Saint Paddy’s Weekend – Boston Comes Alive!

When mid-March arrives in Boston, it signals the beginning of the end of the Winter doldrums. It also means Saint Patrick’s Day is upon the fare city. This venerable holiday brings to mind two things, a grand parade and a multiple-night extravaganza by hometown favorites, Dropkick Murphys!

Music Madness caught the last night of this raucous holiday tradition. Opening the show was fellow Bostonian, Jesse Ahern. The venue was pretty well packed when Ahern hit the stage. His music has the same working man’s sentiment as the Murphys and the great Woody Guthrie. Ahern cut his performing teeth in the dive bars of the Boston area. He approached the crowd with the same no-nonsense “here’s my music, like it or not” attitude from those days. As expected, the Murphys’ crowd loved him!

Next up were the Celtic punk rockers, The Rumjacks. Originally formed down under in Sydney in 2008, they’ve released five studio albums along with several EPs. They injected the crowd with a dose of high-energy music that revved up the excitement of the night. Lead vocalist and tin whistle player Mike Rivkees took hold of the crowd as he stalked back and forth across the stage. Never would I have thought a band that sprang forth from Australia would have such an incredible Irish feel. The Rumjacks are a fun band that are not to be missed!

As with their last tour, the stage was decked out with skulls, flowers, electric candles, and statues of Mary. It gave an eerie feeling prior to the band’s arrival. However, after they took the stage, all eyes were on DKM. After 3 days at the new 5000-person capacity MGM Music Hall at Fenway, you could feel they were happy to be home in the friendly confines of Boston’s House Of Blues. Lead singer Ken Casey voiced those sentiments midway through the set. You could feel the energy level of every band member as they tore through the set. The set list was loaded with a mixture of classics, newer songs, and deep cuts from days gone by.

Casey grinned from ear to ear as he strode the front of the stage. He constantly thrust the mike into the faces of the faithful followers allowing them to accompany the band. A number of times he jumped to a perch on the inside of the barrier to get as close as possible to the dedicated fans. He seemed to enjoy not being burdened by his bass while Kevin Rheault has taken to the position of bass player like a duck to water. With a set list that changes nightly throughout the tour, Casey admitted that he had forgotten lyrics from time to time. However, the Boston faithful got him back on track as he watched them sing along.

For those who have never witnessed The Dropkick Murphys during their run of St Patrick’s Day shows in Boston, they are a must-see! The fury that hits you from these accomplished musicians will blow you away. The enthusiasm of the crowd is palpable. Getting tickets is tough as the shows sell out quickly, but it’s well worth the attempt.

Soon to be released is the Dropkick Murphys’ next album, “Okemah Rising”. As with their last release, “This Machine Still Kills Fascists”, the band will take unpublished lyrics of Woody Guthrie and wrap them in their own original music. You can pre-order the Okemah Rising CD and vinyl from the DKM web store here: https://dropkickmurphys.store