Piping Live! Day 4: hot, hot heat and a refreshing sauna of virtuoso playing

. . . starring Bruce Gandy, Angus MacColl, Alasdair Gillies and Stuart Liddell. My slight tardiness was forgiven thanks to some technical delays and I fortunately didn’t miss a minute of the action.

The room was rammed full of spectators and I though this year’s mix of audience and cabaret style seating was a great idea. By the time Stuart, the first soloist of the event, took the stage the room was an absolute sauna. If it was uncomfortably warm for us, I can only imagine what it must have been like on stage.

Stuart wowed the crowd with beautiful pipes – his high-A was my favourite – and his hilarious wonky low-G antics. Angus was on next and, like every time I’ve heard him play before, it was impossible not to tap my foot and bob my head along to his oh-so-musical playing. Third up was surprise entry Gordon Walker, replacing a travel-delayed Alasdair. I had to hold back from doing jumpy-claps when I heard Gordon would be playing as it has been years since I’ve last seen him play. In fact, it was when he last played at the Todd Recital and won a few years ago.

His playing did not disappoint and judging by the crowd’s reaction, they too were happy to see him back on stage. Last up was Bruce Gandy, whose drones and piobaireachd segment both lulled me into a warm fuzzy state. Or was that just the heat getting to me again? Either way, it was fantastic playing by all involved and a well-deserving Angus was crowned victor once again.

I squeezed out of the sauna in time to enjoy a few light refreshments at the bar before heading to my bed for the night.

May Friday bring as much fun and, if I’m really lucky, more fabulous weather!

Meaghan Proudfoot (Twitter: @MeaghProudfoot) hails from Maxville, Ontario, Canada and currently lives in Northern Ireland. She is a public r-Relations & marketing consultant, arts & entertainment specialist, piper and sticker-of-finger in as many pipe-band-world-pies as possible. This season she is playing with the Banbridge Pipe Band.