Mr. Chris Spraakman
Ontario Visited/War of 1812 Celebration 
Festival Correspondent

Report on the Canadian International Military Tattoo – 23 June 2012

Saturday June 23^rd saw the culmination of hundreds of hours of practice, rehearsal, and individual effort. The Canadian International Military Tattoo was an amazing evening of entertainment for the whole family.

The audience was treated to a wide variety of performances: from the Pioneers of Canterbury Marching Team and their lively, rhythmic sets to the Ontario Air Cadet Marching band and their energetic medleys of Beatles songs, many musical tastes and styles were performed.  

The overall show combined the perfect blend of exciting – get your heart pumping, uplifting music – along with thoughtful, slower music. Even Glenn Miller’s "Chattanooga Choo Choo” got the crowd going. 

The effort put forth by the performers is what made the night special. For example, the Pioneers of Canterbury Marching Team arrived in Hamilton from Christchurch, New Zealand especially to perform in this show – they were invited and made the trip to perform their well-choreographed show. This group only started practicing this performance in March 2012 and to compound their challenge they re-configured their group from 13 members and 3 minutes of performance to 26 members and 13 minutes of performance – a great feat in choreography and dedication to arrive in Canada and put on the show.

Irish Tenor, John McDermott was another rare treat – he sang several beautiful, thoughtful songs, one of which was ‘The Green Fields of France’.

The tattoo is organized by a registered Not-for-Profit charitable organization and is a 2-1/2 hour show with over 500 performers composed of military bands, pipes and drums, dancers, song, pageantry and special performing groups. There is no other show of this size west of Halifax, and it provides a means for the general public to connect with the military through currently serving military band members. No other community in Ontario mounts such a spectacle.

I enjoyed the show, after-all, it’s a rare treat when I get to experience such an amazing show which combines live music, story, song, and dance all weaved together into an experience that exceeded my expectations and which roused the whole family. For information on the next International Military Tattoo, see their website.