Worlds Week continued...

After Lorient and the Silver Cap, James P. was able to close out the week with an appearance with the Spirit of Scotland pipers, under the direction of P/M Roddy MacLeod as guest performers with CAPERCAILLIE! The Friday night concert, held at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, was definitely a highlight for James P. as we have grown up listening to Capercaillie. Being thought of as the band that brought traditional Celtic music to the world stage and aiding in its popularity, it was quite the honour to be able to share the night with such formidable musicians.....and not to mention to play with the SOS pipers!



As James P. and I were quite excited about spending some time with our fellow Spirit of Scotlanders, the plan was to meet at the Concert Hall so I could get my ticket, enjoy the concert and relax before the big Worlds day to follow. Sadly, that was not the case...I was admitted in the Glasgow Royal Infirmary at around 6pm Friday night to be kept in overnight and potentially until the Monday. Therefore, I missed the World Pipe Band Championships completely and the chance to compete in the Qualifier with the Peel Police. What a major disappointment BUT on the bright side, the doctors and nurses took great care of me and I am slowly on the mend. To be honest, I discharged myself against doctor's orders in order to fly home to get better on this side of the water...



While I was in the hospital spending time with probably the three funniest old ladies in Glasgow who just happened to be in my ward, the rest of you were playing your guts out...thank God for the BBC's coverage of the contest which I am just catching up on now! A big congrats goes out to St. Laurence O'Toole for putting in some beautiful performances. And a big thank you to Inspector Gavin Francis of the Peel Police and his wife, Diane who took great care of me during my hospital stay as well as the members of the Peel Police Pipe Band...your love and support meant a lot.
Another exciting Piping Live feature that I missed was the Pipe Idol finale. Held at the Street Cafe just outside the National Piping Centre and with the right weather, it's a lovely way to spend a FREE afternoon listening to the best young international pipers from around the world. With a number of heats involved throughout the week, the final came down to four outstanding players: Chris MacDonald, Alex Gandy, Steven Leask and Jamie Hawke. Alex took the distinction of 2010 Pipe Idol and the top prize of a set of Fred Morrison ReelPipes!
One of the final events of Piping Live is the Masters Invitational Solo Piping Competition held at the National Piping Centre. Being the day after the Worlds, it's a wonder that everyone is in fine shape to crank out some good tunes. This year's winner was Bruce Gandy, taking seconds in both the Piobaireachd and MSR. The Gandys - representing well in Scotland!
We sign off this post with a video clip below (courtesy of pipes|drums) of Bruce playing at the Todd Bar Recital at the University of Strathclyde earlier in the week.



James P. has been in Scotland making his way through Oban, Inverness and the likes winding up at the Northern Meeting for Thursday and Friday of this week. Best of luck to him there as well as all of the other competitors that have made the journey, near and far! Results from this and the other games to follow soon.
-JLT