The Dropkick Murphys’ St. Patrick’s Day Tradition Continues

St. Patrick’s Day means so many things to so many people. In Boston, it means their hometown heroes, The Dropkick Murphys are coming home. For many years, The Murphys have done a US tour prior to St. Paddy’s Day ending with a multiple show run in Boston. Last year, things changed. The global pandemic canceled tours but the band continued part of their tradition. They performed a livestream concert of St Paddy’s Day for all of their loyal fans. This year, the pandemic has kept venues closed but The Murphys took the old Broadway axiom to heart, “The Show Must Go On!”

The boys started the show firing on all cylinders. Lead singer Al Barr menacingly stalked the set as he growled his lyrics as he’s done oft times before. Ken Casey, also a lead singer (and former bass player) had his standard, more light-hearted approach, as he was often dancing about. The dueling guitars of Tim Brennan and James Lynch ripped through the set with machine-gun precision. Brennan also handled accordion duties with his usual wild abandon. Jeff DaRosa did his usual first-rate job on banjo, mandolin, and acoustic guitar. Holding down the rhythm section was drummer Matt Kelly beating the shit out of his kit and bassist Kevin Rheault. On the venerable bagpipes and tin whistle was Lee Forshner. Erin McKenzie handled the female vocals on “Dirty Glass” because, as Casey jokingly said, “Al just can’t hit those notes anymore”.

The production of this livestream was outstanding! The band performed with a backdrop of video screens and had stage-quality lighting. Multiple video cameras were used and often Casey and Barr would sing directly into a camera as they so often sing into the faces of their adoring fans in the front row of their concerts. This certainly gave the presentation the feel of a live Murphys performance. The show consisted of a blend of old favorites and new songs from their forthcoming release, “Turn Up That Dial”. The band will be presenting another live broadcast on May 1st presenting their new release in its entirety as well as favorites that weren’t played on this broadcast. Stay tuned here for more details on that!

This was a free broadcast presented with the help of sponsors. One being Pega, a worldwide software company with US headquarters in the Boston area. The other main sponsor was Death Wish Coffee, something all of us late-night concert-goers can use! The band asked for donations from its fans. While their previous livestream broadcasts earned money for charities affected by the pandemic, money from this broadcast goes to help the band who has lost numerous dollars over the last year. The concert is still available on their website. You can still make donations and any donation great or small is no doubt appreciated.