2013 Las Vegas, Nevada Games Pics

[OC Richard]

I noticed in two of the band pictures that the man on the far left in the first row is backwards to the rest of his unit. Why?

That is the Pipe Major's position (first rank, rightmost file) and the Pipe Major is, in effect, a pipe band's conductor. These Pipe Majors have turned around to signal to their band that they will stop playing (the "cut off"). The Pipe Major signals first, then the bass drummer customarily reinforces the command to cut off with a "double beat". I have seen Pipe Majors, when they turn around to face the band to signal the cut off, to let their blowpipe pop out of their mouth, making it absolutely clear that the band is to stop playing.

Pipe Majors, since they're playing just like the other pipers, can't conduct the band like an orchestral conductor would. Instead they conduct by the drummers watching their foot and the pipers watching their fingers, plus various forms of body language. For example when the band is playing "in the circle" the Pipe Major signals the cut off by "stepping into the circle". A Pipe Major might start marching a bit before the start of the next phrase, telling the band that they are to start marching in place at the start of the next phrase. Sometimes a Pipe Major will even take his lower hand off the chanter for a moment and hold out his flat hand, palm facing the ground, to tell the band to slow down.