Black Watch 2016 North American tour

**California Highlander** · 27th October 15, 08:26 PM

Anyone know of any Northern California or Reno area shows this tour?

**RD Evans** · 2nd November 15, 02:37 PM

My wife and I and hopefully so more friends will be in attendance when they visit Lawrence, KS in February.

Will you folks that are attending be going kilted? Thanks!

**Profane James** · 2nd November 15, 03:29 PM

I'm having a hard time finding tour dates - are they posted somewhere?

**plaid preacher** · 2nd November 15, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by Profane James

I'm having a hard time finding tour dates - are they posted somewhere?

James, sometimes they don't make it easy to find the information you require. Here is a link that I had to go hunting for: https://www.songkick.com/artists/522...-band/calendar

**Profane James** · 2nd November 15, 06:00 PM

Ah thank you. Alas, their closest stop is still a few states away from me.

**plaid preacher** · 3rd November 15, 10:30 AM

Originally Posted by Profane James

Ah thank you. Alas, their closest stop is still a few states away from me.

Sorry to hear that. I have a ticket with a mate of mine in the front row of the balcony at Massey Hall in Toronto.

**OC Richard** · 11th December 15, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by plaid preacher

Here is a link that I had to go hunting for: https://www.songkick.com/artists/522...-band/calendar

Seems to be only a partial list. On such tours they're usually playing each night, with few free days for the musicians. So, each gap of a week or so represents several concerts which aren't listed.

I went back at looked at previous tours and they're around 70 dates, almost all consecutive, with only a few days off.

**OC Richard** · 21st February 16, 04:56 PM

Well the day finally came, I saw the tour last night. Very cool. Quite a few kilties in attendance. Sorry to see a number of people who I know wear kilts show up in trousers! (You know who you are...)

The stage was rather cramped. The conductor told a friend of mine that it was the smallest area they had to contend with on this tour. The musicians couldn't march on and off, but rather negotiate steep steps at the sides of the stage.

Here's a thread about the tour's performance in London, Ontario, which has some nice photos

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...65/index2.html

By the way, they announced, and wrote in the programme, that the band of the Royal Marines last toured North America in 1985, the pipes & drums of the Scots Guards last toured North America in 1977. I'd attended the local appearances of both those tours, but I'd forgot how long ago they'd been! How time flies.

The pipes & drums of the Scots Guards were just here in California last September, but not part of a North American tour, but to compete at the Pleasanton Highland Games.

The bands on tour keep getting smaller. This Royal Marines band had one rank of five snare drummers marching in front, in 1985 I count one rank of seven, in 1976 I count two ranks of seven snare drummers each.

The Scots Guards had ten pipers; in 1977 they fielded 16 (the old standard size for an army pipe band).

**OC Richard** · 8th November 15, 06:42 AM

Originally Posted by California Highlander

Anyone know of any Northern California or Reno area shows this tour?

I found out about the tour because I'm on the mailing list of a local venue that tends to have various international artists and such.

Perhaps you could check some venues up your way?

These tours usually follow more or less the same pattern, making a big loop.

For example a past Black Watch tour went:

Victoria
Vancouver
Seattle
Portland
Sacramento (Arco Sports Arena)
San Jose (San Jose Arena)
Oakland (Alameda County Coliseum)
San Diego
Anaheim
Inglewood
Pasadena
then jumping from the west coast to go across the Midwest, then Ontario and Quebec, then down the East coast ending up in Florida.

Another old Black Watch tour started in New England, went down the East coast and across the South, the going up the West coast before then going across the US Midwest and Canada to end up in New York.

That tour played at Fresno (Selland Arena) and the Oakland Coliseum.

**OC Richard** · 25th November 15, 07:30 AM

Heads-up: I just got in the mail yesterday a new flier from the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and now it says "The Band of the Royal Marines and the Pipes, Drums, and Highland Dancers of The Scots Guards."

Interesting, especially in that the listing still has the same photo of The Black Watch, and has theblackwatch.co.uk at the bottom.

Here's the listing, it's on the CCPA site too

http://www.cerritoscenter.com/ticket...nSeasonId=4968