It’s going to be one hot St. Patrick’s Day at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Center. Experience a different take on Celtic festivities when the Mendel Center welcomes the Red Hot Chilli Pipers to the Mainstage at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 17.
Bagpipes with attitude. Drums with a Scottish accent. A blazing rock band and show so hot, it carries its own health warning. The Red Hot Chilli Pipers (NOT the Peppers!) are a nine-piece ensemble of pipers, guitarists, keyboards, and drummers. They have been rocking the world from New York to Beijing to Melbourne and everywhere in between with musicianship of the highest order and a passion for pipes that leaves audiences breathless.
Since they walked away in 2007 with the top prize on the primetime UK TV talent show “When Will I Be Famous,” the Red Hot Chilli Pipers haven’t stopped for a breath, other than to inflate their bagpipes. Formed in 2002, the Chillis have fast become a global phenomenon, taking their signature “Bagrock” sound to the masses with their unique fusion of rocked-up bagpipes and clever covers of popular songs from all genres. They have sold out tours across the planet including those in the UK, U.S., China, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Ukraine, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and India.
The musicians that make up the Red Hot Chilli Pipers are among the best from Scotland and across the globe, with many holding world champion titles. The band has four music degrees from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and all the pipers and drummers have played at the top level in bagpiping. They have twice been recognized as the Best Live Act in Scotland and achieved triple platinum album status for their album and DVD “Blast Live.”
Their wide-ranging setlist includes traditional pipe tunes like “The Flowers of Scotland,” The Hills of Argyll,” and “Amazing Grace” (Chilli-style, of course) as well as contemporary anthems like Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” “Clocks” by Coldplay, “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, and a fantastic rock medley of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” and AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”
Tickets for The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are available now at www.TheMendelCenter.com/events and by calling 269-927-8700, option 1. Tickets may also be purchased in person through the Mendel Center box office weekdays from noon–2 p.m. and 4–6 p.m. and two hours before show times in the Mainstage lobby.
