Pissing off Scenesters Since 1995
Dropkick Murphys/The Horrorpops
The Roseland Ballroom
September 15, 2007
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Halfway through The Horrorpop’s set at the sold out Roseland Ballroom, singer/bass fiddler Patricia Day asked the crowd a stupid question: Are there any Irish people in the crowd? The jam packed ballroom, drenched in green and orange with flags waving screamed in response as if they were being flogged. Yes, lads and lassies, the Dropkick Murphys (and their fans) were in the house.
Everybody Out opened the evening with a rowdy set of punk rock tunes. Coming off like a rough-around-the-edges version of the Swinging Utters, the band did their best to warm up a half empty hall. The singer spent half the set diving into the crowd, making the few security guards on hand actually work for their money. The band was tight, fast, and fun, churning out a ton of songs in half an hour.
Psycho-pop darlings The Horrorpops were up next. Having seem them in the last two years at venues that hold less than 50 people, it was a treat to see how well these psychobilly stalwarts hold up in a building that looks more like a air force hanger. Surprise, they were even better than imagined. It could have been the awesome sound system, but my bets are on the 2,000 or so people dancing to every note. The biggest fans up front (mostly of the female persuasion) chanted along to bouncy anthems like “Julia” and “Walk Like a Zombie.” Psycobilly legend Kim Nekroman, who now serves as the sole guitar player in the band, tore around the stage like a bat out of hell, lending his gruff pipes when needed, and shredding the rest of the time. “Let’s go Dropkicks,” Day led the crowd in a chant as the band walked off stage after an hour long set.
A little after ten, the kings of Boston took stage to a chant of “Let’s Go Murphys” and deafening screams. The lights turned orange and green, and the band began blasting out tunes from all of their records, concentrating on some of the best tracks from their new record “The Meanest of Times.” Punk classics like “Rocky Road to Dublin” gave way to modern masterpieces like “The State of Massachusetts.” The band pulled out a lighter raising singalong with “Forever” and tore down the roof with “Barroom Hero.”
Singer Al Barr has calmed down over the years. Where he once stirred up near riots as he dove from stage to crowd, this night he stood stoic in the center stage singing along with his throaty croon. Multi-instramentalist Tim Brennan hopped from acoustic guitar to accordion with ease, swapping notes with piper Scruffy Wallace and dancing around stage. Bassist Ken Cassey took the mic for the folksier numbers, bringing the crowd to its knees on tunes like “Fields of Athenry.”
After a short break, the rear curtain dropped revealing a string orchestra to back “Shipping Up to Boston.” Memories of times gone by where quickly instilled as hundreds of girls swarmed the stage for a sing-along of “Kiss Me I’m Shitface” followed by an equally insane version of “Skinhead on the MBTA.”
After the show, fans poured out onto Broadway tired, drunk, and happy, singing into the street and taking over the block as best as a thousand drunken DKM fans can. Some might have thought them mad, but for Dropkick Murphys fans, this was a just another night on the town.