September 17th, 2007

Live: Dropkick Murphys at Roseland Ballroom (9/15/07)

By Steven Horowitz

Review by Anthony E. Benigno

The Dropkick Murphys are a band on the edge of superstardom, but you’ll find zero ego in their live shows like the one this past Saturday at Roseland Ballroom. The outfit throws a down-to-earth, blue-collar party, kind of like going to a packed bar complete with a mosh pit. The crowd was rowdy but friendly, and the band itself took advantage of the setting by connecting with its sold-out audience.

The Murphys kicked off their set with some songs from their new album, and although they were unfamiliar, the crowd greeted them with excitement. “Famous For Nothing” and the single “The State of Massachusetts” were great rabble-rousers. “Flannigan’s Ball,” in contrast, came off as nondescript. The most intriguing of the new songs was “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya,” a re-tooling of “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”

Showing its support for the people, the band pulled out “Fields of Athenry” and “Forever” in support of the troops, and dedicated “Bastards on Parade” to their fans. But after those brief detours, it was back to the party. “The Wild Rover” inspired drunken swaying, and singer Al Barr saved his onstage theatrics for the bawdy “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen.”

The highlight came during the first encore, when the band tore into “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” from the Departed soundtrack, and the mosh pit exploded with energy. “The Rocky Road to Dublin” was also great mosh fodder, but the band saved its trademark songs for last, bringing the ladies onstage during “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced” and the guys for “Skinhead on the MBTA.”

That connection with the people says something profound about this group. In an age when most musicians are stuck on repeat or more focused on the lifestyle than the art, concertgoers need a band like the Dropkick Murphys who are dedicated to their craft. There’s really nothing left to say except to start listening; it’s a bandwagon worth hopping on.

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