\u201cThey can\u2019t keep me away now. I absolutely love it,\u201d he says, talking to the Herald from the company\u2019s Scotland HQ during the show\u2019s August season, adding that this year\u2019s edition probably tops the lot.<\/p>\n
Christchurch drummer Lance Rairi is an Edinburgh Military Tattoo mainstay. Photo \/ Mitchell Hageman<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not an easy task; these musicians are the best of the best, coming from all walks of life but with one common goal \u2013 to uphold the tradition and excellence the Tattoo is world-renowned for.<\/p>\n
That tradition will soon be replicated at Eden Park, when Rairi will join hundreds of other Kiwis and international musicians as they take the stage for three nights<\/a> of drumming, piping and military performance. <\/p>\n The importance of this isn\u2019t lost on the drummer, who sees it as a superb celebration of heritage and a great link between cultures.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us to bring the Tattoo over to NZ and Australia is absolutely huge for people who wouldn\u2019t have had the opportunity to see it, and it\u2019s lovely to bring it home,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mother hails from the [Scottish] islands. It was always very important to her for me to have a bit of culture. A lot of people have links here to Scotland, and lots of people can\u2019t travel here to be a part of the Tattoo.\u201d<\/p>\n But in terms of being part of the spectacle, it\u2019s not as simple as turning up and performing. Musicians put in countless hours, often rehearsing from morning until night to reach the high standards required of them.<\/p>\n Rairi, who is an alumnus of Christchurch\u2019s prestigious St Andrews pipe and drum band, is no stranger to competition and pushing himself as a drummer. The Tattoo, however, is different from anything else he\u2019s done.<\/p>\n \u201c[Competing] is good up to a point. There\u2019s another side to it, the enjoyment side, and [the Tattoo] is bringing that to me personally,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s very important, and it\u2019ll touch a lot of people, I think. We all like music and that\u2019s the common denominator.\u201d<\/p>\n Keeping tradition alive<\/p>\n For West Coast fiddlers Karen and Alistair Jackson, the sentiment is similar. With years of experience and multiple performances with the Military Tattoo fiddlers in Sydney and Melbourne, they admit they are \u201cquite involved in the whole scene\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI was brought up in a Scottish fiddle family. We can go back generations of fiddle players,\u201d Karen says. \u201cI also lived in Edinburgh chasing Scottish fiddle music.\u201d<\/p>\n Alistair hails from a brass band background, but his love for the violin grew as the pair thrived in their successful Fiddlesticks band.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had a long journey that\u2019s just never stopped. We were 16 years in Australia and came back during Covid to settle on the West Coast.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s \u201cthe grandeur\u201d of the Tattoo that strikes them the most, and the effort from the creative team to create what Alistair describes as a \u201cwell-oiled machine\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe attention to detail is just extraordinary. We\u2019ve been practising for months,\u201d Karen says, noting some days they have rehearsed from 8am until 11pm to hone their craft.<\/p>\n With the Tattoo heading to Kiwi shores, Karen says she\u2019s been reflecting on its significance. Aotearoa and Scotland have rich cultural connections that she believes are vital to preserve.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve thought about this a lot in recent years, as it\u2019s become really important to hold on to culture. We see that in M\u0101oridom, and the growth and excellence that\u2019s emerging through M\u0101ori culture. I see that in the Tattoo. I believe holding on to culture is something really special for us all.\u201d<\/p>\n The cast is made up of musicians of various ages and stages of life, which Karen says is \u201creally special\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have brilliant young players coming up. And we need oldies too, because they bring out the best in the young ones.\u201d<\/p>\n The New Zealand event will involve more than 1400 performers at each Eden Park show. International performers include Scottish actor Terence Rae <\/b>as narrator, the highly praised Top Secret Drum Corp, and a top-class British contingent from the Edinburgh original. <\/p>\n Local flavour will also feature prominently, including appearances from the Auckland Police Pipe and Drums, NZ Defence Force Combined Services Band and the City of Invercargill Pipe Band.<\/p>\n It takes a lot of effort, money and time to undertake a Tattoo performance as a Kiwi, but for this year\u2019s crew, the thrill to be able to represent Aotearoa on home soil is worth every sacrifice.<\/p>\n What<\/p>\n The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo<\/p>\n When<\/p>\n February 19, 20 and 21 at 8pm<\/p>\n Where<\/p>\n Eden Park, Auckland \u2013 Tickets are available at ticketek.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\nThe Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo comes to Auckland’s Eden Park next year. Photo \/ REMT<\/p>\n
Married musicians Karen and Alistair Jackson, who also helm the band Fiddlesticks, are honoured to keep the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo tradition alive. Photo \/ Mitchell Hageman<\/p>\n