Live in Ireland 87 Project in HD - The full concert live from Glasgow Royal Concert Hall!

Reid Maxwell and I were judging, September 2013, at Canmore Games in Alberta, Canada. In between bands Reid spoke of an Eagles concert he’d recently seen on Netflix and in that, the thought was triggered: wouldn’t it be great to play that 1987 “Live in Ireland” recording again: reprised and live – a sort of tribute band thing, a celebration of the music.

The 1987, 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, was not a large group by today’s standards. Not only that, a lot of the players from the day were either not actively playing or had moved on. In fact, almost all of the 87 bass section had passed away (three of four people).

What had to be navigated were two main things: a respectful recognition that any performance could not be presented as the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band of today. This effort was not about the band but the music of that time. And membership: from the beginning this was not a reunion. We needed a top flight group who could deliver a performance with minimal rehearsal.

We addressed the first by using the “Live in Ireland 87” title. The second, we looked to active members of the 1987 band. We augmented the 87 crowd with sharp shooters: players we knew could do the business. It was by chance that a lot of the folks ending up being grade one Pipe Majors and Leading Drummers. Formal band leadership was not prerequisite, as you can see from the rosters of both Glasgow and Belfast editions.

This concert, a part of Glasgow's Celtic Connections festival, was staged Saturday, January 30, 2016 at the city's Royal Concert Hall. It was sold out. It is among my most stand-out piping career memories to date.

Special thanks to Malkie Bow for video editing and production - and everyone who played and supported this music and, so, made this happen!

Michael Grey
www.dunaber.com

The Cast

Pipers:
Bernard Bouhadana
Tom Bowen
Ross Brown
Iain Donaldson
Ian Duncan
Bruce Gandy
Michael Grey
Jenny Hazzard
Stuart Liddell
Bill Livingstone
Ian MacDonald
Roddy MacLeod MBE
Gordon MacRae
Sean McKeown
Duncan Nicholson
Richard Parkes MBE
Brian Pollock
Terry Tully
Alen Tully
Ross Walker
Jake Watson

Drummers:
Sean Allen
Alan Bromell
Scott Brown
Stephen Creighton
Stuart Liddell
Gavin MacRae
Reid Maxwell
Maggie McIver
Conor McNally
Steven McWhirter
Tim Murphy
Paul Turner

Support:
Malkie Bow
Jonathan Greenlees (drones)
Meaghan Lyons
Colin MacLellan (drones)
John Wilson
Bob Worrall