Pissing off Scenesters Since 1995
Dropkick Murphys/Blood for Blood/Only Crime/Blood or Whiskey@Starland Ballroom
April 30, 2004
The Dropkick Murphys have always been a touring band. Always out on the road promoting a new album or even a new live DVD. To wrap up their tour, they decided to come out to lovely Sayerville, NJ and play for an evening, bringing along some close friends with them.
Irish Folk/punk band Blood or Whiskey opened up this party. Not being familiar with them, I had no idea what to expect. It’s exactly what you might think when hearing the words Irish, folk, and punk. They had a chin whistle player, a banjo player, an accordion player, and then the usual rhythm section of a band. Oh these guys are a cast of characters. The lead singer looks like a soccer hooligan, and the bassist looks like he was in the Unseen at one time. This band was just fun to watch. I couldn’t understand a word they said in between songs, but they made their songs enjoyable live.
Next up was Only Crime. If you don’t know who only crime is, it has Russ from Good Riddance, Bill Stevenson from All/Decendants, and Aaron Dalbec of Bane. This band has always intrigued me since I bought their demo a few months back. To actually see them, made me appreciate them more. Their sound borders on a more edgy version of Good Riddance on some songs, to straight up Pop Punk on others. They played a handful of songs. Seeing how their first demo had only 2 songs, no one really had a clue of what their material was. But to make up for it, they gave away copies of their new 5 song demo to anyone who wanted it. They were definitely a cool band to see. And people should check them out if ever given the chance. Also, seeing how the members all have “regular” bands, I’m not too sure you’ll be seeing Only Crime play many shows. And rumor has it that Fat Wreck Chords has signed the band and will release their full length this summer.
Boston Hardcore heroes Blood for Blood were next. Drunken hardcore at it’s finest. People get so stoked seeing them, it’s amazing. I for one am not a fan, never have been. So this set was pretty lackluster from my perspective. They played all their classic songs, covering all albums from the bands immense discography. “Livin’ in Exile” and “Wasted Youth Crew” were the two songs I really know. Kids went off, danced hard and had a good time. I’m not big on their banter in between songs, but to each his own. To their credit they did get the crowd moving for the Dropkick Murphys.
And finally, the evening was about to draw to a close and The Dropkick Murphys took the stage. The band comes out to the song “The Foggy Dew” by the Chieftains, which gets everybody in the mood. And from there, they go into a roaring version of “For Boston.” From that moment on, the band played for what it seemed like forever. Playing material mostly from the bands latest offering, “Blackout.” But they managed to throw in some old ones in there to make older fans happy. The highlight of the set was a song that the band did with the help of Blood or Whiskey. I’m pretty sure it was cover by the band Gang Green, but again not positive. Basically it was about 10 or 11 drunk men singing on a stage. It’s great if you ask me.
Another strong point to their set was them singing “Kiss me, I’m Shitfaced” because the song is absolutely hilarious, but my only gripe is that the band asked all ladies to come up on stage and sing this song. Sure the idea is great, but when the girls on stage are 16 tops, that makes me singing along to the song feel a bit weird. Because if I’m shitfaced, I certainly don’t want a 16 year old kissing me, but that’s just me. The Dropkicks ended their set by saying that this was their last club show “For a while” which usually is not a good sign, but I’ll take it. The band works hard and deserves everything that comes to them. They ended their set with their staple “Skinhead on the MBTA” and the sellout crowd at The Starland Ballroom went home happy.
This show was really fun. The bands all played well (Yes, including Blood for Blood), there was minimal fighting and not as many meatheads at this show as there were at the Roseland Ballroom date a few months prior. The Dropkicks certainly do better in the smaller venues and I for one hope that when they do return.