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374 Bagpipers in Melbourne Set New World Record With AC/DC Tribute

Linking to AC/DC's 1975 Melbourne video, organisers framed the feat as a boost for a fading piping tradition.

Overview

  • The Federation Square performance featured 374 pipers playing It’s a Long Way to the Top, topping the 2012 Sofia benchmark of 333 by 41.
  • Rats of Tobruk veteran Les Kenfield, who appeared in AC/DC’s 1975 clip, took part near the original Swanston Street filming location.
  • School and community bands helped swell the ranks as thousands watched the tightly marshalled mass rendition.
  • Organiser Campbell Wilson said weeks of preparation focused on the hardest task: keeping hundreds of pipes in tune and in time.
  • The event coincided with AC/DC’s MCG tour opener, with a free Amyl and The Sniffers show slated for Friday at Fed Square, and formal record ratification was not indicated.