob Baker are shown in a recent handout photo. (The Canadian Press/HO-Clemens Rikken)

TORONTO -- The Tragically Hip will play 11 Canadian shows this summer as part of a tour that's going ahead despite lead singer Gord Downie's incurable brain cancer.

The concerts will kick off in Victoria, B.C. on July 22 and stretch across many parts of the country.

But the band's limited tour won't be hitting the eastern reaches of Canada.

The Hip will play the tour's final show in Kingston, Ont., where they formed in 1984.

Other stops on the tour include Vancouver (July 24), Edmonton (July 28), Calgary (Aug. 1), Winnipeg (Aug. 5) and London (Aug. 8).

Two dates are scheduled for Toronto on Aug. 10 and 12.

The final shows will be in Hamilton (Aug. 16), Ottawa (Aug. 18) and then Kingston (Aug. 20).

Tickets go on sale on June 3.

The band's website frequently crashed on Wednesday morning following the announcement.

Some fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment with the band not heading further east to Quebec or the Maritimes. Others said they hoped to make the trip to another city.

Downie's doctor told reporters on Tuesday that the 52-year-old father of four has been cleared for the tour, but will be closely monitored to avoid exhaustion on other health issues that could emerge on the road.

The neuro-oncologist says Downie was diagnosed after a seizure in December and has been receptive to treatment, suggesting he has a higher chance of longer-term survival.

The Hip will release "Man Machine Poem," their 14th studio album, on June 17.

The group's managers say Downie is determined to "blow people's minds" on the tour.