The Iona College Pipe Band took center stage of Murphy Auditorium on Nov. 18 for a night of traditional pipe and drums with their fall concert “At Long Last,” titled after one of the band’s best tunes.

The band performed well under pressure facing not only a crowded room, but a recording system as well. The band recorded their performance for a live C.D. and D.V.D. to be released later this year.

“Preparing for the concert took a lot of time and effort from the whole band,” said senior drummer Fiona Gray. “We had a full week of practices, at least four hours a day from Monday night to the night of the concert.”

Months of practice and hard work led the band to a standing ovation from the packed crowd.

 Drum Major Brian Sears hosted for the evening. “I just hold the stick so I don’t really have much to do tonight,” said Sears. He also kept the audience laughing during prolonged breaks in between songs.

Sears later went on to discuss the bond the Pipe Band shares and what that the experience means to him. This bond was visible in every performance, with each member getting stronger as the night went on.

Members of the band note the band’s bond as a contributing factor to their success.

“I think recording gave us all something to strive for, and we really came together as a group to make it the best we could for both the audience and ourselves as members of the band,” said sophomore piper Brianna D’Alessio. “I think it was the best performance we’ve had to date.”

The band opened with “Castle Dangerous,” and started off the second half of the show with an original performance by junior Deirdre Ryan on the Celtic harps alongside junior Patrick Welch and Sears.

The band continued to spice things up with an original drum salute performed by the drum core led by senior Drum Sergeant Joe Dooley. The drum core performed under black-lights with the added excitement of neon paint.

“We didn’t finish putting the salute together until about 6:00 p.m. the night of the concert, and only did two or three run-throughs with the black-lights,” said sophomore Conor Buckley. “Add in the nerves of only having one shot to get it right for the C.D., and I think we pulled it off fairly well.”

Members of the audience were amazed at the drum core’s talent, and many said they were glad the show specifically showcased the drummer.

But as always, the drum core came together with the Pipe Band to create an exhilarating closing performance. After performing the show’s title tune, “At Long Last,” the band closed the show with “Steam Train,” a signature performance of theirs that sounded even better coming from the Murphy stage under red spotlights.

“It definitely took a lot of commitment to come through like the band did,” said sophomore piper Jen Westphal.

That very commitment was clear to proud members of the audience and even prouder members of the band. The night ended on a high note as senior Pipe Major Brendan Gomez thanked the supporters, as well as the Office of Student Development and, most importantly, the band.