‘Yeah, I was there.’ John Cairns reviews Inveraray & District’s pre-World’s concert, ‘A Night in That Land’

“A Night in That Land”
Inveraray & District
Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
August 10, 2022

Reviewed by John Cairns

On Wednesday, August 10, 2022, the Inveraray & District Pipe Band took the stage for their concert entitled “A Night in That Land” to a sold-out house. Let me tell you that Pipe-Major Stuart Liddell, Lead-Drummer Steven McWhirter and the rest of the Inveraray & District Pipe Band did not disappoint.

The sound and clarity of the pipes, the precision of the snares, the intricacy of the mid-section was as usual: world class. I would be remiss if I did not comment on the sound of the bass drum as it was unbelievable — resonant, perfectly pitched and it filled the bottom end of the band’s musical (pitch) spectrum.

What impresses me the most about this band, is that they know who they are.

If I had any criticisms, they are minor. At times there was a delay between numbers that did not help to keep the momentum of the show going, but anyone who has done a show like this will let that go, because the sheer act of getting a pipe band on and off stage, having to tune quickly between numbers, and so forth is a huge challenge.

There is no way that I can comment on all the wonderful moments in the show as there were far too many to include in a review like this. But I felt like each number took me on an amazing roller-coaster of emotions:

• Murray Henderson’s arrangement of the piobaireachd “Too Long In This Condition,” complete with accompaniment and percussion, was brilliant.
• Steven McWhirter’s drum fanfare, a tribute to Joe Noble, was filled with creativity and fabulous playing.
• The piping solos by Calum Brown and Stuart Liddell were amazing.
• The guest appearance by Archie McAllister on fiddle blew me away; he had my foot tapping like crazy and the musicianship . . . wow!

I came away from “A Night in That Land” having experienced a variety of emotions, from feeling stirred and moved, to excited and electrified, and everything in between. To be honest, I found myself constantly on the edge of my seat, eagerly waiting to hear what was coming next.

I want to give a huge congratulations and thank you to the band for an amazing show, and acknowledge the wonderful job that Gary West did as the emcee.

I fully expect that, in years to come, I will get to experience the same level of envy that those who were fortunate enough to go to Woodstock, Live Aid, and other iconic live music events must have experienced every time they told someone, “Yeah, I was at that concert.”

John Cairns is the pipe-major of the Grade 2 Peel Regional Police Pipe Band of Brampton, Ontario, which just finished an undefeated season on their home circuit. He is one of the world’s most accomplished pipers, and is perhaps best known for being the eleventh piper in history to win the true double: both Highland Society of London Gold Medals in the same year, in 1999, when he later went on to win the Bratach Gorm. He is professional piper, teaching and running his business Bagpipe Solutions. He lives in London, Ontario.

Be sure to see the five-part pipes|drums Interview with John Cairns.