Capercaillie star Karen Matheson on being part of Glasgow 2026 closing weekend
Capercaillie star Karen Matheson says being part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in 2014 was “a spiritual experience.”
The Celtic singer was one of several Scottish stars who brought the curtain down on the Games with a spectacular show at Hampden, singing Ae Fond Kiss to a hushed crowd as the Commonwealth flag was lowered to mark the closing of the 2014 Games.
And she knows the stars of the Games finale this weekend at the Hydro will have an experience they’ll never forget.
Karen said: “That was one of the highlights of my career. It was really special performing at the ceremony. I loved that sense of bringing people together in a communion of souls.”
Capercaillie is in Glasgow to take part in the closing weekend of the Games festival, which has rolled out across the city and the programme
includes a DJ set from London electro outfit Hot Chip, and Hebridean folk favourites Pictish Trail at the city’s SWG3.
The band is part of the Games’ takeover of Glasgow’s iconic venue SWG3 to celebrate the international event with a huge party.
The Games means a lot to Karen since that memorable moment when she was at the closing in 2014.
She remembers watching the behind-the-scenes grafters who kept Glasgow going for the duration of the Games pouring into the Hampden extravaganza and being celebrated for their efforts, parading the Hampden track as Deacon Blue performed their council-worker anthem Dignity.
She said: “I remember feeling very emotional. It was almost a spiritual experience. When I was singing there was a deep sense of peace and community and that’s what the Commonwealth Games are about. People being brought together whether it’s nationalities, athletes or musicians just feels so special. It is such a celebration.”
Karen has enjoyed performing at other landmark occasions such as the Queen’s Funeral but she and the band also love the intimacy of events like the band’s on Saturday.
She said: “I know that performing at SWG3 is a very different thing but being part of the Games events at all is very special. The Games are fantastic, just an incredible.
“I have performed in some very high stress situations but sometimes the smaller events where everyone is so attentive can be even nerve-wracking. I love them. They can be more rewarding because you feel you are communicating to each individual in the audience.”
Capercaillie, fronted by Karen, has sold more than a million records and was formed in 1984 by Donald Shaw. In 1992 they made history with their single Coisich a Ruin when it became the first Scottish Gaelic-language song to enter the UK Top 40. She has been glad to see Glasgow once again playing host to the Games.
She said: “The message has been sent out there that everyone is welcome here. It has been very important ,to be conveying that message without it being rammed down anyone’s throats.”
Capercaillie has travelled the world taking the Gaelic culture and traditional Celtic music into its farthest corners, often collaborating with indigenous populations that have never heard Gaelic being spoken or sung.
For more than four decades the band have performed in dozens of countries from Japan and Canada to Sudan and the West Bank in Palestine.
They famously performed at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon archaeological site near Baghdad in the late 1980s during the Iraq, Iran war as part of a cultural exchange.
Karen said it was one of the band’s most memorable concerts.
She said: “The idea was to show that life must go on in the eye of the storm. The audience was nearly all women because the men were on the frontline.”
Bringing the indigenous Scots-Gaelic language and heritage of the west coast and islands to other countries has been hugely important to the band.
She said: “Travelling the way we have has been a real privilege and if our music was more mainstream we probably wouldn’t have had the opportunities we have. We have had so many powerful experiences through our music.”
Playing the Commonwealth Games when Glasgow has once again been placed on the global stage fits into the band’s ethos.
She said: “We do these events very well. Glasgow can put on a great party.”
Capercaillie star Karen Matheson says being part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in 2014 was “a spiritual experience.”
The Celtic singer was one of several Scottish stars who brought the curtain down on the Games with a spectacular show at Hampden, singing Ae Fond Kiss to a hushed crowd as the Commonwealth flag was lowered to mark the closing of the 2014 Games.
And she knows the stars of the Games finale this weekend at the Hydro will have an experience they’ll never forget.
Karen said: “That was one of the highlights of my career. It was really special performing at the ceremony. I loved that sense of bringing people together in a communion of souls.”
Capercaillie is in Glasgow to take part in the closing weekend of the Games festival, which has rolled out across the city and the programme
includes a DJ set from London electro outfit Hot Chip, and Hebridean folk favourites Pictish Trail at the city’s SWG3.
The band is part of the Games’ takeover of Glasgow’s iconic venue SWG3 to celebrate the international event with a huge party.
The Games means a lot to Karen since that memorable moment when she was at the closing in 2014.
She remembers watching the behind-the-scenes grafters who kept Glasgow going for the duration of the Games pouring into the Hampden extravaganza and being celebrated for their efforts, parading the Hampden track as Deacon Blue performed their council-worker anthem Dignity.
She said: “I remember feeling very emotional. It was almost a spiritual experience. When I was singing there was a deep sense of peace and community and that’s what the Commonwealth Games are about. People being brought together whether it’s nationalities, athletes or musicians just feels so special. It is such a celebration.”
Karen has enjoyed performing at other landmark occasions such as the Queen’s Funeral but she and the band also love the intimacy of events like the band’s on Saturday.
She said: “I know that performing at SWG3 is a very different thing but being part of the Games events at all is very special. The Games are fantastic, just an incredible.
“I have performed in some very high stress situations but sometimes the smaller events where everyone is so attentive can be even nerve-wracking. I love them. They can be more rewarding because you feel you are communicating to each individual in the audience.”
Capercaillie, fronted by Karen, has sold more than a million records and was formed in 1984 by Donald Shaw. In 1992 they made history with their single Coisich a Ruin when it became the first Scottish Gaelic-language song to enter the UK Top 40. She has been glad to see Glasgow once again playing host to the Games.
She said: “The message has been sent out there that everyone is welcome here. It has been very important ,to be conveying that message without it being rammed down anyone’s throats.”
Capercaillie has travelled the world taking the Gaelic culture and traditional Celtic music into its farthest corners, often collaborating with indigenous populations that have never heard Gaelic being spoken or sung.
For more than four decades the band have performed in dozens of countries from Japan and Canada to Sudan and the West Bank in Palestine.
They famously performed at the Hanging Gardens of Babylon archaeological site near Baghdad in the late 1980s during the Iraq, Iran war as part of a cultural exchange.
Karen said it was one of the band’s most memorable concerts.
She said: “The idea was to show that life must go on in the eye of the storm. The audience was nearly all women because the men were on the frontline.”
Bringing the indigenous Scots-Gaelic language and heritage of the west coast and islands to other countries has been hugely important to the band.
She said: “Travelling the way we have has been a real privilege and if our music was more mainstream we probably wouldn’t have had the opportunities we have. We have had so many powerful experiences through our music.”
Playing the Commonwealth Games when Glasgow has once again been placed on the global stage fits into the band’s ethos.
She said: “We do these events very well. Glasgow can put on a great party.”