The stage of the Lied Center became a mini-military presentation field Friday night as the Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon and the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards joined together for a two-hour tour-de-force of Anglo-American musical history.

Gallantly stepping onto the stage in red coats and bear-fur hats, the Coldstream Guards began the concert with “Pride and Honor” and a new fanfare called “Salute America.” One of the oldest military bands in the world, the Coldstream Guards has been performing continuously for more than 200 years.

In addition to its traditional band comprised of brass, woodwinds and percussion, it also tours with a unit of very fine string players, making the band a comprehensive group of musicians often called upon by the queen for ceremonial purposes.

Regaled in Royal Stewart tartan kilts, argyle socks and gleaming white spats, the dancers of the Royal Scots Dragoon add intensity and excitement with pipes and drums to the performance. From the wings of the stage, they crescendo on with the unmistakable drone and wail of bagpipes, and the drummers flip their sticks in an elaborate display.

The bagpipe could be called an acquired taste. Designed to be played outdoors, one might wonder how an entire troupe of them would work in an enclosed space like the Lied Center. They sounded wonderful. The acoustics did both bands justice and added authenticity to the performance without unnecessary amplification.

The program was educational as well as entertaining. The narrator took the audience through the history of British regimental music, highlighting the importance of both guard units as they performed individually and together.

The Coldstream group even demonstrated the famous “changing of the guards” at Buckingham Palace. Traditional folk tunes and lullabies were interspersed throughout the evening, mellowing the military effect and moving the audience.

In a special “Tribute to America,” the regimental band played a beautiful procession medley of artfully arranged American classics ending with a glorious rendition of “America the Beautiful.” Most memorable was the collection of themes associated with the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Merchant Marines. As the band played each theme, the men and women in the audience who have or are serving in those units spontaneously stood to honor their branch of service.

Both the Coldstream Guards and the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard are in active service to the British Army. Thomas O’Connor and John O’Hanlon from Glasgow are dancers with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guard but also drive tanks when they aren’t swinging their kilts dancing the Highland Fling for audiences all over the world.Driving tanks instead of riding horses these days, all members of the group are fully trained tank crew members.

Whether seen on the moors of Scotland, in the deserts of Iraq or on stage in America, the Regimental Band of the Coldstream Guards and the Pipes, Drums and Dancers of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are well worth the ticket.