MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 鈥� Hundreds of bagpipers claimed a new on Wednesday by belting out rock and roll classic 鈥淚t鈥檚 a Long Way to the Top.鈥�
Billed as 鈥淭he Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash,鈥� the eclectic performance took place in Melbourne鈥檚 Federation Square, on Swanston Street, which was the scene of the Australian hard rock band鈥檚 1976 film clip in which they played the hit on the back of a flatbed truck traveling slowly through downtown traffic with music blaring from speakers.
Federation Square is also a short stroll from the Melbourne Cricket Ground where AC/DC is scheduled to play their first Australian gig in a decade on Wednesday. Guitarist Angus Young, 70, is the only band member who played on the truck and is performing on the latest Australian tour.
Thousands of spectators crammed the square for the world record attempt. Many of the 374 pipers had to squeeze through the crowd to the stage area. The oldest piper was 98-years-old, organisers said.
Among the bagpipers was Les Kenfield and Kevin Conlon, two of the three members of Rats of Tobruk Memorial Pipes and Drums who played with AC/DC on the truck 49 years ago.
鈥淚t didn’t strike you at the time how big this event is until now,” Kenfield told Australian Broadcasting Corp. 鈥淣ow it鈥檚 one of the greatest things 鈥� probably the greatest thing I鈥檝e ever done in my life.鈥�
Having been declared world record holders, the massed pipers played 鈥淗appy Birthday鈥� on request, followed by an impromptu 鈥淎mazing Grace鈥� to a cheering crowd, many using their phones to record the moment.
The Australian Book of Records, which has been certifying records since 2012, confirmed that 374 pipers had together broken a record set by 333 pipers in Bulgaria in 2012. The U.K.’s better known , which confirmed the Bulgarian record, told The Associated Press that it hadn鈥檛 been approached to assess the Melbourne record attempt.
Many of the enthusiastic spectators wore AC/DC T-shirts. Asked from the stage who among them were going to the concert afterwards, many hands went up.
One fan who didn鈥檛 see the record set was Keegan Kohler, 23, a self-employed electrician from Columbus, Ohio. He had been waiting outside the concert stadium since 4:50 a.m. to ensure he鈥檇 be first in when the gates opened at 5 p.m. The bagpipes record was set nearby at 5:15 p.m.
Kohler had seen AC/DC perform their 鈥淧ower Up Tour鈥� this year in Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Detroit and Pittsburgh, but expects the experience will be better in the band鈥檚 home country. He will see two shows in Melbourne and one in the band’s hometown of Sydney.
鈥淚 think Aussie crowds are going to be way better than the U.S.,” he said. “I think it鈥檚 going to be more eventful, more head banging, more excitement with the crowds.鈥�
Kohler also reacquainted himself outside the stadium with Stephen Scott, from Charlotte, North Carolina. The pair first met in a line outside an AC/DC concert in Detroit.
Scott, a 33-year-old real estate agent, has seen the current tour multiple times in Europe as well as the United States and wanted to see the band perform in Australia.
鈥淚鈥檝e always talked about wanting to see them here. This is the first opportunity really to do it and maybe the last,鈥� Scott said.
His fianc茅e Amber Thompson, a 31-year-old artist, said it was Scott鈥檚 idea to travel 10,000 miles for the concert.
鈥淚 enjoy it, but I probably wouldn鈥檛 be here if I didn鈥檛 know him,鈥� she said, referring to Scott, whom she described as the true fan.
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