THE world premiere of Runrig’s final concert aired last night after the Scottish rock icons retired after 45 years. To mark the one-year anniversary since their final two sell-out concerts at Stirling’s City Park, the band took questions from fans at the screening of the Last Dance – Farewell Concert at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
They chatted with broadcaster Roddy Hart before the film was screened. Surrounded by rugged volcanic rocks and rich green hills, with the imposing Stirling Castle looming large in the background, a massive open-air stage was set up in the middle of 25,000-capacity park on August 17 and 18 last year.
More than 30 cameras and state-of-the-art audio recorders were there to record the performances, with the film directed by lifelong Runrig fan Marcus Viner.
Here, members of the band tell the Herald on Sunday of their memories of their 45 years on stage, on the road and in the studio.
Calum MacDonald
There have been so many memories over the years. Not surprisingly most of them are to do with the music. There are the ordinary tour nights, some nights better than others, and then there are the nights when the song and the set steps out of normal touring routine and connects in a very powerful way. The energy, spiritual resonance and audience interaction hit the heights and it all becomes a very intoxicating symphony.
One particular highlight for me will always be performing our Gaelic song An Ubhal As Airde on Top Of The Pops. That show was so iconic and such a major part of life, growing up as a kid in the 60s, and the thought back then that I would be part of a group not just performing on the show, but performing a song in Gaelic language, would have been totally preposterous.
Rory MacDonald
I’VE always considered band and audience to be one and the same and never experienced the sense of being up on stage, detached. And, further to that, if I wasn’t, I’d like to think that I’d be right there in the audience, listening and dancing. I’ll always remember the relationship we enjoyed with the fans, together the friendship and camaraderie that meant being a member of Runrig for all those years.
My abiding memory will be of coming off stage at Stirling itself. It felt as if all that we had worked towards, strived for, over the years, had come together in one final, unique distillation: audience and band together, but now with that added, emotional gulp of saying our farewells.
Brian Hurren
BEING in a band is like being in a family. My enduring memory of Runrig will always be the people and the friendships. To share these amazing experiences with the guys over such a significant period of my life has been a huge privilege.
I’ve grown up in this band over the past 18 years and I’ve had the chance to meet so many people and travel to so many incredible places.
Getting on stage and seeing the fans and the warmth of everyone involved, it’s always felt like coming home. I have been incredibly lucky to have had such a creative stage to learn and grow both musically and artistically, and to have been supported in that journey by our incredible fans.
Most importantly, to have been part of something that means so much to so many people is very special and I am so happy to have played my small part.
Malcolm Jones
IT’S difficult to sum up my 41 years as part of Runrig. Hard times: ailing transit vans; failing equipment; dingy venues; decrepit hotels; disinterested and ill-informed music press; dodgy record deals; near bankruptcy; marathon journeys via land and sea.
Good times: uniquely loyal fans; the band camaraderie; the big tours; new territories; the buzz of a live show; success and acclaim (not from the music press, of course); the satisfaction of sticking to our guns through it all.
We are immensely privileged to have had this long career. The music will outlive us all and the memories of life in Runrig will linger long.
Iain Bayne
SATURDAY arrived, the tension rose, the fires were stoked, the hour was upon us. It resonated across the ocean of faces, most too far to see. It was palpable. Dig deep, Bayne, you owe this to your band mates, to everyone who played their part on the journey. For those we loved but are no longer here. For those we love who are.
If there was ever a way to play a swan song, this was it. We were totally immersed in the moment, nothing went before and nothing came after. As each song played out, the thought kept coming: “You’ll never play that song again.” That’s when it started to really hurt. No matter where I’ve lived, the stage with the band was my home. It was where I belonged. Then it was over. As suddenly as it all began all those years ago, it was the end.
Bruce Guthro
RUNRIG memories... Well, there was that time I woke up in a ditch in Portree covered in mud cuddling a bottle of whisky ... now there’s a memory that needs no further dredging!
How does one describe the memories of a lifetime, or write a compressed overview of such a huge part of ones life in a couple of paragraphs? You simply can’t, so I will just say this. Thank you! Scotland, you welcomed a young, long-haired Nova Scotian into your fold, and embraced him as one of your own.
You accepted, protected, and lifted Runrig through torrential rain, chaotic musical media changes, and extremely difficult decisions. So, thank you for an amazing journey alongside you and my musical brothers. Until we meet again.
* The film was captured by Glasgow based digital media company Blazing Griffin.
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