World Cup
“One lone piper from Scotland and Boston’s finest bucket-drum maestro somehow created the collaboration nobody knew they needed.”
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the World Cup this year, it’s that it brings people together. Like, for instance, the entire town of Lawrence, Kansas turning overnight into Algerian soccer fans, as documented in a widely circulated post by former congressman Adam Kinzinger. Or, it might be a guy on bagpipes joining in harmony with another guy banging on upside-down buckets. That one happened in Boston.
In a post that’s starting to gain traction on Instagram, @w1lly_w1lson shared footage of a lone bagpiper, decked out in plaid kilt, making beautiful music outside of Faneuil Hall with a clearly tickled bucket drummer — who we’re assuming is David Bowdre, the longtime local busker profiled by Chronicle last year (although it’s hard to tell in that hat).
“When music brings people together,” @w1lly_w1lson wrote. “One lone piper from Scotland and Boston’s finest bucket-drum maestro somehow created the collaboration nobody knew they needed.” And he’s not lying: It’s got a great beat, and you can dance to it.
And the commenters were (mostly) all on board. “Can Boston and Scotland just agree on a lil’ joint holiday each year and colab like this? We can take turns. It would be EPIC,” wrote @nikki_elizabeth7. And @joannapekonen weighed in — echoing Kinzinger’s piece — by saying, “I think the timing of this World Cup is perfect for the US. To show the US how easily different cultures can coexist. It’s really this simple.”
Check out the full post below:
Peter Chianca
Peter Chianca, Boston.com’s general assignment editor since 2019, is a longtime news editor, columnist, and music writer in the Greater Boston area.
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