Royal Marines / Scots Guard perform in Austin, TX

[OC Richard]

I saw the concert last night, very cool.

I don't think I've missed one of these tours since 1976.

Here's the thread about this tour which has been running since June 2015

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...an-tour-88473/

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 last North American tour was The Black Watch in 2013.

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 last night 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, 14 in total.

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