Runrig

31 Aug 2009 in Highland, Music

Scone Palace Parklands, Perthshire, 29 August 2009

HAVING missed Runrig at Drumnadrochit in 2007 (the Year of the Flood), I was determined to see them at their concert at Scone Palace, as part of the Homecoming celebrations. Thankfully, the day was a lot drier (well, it couldn’t really get much wetter!) than in 2007, however it was probably one of the few positives to come out of the day.

Runrig

Runrig

I had always though Scone Palace as an odd choice for a 15,000 capacity concert – although the gardens are certainly large enough to hold such a crowd, the arena cordoned of for the concert seemed to be quite small in itself, with the stage off centre at the front. This meant that unless you were near the front of the crowd, or in direct line of the stage, it was quite difficult to see the stage.

The fact there was only one ‘big screen’ at the side of the stage didn’t help matters, surely it wouldn’t have been too much hassle, or expense, for the organisers to have one at either side of the stage like so many other outdoor shows do.

The size of the site meant it was easy to navigate, with a wander round the usual merchandise stalls, food stands etc taking less than 10 minutes. Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said for the Perthshire Farmers Food Tent, where it took about 25 minutes to wait for my boar burger. However, as usual with these local produce tents, the wait was more than worth it, and the tent seemed to be doing a roaring trade compared to the usual collection of chip and burger vans.

Having been fed and watered, it was time to turn my attention to the music. A strong supporting line up had almost turned this gig into a mini-one day festival: Fred Morrison, the Blair Douglas Band featuring Kathleen MacInnes (Douglas being no stranger to Runrig, having been one of the bands founding members), King Creosote and the Peatbog Faeries.

I arrived in time to hear King Creosote’s closing song, and although being a fan of the Fifer myself, it appeared a large majority of the crowd had no idea who he was, judging by the large crowds in the (overpriced) beer tents. Next up were the Peatbog Faeries, who seemed to get a much better reaction from the crowd, with impromptu ceilidh dancing breaking out.

After a long wait between the Faeries leaving the stage, the crowd were starting to get restless waiting for the main act to appear. Eventually, local MP and former Runrig member Pete Wishart took to the stage to introduce the band. Unfortunately, the crowd were first subjected to a speech from First Minister Alex Salmond, which the vast majority of the crowd did not appreciate – the general feeling being that they had come to see Runrig, not attend a political rally!

Eventually though, the main act took to the stage. Now fronted by Canadian Bruce Guthro, the band received a great reception from the crowd, who were soon singing along enthusiastically. Within 13 studio albums under their belt, they have a huge back catalogue to choose from, and filled the two and a half hour set with songs from every part of their career.

The visual displays that accompanied the set were superb, with lasers that looked more at home at Rock Ness or T in the Park.

However, I just could not grasp the excitement that seemed to grip the vast majority of the crowd. From the crowd shots shown on the stage screen, everyone seemed to be having a great time, but I felt that there was something missing.

I couldn’t fault the bands performance, and the sound was as good as any other outdoor concert I’ve attended. Perhaps it was the fact I was stood near the back of the crowd, or I’m simply was not a big enough Runrig fan to know every word to every song. The concert had been a good day out, however, and I’m glad I saw them at Scone and not in the rain at Drum!

© Elizabeth Sinclair, 2009

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