Yesterday we went to the 2009 Capital Region Scottish Games.
We (I!) were drawn to this by the claim, on the bill poster, of 500 pipers playing simultaneously. As it turns out, the event – held at Altamont Fairgrounds – seemed much more popular than they expected. As a result, there were traffic problems and only 27 of the 42 bands scheduled to perform had even arrived in full by the first appearance. Even so, we were treated to the spectacle of about 220 pipers and (the advertised!) 200 drummers playing in unison.
This first video shows half of the assembled bands marching in together. Note that the sound din was such that the mic on my video camera was overwhelmed. Standing as close as I was felt like phasing into a dimension of sound. It was truly awesome, and I could have lived there for a while. At the same time, I understand why many of these professional pipers wear earplugs during performances! I love, btw, how the drums are loud enough to drown out even the bagpipe droning 🙂
This second video shows the 27 massed bands (pipers and drummers) playing Amazing Grace. Even at a distance, it was quite spectacular!
The first video is me having the second of four total bites of a $6 sausage roll that was wonderful! The middle shows me browsing the selection of professional bagpipes, priced starting at $1500 (the most I saw was $3500). The last photo was a lovely family of chicks in the little ‘petting zoo’ they had. Ironically, we admired these guys right after eating chicken for lunch…
Did I mention yet we’re going to England next year?
