Band performs atop Everest; sets record for highest concert

Team Udayavani, Jun 16, 2017, 10:28 AM IST

Kathmandu: Their fingers were stiff from the cold, and two musicians got altitude sickness. But the music atop a Himalayan peak in Nepal was inspired by a sensational view as the group laid claim to the record for highest musical performance. 

“My fingers were freezing. It was difficult to play the guitar after a few minutes, but I kept playing,” group leader Oz Bayldon said in the capital, Katmandu. Only eight of the 10 volunteers from various countries reached the top, while the two with altitude sickness did not. 

Local porters helped carry their three guitars, small amplifier fitted with speakers, microphones and a stand. He sang and played three of the English songs he wrote and one Nepali ‘mero naam, tero naam.’ Frenchman JB Tilon, 25, said he was very tired on the way up and did not feel too well. But once he got to the top and saw the view and was full of energy. 

Other performers were from England, Scotland, Poland and Denmark. Bayldon set a previous record for highest musical performance in 2005, performing near the base camp of Everest. But that record was broken two years later.

Guinness World Records credited Musikkapelle Roggenzell, 10 musicians from Germany and Bolivia, who scaled Mount Acotango in Bolivia to perform at 6,069 meters. Guinness is now awaiting evidence before verifying if the new performance did set a new record.