This past Thursday, Celtic rock band the Red Hot Chilli Pipers performed here at Binghamton University in the Osterhout Concert Theater.

Originating in Scotland in 2002, the band returned to the United States on tour for the first time since the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020. Performing a mix of both covers and original music, the theater was almost completely filled with fans anticipating a fun-filled evening of what the band refers to as a “groundbreaking fusion of traditional Scottish music and rock/pop anthems which they proudly call ‘bagrock.’”

According to the band’s website, they are made up of “a pool of the very best musicians from Scotland and across the globe — many holding world champion titles and all serious players with impressive credentials and qualifications.” You could almost feel the passion and excitement of each of these musicians from the audience and tell through their onstage excitement and unity that although this band has been playing together for 20 years, it is something they rarely get tired of doing.

Their performance had original songs written for bagpipes, including a song written by one of their band members, James Harper. They also played a tribute to the men who died in France when the 51st Highland Division surrendered to German forces in 1940 titled, “The Heroes of St Valery.” They followed it with a recognition of the current events happening in Ukraine and spoke words of support to those affected by it, especially those confronted with danger directly in these Ukrainian cities, allowing for a moment of reflection.

The show not only incorporated some of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ original work, but also included some covers of other well-known songs on the bagpipes, such as “Treasure” by Bruno Mars and a mashup of “We Will Rock You,” “Eye of the Tiger” and “The Clumsy Lover.” They had the audience up and dancing on their feet with their covers of “Don’t Stop Believin’’” by Journey and “Shut Up and Dance” by WALK THE MOON.

The band also gave individual moments to some of their members by announcing Chris Judge as the vocalist, who had quite the performance in his rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” as well as some impressive high notes in “Wake Me Up,” originally by Avicii. The band’s rock drummer, Jay Hepburn, was also given a solo moment to show off some of his skills.

Audience members did not fail to point out some of the similarities this band has to American rock band the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, including the name. One of these students was Katherine Kim, a senior majoring in human development, who gave her opinion on the lack of Red Hot Chili Peppers covers.

“I saw an advertisement for this concert on a random flyer last year,” Kim said. “I am a fan of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and have never been to a live bagrock concert, so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to experience both. Although they did not cover a single Red Hot Chili Peppers song, the energy, talent and stage presence was phenomenal. The band and their vocalist also sounded incredible.”

Other students added that they had been looking forward to a concert like this, which focuses more on the appreciation of Celtic music and culture, and spoke on how they felt about the concert being hosted on campus.

Gillian van der Have, a junior double-majoring in political science and history, said the concert went beyond her expectations and she had an incredible time enjoying something she is a fan of.

“The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are a big deal where I’m from,” van der Have said. “I had no less than three members of my family text me when they released their tour dates. I’m big into Celtic culture and I thought the concert would be a really fun way to kick off the St. Patrick’s Day season!”

Elizabeth Lavender, a junior majoring in environmental science, said she was glad she went, and it was one of the best concert experiences she had in a while.

“I originally heard about the Red Hot Chilli Pipers concert through a friend who loves their music,” Lavender wrote. “I thought that it would be fun experiencing a genre of music that I do not normally listen to. It was great to see [BU] host a show that allowed for appreciation of Celtic music.”

Sue Quinn, a senior majoring in environmental science, rated the band a 10 out of 10 and said they would definitely see another of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers’ shows.

“We got tickets the night before and it was well worth the $10 price to experience bagrock live,” Quinn said. “All in all they blew me away with their performance. They are extremely talented and dedicated musicians.”