Dropkick Murphys - Nottingham Rock City, June 26th 2017

Dropkick Murphys

Nottingham Rock City

June 26^th 2017

Sometime in the mid-late 80s I entered Rock City for the first time for what I always maintained was the sweatiest gig I’ve ever been to (Georgia Satellites). Admittedly 19 year old me was front and centre and having a good old mosh. The older, more damaged, me was stood at the back for this one yet still ended the gig drenched with sweat. It was a veritable sauna in there. Admittedly one with bodies flying everywhere in a joyous celebration of one of the greatest proponents of Celtic/Punk there has ever been. I rather think the young me would have had a new sweatiest gig.

Dropkick Murphys have brought their juggernaut of a live show steaming once again into a sold out Rock City. Sinead O’Connor and The Chieftains ‘The Foggy Dew’ echoes round the darkened room as the band dash on stage and launch into ‘The Lonesome Boatman’, the first of seven tracks from this year’s ‘11 Short Stories Of Pain And Glory’, although the crowd are already taking lead vocals as singer Al Barr conducts. Without a pause we’re straight into ‘The Boys Are Back’, again the crowd drowning out the band on the ‘looking for trouble’ chorus.

The scene is set for the night. A relentless 27 song set over the space of two hours with pretty much all eras Murphys thrown in, including a 4 song medley from debut album ‘Do Or Die’. There are many things to love about Dropkick Murphys. Amongst the raucous, gunshot delivery it’s easy to forget the quality of the musicianship on show. Tim Brennan and Jeff DaRosa in particular swapping from guitar to banjo to mandolin to accordion to keyboard, often mid song. The energy on stage is palpable.

7 songs in, ‘The State Of Massachusetts’ DaRosa is in the crowd with his banjo. One young lad takes over the fret work and is note perfect. Bass player/singer Ken Casey is notably taken aback with a promise to get the kid on stage later. The band seem to play in blocks of songs, firing them off with no rest for the band or crowd. Then they have a couple of minutes chatting with the sweaty throng and we’re off again. A band more diverse than you’d imagine and with an interesting mix of covers thrown in too (‘I Had A Hat’, ‘The Fields Of Athenry’, ‘Here Comes The Night’, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ ‘If The Kids Are United’).

My favourite, ‘First Class Loser’ comes in as song 21 before Casey invites the fret working fan on stage. George, for that is his name, stayed on stage for the rest of the show, playing mandolin and looking like he should always have been there. The traditional ‘Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya’ is another glorious singalong, quite possibly a tip of the hat to The Clash’s ‘English Civil War’. The band are big fans (Al Barr’s son is called Strummer). Plus it was Mick Jones birthday.

‘Worker’s Song’ ends the set but thankfully they don’t leave us waiting too long. The ceiling is seriously dripping now. Sham 69’s ‘If The Kids Are United’ starts the encores before the crowd surfing pandemonium of ‘Shipping Out To Boston’. They close with another track from ’11 Short Stories Of Pain And Glory’, ‘Until The Next Time’. It is a natural show closer and by the end the band are totally obscured by the obligatory stage invasion. I’m guessing they’re a nightmare for security. I love it.

The fresh air was so welcome post gig but I’d have happily struggled through another two hours of the live force of nature that is Dropkick Murphys. To paraphrase one of Nottingham’s favourite adopted sons ‘I wouldn’t say Dropkick Murphys are the greatest live band in the business but they’re in the top one’.

Set List

The Lonesome Boatman

The Boys Are Back

Hang 'Em High

Blood

I Had a Hat

Rebels with a Cause

The State of Massachusetts

Famous for Nothing

Going Out in Style

Rose Tattoo

Sunday Hardcore Matinee

The Fields of Athenry

Paying My Way

Here Comes the Night

Sandlot

Barroom Hero

Do or Die

Never Alone

Boys on the Docks

You'll Never Walk Alone

First Class Loser

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya

Out of Our Heads

Worker's Song

Encore:

If the Kids Are United

I'm Shipping Up to Boston

Until the Next Time