Tattoo leaves its mark
In complete contrast to Faust, one show on the Edinburgh festival scene is as traditional as they come but every year sells out.
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo may seem like a show for the tourists - 70% of its customers come from abroad - but you can't argue with its success.
To a home-grown Scot, it can seem like military pomp by numbers.
Pipe bands. Tick.
Marching bands. Tick.
Flypast. Tick.
Namechecks for visitors from around the world. Tick, tick, tick.
Aside from filming at the dress rehearsals, when I spend much of my time preventing the camera crew getting hit on the head by low-flying drumsticks, it's been a number of years since I last watched the Tattoo.
But this festival, I returned.
True, I was seated in supreme comfort in one of the official boxes - a day later and I would have been right through the wall from the King of Tonga.
And aside from the uniforms, one band could easily segue into another (except for those who were keen to display some item of cultural stereotype, the Swiss for example with a great Alpen Horn and a bit of yodelling - some later Swiss performers proved a bit more avant garde by setting their drumsticks on fire and drumming with those).
But it's hard to escape that tingling, hair-raising feeling as the massed pipes and drums emerge from the shadows, the drone of the pipes building to the final chorus of Amazing Grace.
I defy anyone to not feel a few goosebumps over that.
On the subject of the Tattoo - best wishes to Tom Fleming - the TV voice of the Tattoo.
Tom has provided the voiceover for the television coverage for the last 44 tattoos.
Unfortunately, a hospital appointment this weekend means he's not going to make his 45th.
Radio Scotland's very own Ian Anderson is stepping in the breech for the show, which will be broadcast - to millions - on 29 August.
Good luck Tom - and haste ye back for your 46th tattoo!
Not London鈥檚 South Bank, but the south bank of the River Clyde in Glasgow - every bit as lively in cultural terms as its namesake. I鈥檓 Pauline McLean, 大象传媒 Scotland鈥檚 arts correspondent, and I鈥檒l be blogging here about arts events and issues happening across the country.
Comment number 1.
At 1st Sep 2009, Joan Lee wrote:I am sorry but I feel that Ian Anderson did not get it "right", he sounded as tho' he was trying to imitate Terry Wogan at the Euro-vision Contest, not a good idea. He sounded as tho' he was trying to ridicule instead of respecting the Soldiers and Troops and at this particular time I don't think it was appropriate. I for one did not appreciate the "stand in" and I wish Tom Fleming a very speedy recovery and hope he will be back next year to give his inimitable respectable commentary, it was sorely missed this year.
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Comment number 2.
At 3rd Sep 2009, SASSENACHPORKER wrote:HOPING 'OLD TOMS' HOSPITAL APPOINTMENT BE NOTHING SERIOUS. HE BE 'THE VOICE' OF THE BEEB (FOR CEREMONIAL OCCASIONS). OBVIOUSLY NO ONE LASTS FOREVER (AND HE BE 82) BUT, ONE HOPES, FOR AS LONG AS HE BE 'WITH US' HE WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE VOICE FOR SPECIAL EVENTS.
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Comment number 3.
At 4th Sep 2009, splendidmiltonjohn wrote:The tattoo has somewhat changed over the years鈥.
There are not now enough Scottish regiments and regular military pipe bands to allow for the old massed pipe bands marching and countermarching across the castle esplanade to the skirl of their bagpipes and the beat of their drums. Nowadays the massed bands are made up of a few regular Scots soldiers supplemented by amateurs from assorted town, colliery and works bands. Any lack of martial bearing being heavily disguised under the extravagant kilts and tartans and the loud skirling of the pipes. Still a magnificent spectacle.
This year, as has been the recent tradition, there were many pipe bands from abroad. Canada is always a rich source of such heritage bagpipe bands. So too America. For the second time this year saw the ever popular Kansas State University bagpipe band return, in all their Scots glory. They performed a moving tribute to the late Michael Jackson, moon walking onto the esplanade to the skirling lament of 鈥淎 whiter shade of Pale鈥. It should have been gross and crass but in fact it was quite moving, set as it was, against the pale grey floodlit walls of the castle.
Also returning this year were macho displays of military fire power. Such displays have been played down over recent years, not quite politically correct, but this year they returned with a bang. The whole tattoo commenced with a fly past from a pair of jet fighters coming in low over the city from their RAF base up in the North East of Scotland. It continued with a realistically simulated Taliban ambush of a British military unit clad in their desert combats. There were heavy exchanges of gunfire and rocket propelled grenades. A soldier goes down and a great noisy Chinook Helicopter comes in to perform a medical evacuation. The gunfight continues with copious bangs, smoke and gunfire; another brit goes down, two more are killed by friendly fire from a passing American helicopter and the plumy announcer advises us that 21 civilians in the audience have been killed as a result of collateral damage. All in the posh seats! Pity it was only simulated.
All great fun. Makes my Edinburgh holiday every year!
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