MacCals bring down full house with Tayside concert

Both the Grade 2 and Novice Juvenile MacKenzie Caledonia pipe bands delivered on their promise to entertain a sold-out crowd of nearly 300 at the Gardyne Theatre in Dundee, Scotland, on February 27th.

The show opened with the Novice Juvenile “Mini-Macs” with 15 pipers, only six of whom are from the band that competed in 2014, playing the 6/8 “Onaping Falls Centennial Pipe Band.” BBC Radio Scotland Pipeline host Gary West was emcee for the night, and, after an opening welcome the Novice Juvenile band played its 2015 competition medley.

The Grade 2 MacKenzie Caledonian band then took the stage playing “Hubble Bubble,” a Mac-Cal signature tune that the group uses to call the band together, followed by both bands playing a set of 4/4 marches before the junior band left the stage.

The senior band followed with an MSR and a set of hornpipes, before the Tayside Young Fiddlers played for the rest of the first half.

The second part of the concerts started with “The Session,” players on smallpipes, drummers and fiddlers, with the Tayside Fiddlers continuing with a second set of tunes.

The concert continued with a solo set of reels from piper Cameron Weir, and then the Grade 2 band returned back with a set of 6/8s, a competition medley, a set of three hornpipes and finished with Mark Saul’s suite, “Murray’s Fancy.” MacKenzie band President Jim Mills said a few words to thank the audience before making a presentation to Grade 2 band snare drummer and occasional drum-major Islay Spalding, who played a major part in organizing the entire show before being handed her mace to play both bands off with “Bonnie Dundee.”

The night continued until sunrise with an after-party enjoyed by members and friends of the band.

The band also officially launched its studio CD, A Big Step Forward, at the show.