Every St. Patrick’s Day, the city of Boston comes alive. One of the most anticipated events for Bostonians is the week-long run of shows that the Dropkick Murphys perform throughout the city. Anyone lucky enough to catch the final two shows of the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day tour was lucky enough to see the two separate sides of Boston’s beloved band.
The first of these shows took place at Boston University’s Agganis Arena Saturday night. The Murphys are no stranger to arena shows, having played at TD Garden in the past. Plus they knew how to work the thousands of people in the crowd. Working through hits that spanned from 2003’s “Blackout” all the way to their most recent release, this year’s “11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory,” the band exuded an energy that has lasted over 20 years. The setlist had the arena singing along, but it wasn’t until the iconic “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” that everyone got to their feet and started singing.
The Agganis performance showed a band that is at the top of their game. It would’ve been easy for a group as old as the Dropkick Murphys to come and phone in a performance at the end of a long tour. Instead, they came out with a dynamic concert that demonstrated that the band is right at home in Boston.
Everything from the production to the playing was tight, with Irish dancers appearing for a few songs, a video board backdrop and hit after hit. Lead singer Al Barr made sure to get the crowd in the show, working his way around the stage to make sure everyone felt involved. At one point, he made his way down to the floor and performed a song at the back of the arena. By getting everyone involved, Murphys made the show feel like a family affair, something bass player Ken Casey mentioned, with his grandmother and children in attendance.
During their second show, the band played a more intimate show at Brighton Music Hall on Sunday night. The show was marketed as deep cuts and covers, a setlist that didn’t disappoint. The band played everyone from the recently passed Chuck Berry in a rousing cover of his hit “Johnny B. Goode” to an explosive rendition of AC/DC’s “T.N.T.” and even had time left for a few covers of The Clash classics.
In between these covers, the Murphys brought back some of their older hits such as the punk-infused “Get Up” from 1998’s “Do or Die,” and the proclaimed “acoustic area of our set” brought back the classic rally song “Take ‘Em Down” from 2011’s “Going Out In Style.”
Whereas the first show was infused with hits and the glitz of an arena band with their multi-tiered stage set-up, the Brighton show was a return to roots for the Murphys. Though they have long held the stigma of an Irish rock band attached to their name, they are first and foremost a punk rock band.
This shone through in not only their song selection with classic punk bands, include The Clash and the Pinkerton Thugs being represented, but also in the kinetic energy throughout the show. Lead guitarist Tim Brennan was a madman on stage, cranking out solo after solo, attacking the frets with a ferocity rarely seen. Meanwhile, Barr and Casey hyped the crowd up, demanding a circle pit and swapping playful banter with each other. The Murphys brought an energy that is rarely seen to 500 of their closest friends on Sunday night.
The one thing that became clear during these two shows is this band is at their strongest on stage. They are masters of their craft, effortlessly playing songs from deep within their catalog and covering a plethora of artists that inspired them while also making their performance feel like a family affair. The members glided across the stage, never getting in each other’s way. Each member got a chance to showcase why they are part of the Dropkick Murphys, with electric solos and raw vocals. They attacked each note like it was their last and made sure to thank the fans for everything.
Both performances were truly special, with the show at Agganis representing one of their largest headlining shows to date, and the Brighton show being one of their most intimate shows in years. The amazing thing is that, 21 years into this job, the Dropkick Murphys still play like they have something to prove. This weekend, they proved that they are Boston’s most beloved band.
This is a wonderful article….deftly written by someone who seems to be a true lover of music!