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Melbourne Sets New Bagpipe Ensemble Record With 374 Pipers Playing AC/DC Classic

Certification came from the Australian Book of Records, with no Guinness adjudication.

Overview

  • Performers gathered at Federation Square on Swanston Street, echoing the site of AC/DC’s 1976 video for the same song.
  • The new tally surpassed the previous benchmark of 333 pipers set in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2012 by a margin of 41.
  • Among the players were Rats of Tobruk veterans Les Kenfield and Kevin Conlon, with organizers noting the oldest participant was 98, as thousands looked on.
  • The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash was supported by Fed Square, the City of Melbourne and ABC Radio Melbourne, with multiple school bands boosting the count.
  • After the record was confirmed, the massed pipers performed encores of Happy Birthday and Amazing Grace as AC/DC prepared to play the nearby MCG that evening.