The Dropkick Murphys bring the heat on a cold Orlando night...

The crowds were there early for the sold out show at the Orlando House of Blues on a chilly Florida night. They all knew you had to arrive early if you wanted to claim a good viewing spot for this annual event… a show on The Dropkick Murphy’s late Winter tour leading up to a four show finale in Boston is always heavily attended if not sold out.

The venue was so crowded one could barely move. Rarely does the HOB get so packed so early for a weeknight show but this evening, it wasn’t a surprise. Amongst the fans of the Murphys, both old and new, there was a lot of storytelling about first shows and number of shows seen, history of the band, and tales of opening bands and general musical stories.

The show began with “Cadence to Arms” (Scotland The Brave) which began with a bagpipe solo then broke into a full band musical riot. The band is known for starting shows with a strong beginning and this night was no exception. This was followed by a song proclaiming their return to the Orlando stage, “The Boys Are Back” and the crowd was certainly thrilled to see their return!

The set list, which follows, consisted of a good mix of songs throughout their history with mostly original songs and a few covers mixed in. In typical fashion, at the end of the show, they invited the ladies in the crowd to join them on stage for “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” which is always a favorite of the young ladies. This was followed by the guys in the audience joining the band on stage for “Skinhead on the MTBA which is DKM’s updated punk version of the Kingston Trio’s folk song “Man Who Never Returned” followed by a raucous version of AC/DC’s “Dirty Deeds Done Cheap”.

This was truly an amazing show and stage experience that was very crowd interactive with the extension of the stage through the pit to the crowd allowing band members to get up close and personal with their loyal fans. The mosh pits were in high gear and crowd surfers took to riding the crowd to the stage. There were many smiling faces with their beers in the air singing along with the band throughout the show with many clad in kilts and the signature Irish green. All in all, it was an experience that is a special treat for all those in attendance with most folks going home dripping with sweat thanks to a hard driving performance from the darlings of Boston!

Photos by Jennifer Reis and review by Rich Russo