Dougie MacLean's West Coast Concert
Well Worth the Six Month Wait
 DOUGIE MacLEAN with Wilma Patton.
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By DONALD PATON
VANCOUVER – Despite my home in Perthshire, Scotland, being only a 20 minute drive from that of Dougie MacLean, Scotland's pre-eminent singer-songwriter, somehow and surprisingly our paths never crossed.
Unforgivably, I have never attended one of his Scottish concerts and even an occasion when I was the main speaker at a Burns Supper in the village hall across the road from Dougie's house in the tiny hamlet of Butterstone, near Dunkeld, failed to conjure up a meeting with him.
Fortunately, I was able to correct all this when my wife Wilma and I recently attended his solo concert at the Rogue Folk Club in Vancouver.
It was a night not to be missed as a capacity crowd in the St. James Hall on West 10th Avenue enjoyed an enthralling performance.
This was the concert which was originally scheduled for March of this year but unfortunately had to be cancelled when Dougie was left stranded in Anchorage, Alaska as a result of the Mt. Redoubt eruption.
Those who attended the September 30 concert were left in no doubt that the six month wait had been well worthwhile.
MacLean was completely at ease with his audience as he joked and sang his way through a two-hour show of meaningful, haunting and emotion-filled music.
His stunning Caledonia, chosen by the Scottish Parliament as Scotland's theme song for this year's Year of Homecoming, was naturally a highlight of the evening but every piece delivered in an expansive repertoire showed why Dougie MacLean is regarded by many to be one of Scotland's greatest musical treasures.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of his album Craigie Dhu which launched him as a solo artist after his early career as a member of the pioneering Scottish bands Silly Wizard and the Tannahill Weavers.
Since then, MacLean has toured the world with his unique blend of lyrical song writing and musical composition, building a reputation as a songwriter, composer and extraordinary performer.
His resonant voice and melodic craft have been heard in formats ranging from full-scale orchestra to one man and his guitar, in concerts and festivals world-wide including New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Festival Theatre.
 MacLEAN gave a two-hour show of meaningful, haunting and emotion-filled music.
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Following this current North American tour, Dougie MacLean returns to his native Perthshire and his Butterstone base for Perthshire Amber – The Dougie MacLean Festival 2009 which runs from October 31 to November 8.
During the festival, Dougie and other Celtic artists will perform at venues across Perthshire which will include Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Blair Castle, Dunkeld Cathedral, Castle Menzies and the Iron Age Crannog on Loch Tay.
Perthshire Amber concludes with a special finale concert in Perth Concert Hall when Dougie will be joined by guest musicians from around the world. For more information, see: www.perthshireamber.com.
I may have waited over-long to enjoy a Dougie MacLean concert, but the Vancouver concert has whetted my appetite for more. Wilma and I may even take him up on his offer to “drop in for a cup of tea” next time we are passing through Butterstone!
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