Phenomenal reception in Victoria BC

Kirsty Macnicol
The Southland Times
June 18, 2001

CANADA _ Members of the City of Invercargill Caledonian Pipe Band's Pipin ' Hot team were still fizzing yesterday after a phenomenal reception when the show was performed at Victoria, Canada on Friday night (NZ time).
The one-off performance at the Royal Theatre on Vancouver Island brought the audience to its feet for a lengthy and enthusiastic ovation.
Piper Richard Christie said the experience was unforgettable.
Right from the first number it was just electric in the theatre. The whole crowd was buzzing right from when the curtain went up.
"The comments from the crowd made you feel guilty for stopping and going home." Many people stayed around after the show to meet the cast. There were numerous requests for CDs and videos of the show and calls for the production to be repeated next year. Most said it was like nothing they had ever seen before and several even compared it to Riverdance.
Pipe major David Pickett described the crowd reaction as unbelievable.
"Never in all my years of playing have I experienced such an audience
reaction.
"We received a standing ovation three numbers before the end and they just wouldn't let us go." Tenor drummer Helen Copeland said she was constantly asked when the show was coming back.
"I think people were just blown away when we went out for Bonnie Ship. All you could see and hear were people clapping _ you could actually hear in through the (fold back) speakers." The rapturous applause was acknowledged in a truly Kiwi way when the entire cast and crew took the stage to perform a haka, led by musical director Peter Skerrett.
On Saturday (NZ time), it was back into rehearsals for the Victoria
military Bandfest, which began yesterday in a large ice hockey arena. It finishes tomorrow.
On Wednesday (NZ time), the party will return to mainland Canada,
continuing on Thursday to Halifax on the east coast and the Nova Scotia International Tattoo.