Saint Patrick’s Day means a lot of things to people around the world. To music fans in Boston, it means Dropkick Murphys are returning home! DKM played 4 Boston shows on St. Paddy’s Day weekend with the first 3 at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway. The 4th and final show fell on St Patrick’s Day was just down Lansdowne Street at Citizens House of Blues. I was first introduced to their live shows over 20 years ago when HOB was known as the Avalon. I have also seen the Murphys in a number of venues in several states and even in Australia and nowhere does their energy and enthusiasm match what they deliver at their old stomping grounds on Lansdowne Street.
Opening the show was New England’s own Cody Nilsen. He has gained a lot of traction as a song writer, session musician, and touring artist. He’s a member of the highly acclaimed blues band, GA-20. Cody’s own band has a rocking country feel to it. His upcoming release “Benchwarmer” is touted as being a narrative of high hopes and the life of a 30 something just trying to get by. The album is produced by Dropkick Murphys’ guitarist and accordion player Tim Brennen who joined them on stage during their set. If you would like to see Cody’s set, click here.
Next up was Gainesville Florida’s Hot Water Music. Formed in 1994, Hot Water Music has a large library of albums considering they’ve been on and off with members wandering off to work on side projects. They were certainly on at House of Blues. Their set was delivered with a passion that was equaled by the enthusiasm of the crowd. Their guttural vocals and driving guitars erected a wall of sound that fired up the crowd and blew them away. HWM will be touring and playing festivals in Europe this year with only one show listed in the US. Keep your eyes HERE to see if the list gets updated because you will NOT want to miss them!
The Bouncing Souls took the stage to the delight of the roaring crowd. These veterans of the East Coast punk scene formed in New Jersey in 1989 and show no signs of slowing down. Following a set laid down by Chuck Ragan and company, is not easy but The Bouncing Souls did it with gusto. The set started with their anthem “Here We Go” and off they went on a 16 song road trip! Singer Greg Attonito exudes a joyfulness on stage throughout the set that is infectious. Even though the set was loaded with songs from their vast discography, it seemed to fly past in the blink of an eye.
The time finally arrived for the darlings of Boston to take the stage. The hometown crowd erupted when they broke into the bagpipe anthem “Cadence To Arms”. Ken Casey led the band through a set full of many older songs as he prowled the stage. The first few songs were from their original release “Do Or Die” which was a real treat for the long time fans. As they always try to shake up their set list, one never knows what to expect other than a memorable show.
By having former stage tech Kevin Rheault take over the duty of playing bass several years ago, Casey is free to traverse the stage as he pleases. With a large grin, he was often seen singing at the rail or holding the mic in the crowd letting their faithful supporters have a turn at the vocals as crowd surfers made their way past. At one point, a fan pelted Casey with a pair of panties which he placed on his head as he laughed and wore them through the song. (photo below) Rheault did a great job taking lead vocals on the band’s cover of AC/DC’s “It’s a Long Way To The Top (If You Want To Rock & Roll)”
There were a few moments during the show that were non-musical. Ken took the time to discuss the work of their charitable organization, The Claddagh Fund. Founded by Casey in 2009, “Our mission is to raise money for the most underfunded non-profit organizations that support the vulnerable populations in our communities” Check out their website for some unique merch. There was also a marriage proposal which, thankfully for the mood of the rest of the show, was accepted! What was absent was any political back and forth with right leaning crowd members. Everyone was there for the music, not to make a statement.
As mentioned before, their Boston shows are like no other. It’s no wonder they sell out almost instantly. If you have the chance, do yourself a favor and “ship up to Boston” for a Dropkick Murphys show on their St Paddy’s Day run of shows. You will NOT be sorry you did! In the meantime, the band will be hitting the road in the US pairing up with long time punk icons, Bad Religion for their Summer of Discontent tour. They Murphys return to Boston in September to headline the Seisiun Festival along with the reformed Pogues. A weekend of Celtic music in the city of Boston will be something not to be missed! Following that, the band heads off to Europe for a fairly extensive tour to wrap up 2025. Follow all of the Dropkick Murphys live shows HERE.
Dropkick Murphys Set List 3/15/25 Boston Citizens House Of Blues
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Cadence to Arms
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Do or Die
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Get Up
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Road of the Righteous
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Boys on the Docks
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Curse of a Fallen Soul
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The Gang’s All Here
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Pipebomb on Landsowne
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The Spicy McHaggis Jig
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Caps and Bottles
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The Gauntlet
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The Black Velvet Band
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Worker’s Song
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Bastards on Parade
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It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)
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Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
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Famous for Nothing
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God Willing
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The State of Massachusetts
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Barroom Hero
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Caught in a Jar
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Skinhead on the MBTA
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Rose Tattoo
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Out of Our Heads
Encore
- Dig A Hole
- I’m Shipping Up To Boston
- The Boys Are Back
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