As AC/DC launched their Australian tour in Melbourne on Tuesday, hundreds of bagpipers assembled in record-breaking droves in the nearby Federation Square to play the band’s classic song “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).”
The gathering drew 374 bagpipers, breaking the world record previously set in 2012 by 333 pipers in Bulgaria, the Associated Press reports. The oldest confirmed piper was 98 years old.
You can see photos and video from the record-breaking gathering, dubbed “The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash,” below.
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Why Was the Location of ‘The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash’ Important?
Federation Square is on the historic Swanston Street, which holds special significance for AC/DC, as it served as the filming site of the 1976 music video for “It’s a Long Way to the Top.” The video features the band and members of the Rats of Tobruk Memorial Pipes and Drums performing the song on the back of a flatbed truck as they barrel down Swanston Street.
Les Kenfield and Kevin Conlon, two of the three Rats of Tobruk members who appeared in the “It’s a Long Way to the Top” video, reprised their roles on Tuesday in the record-breaking bagpiper crowd.
“It didn’t strike you at the time how big this event is until now,” Kenfield told Australian Broadcasting Corp (via AP). “Now it’s one of the greatest things — probably the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
AC/DC’s Momentous Australian Tour Kickoff and 2026 Plans
AC/DC’s Australian tour kickoff featured the 1976 classic “Jailbreak,” which they hadn’t performed live since 1991. The Australian leg of the band’s Power Up tour will continue through mid-December, followed by South and North American dates in 2026.
Watch Bagpipers Shatter World Record Playing AC/DC Classic
Bagpipers Break World Record Playing AC/DC Classic
“The Great Melbourne Bagpipe Bash” drew 374 bagpipers performing “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll).”
Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
