The Spirit of ‘96 Washed over us all: Dropkicks 30th Anniversary Tour Recap
Dropkick Murphys at MGM Fenway Boston for their 30th anniversary shows over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. photo by kim moenich
So much of my life is defined by eras of music. There was my early punk era, where I listened to Social D, Hüsker Dü, Crimpshrine, and so many more, which bled into my mainstream punk years of NOFX, Bad Religion, and Rancid, which were peppered with my ska years of The Specials, Dance Hall Crashers, and Selecter. Then came the mid-to-late 90s, which combined all of these with Midwest screamo (Cap’n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Texas Is The Reason) and NYHC (Sick Of It All, Strife, One King Down). In the middle of all of this, several of my core favorites came to be: Hot Water Music, who I saw for the first time at Cleveland Fest in 1996; Bouncing Souls, who started a few years earlier, but I didn’t hear about until then; and Dropkick Murphys, who formed in Boston in 1996. Of all of these giants, I have seen DKM the most over the last 3 decades, losing count after my 100th show several years ago. So it was a given that I would be at their 30th anniversary shows in Boston for St. Patrick’s Day, as is my yearly tradition.
My friends, “The Iron Curtain," on the rail for all four days. We come from Croatia, Scotland, England, NC, PA, NY, and so many other places, drawn together by our love of DKM. photo by kim moenich
This year, however, was a different beast altogether. This year the boys decided to round up a motley crew of former Boston legends (along with two West Coast bands that are like family), many of whom haven’t been actively touring or playing shows regularly for decades. All of the bands had connections to Dropkicks in one form or another, either by having shared members (DKM guitarist James Lynch was in Ducky Boys, and Jeff DaRosa and Tim Brennan played with The Vigilantes) or by coming up in the scene/touring together, like The Unseen and The New Darkbuster. Haywire was the exception, as they have only been around for two years, but they are Boston-based with a huge following, so it made sense to bring the newbies in with the veterans.
Night one was going to be EPIC. The night started with Haywire, who absolutely destroyed. The crowd went crazy from the first note, with non-stop crowd-surfing and stage-diving. I’ve been to some brutal DKM shows, including two years ago when I got my sternum cracked on the rail, but this was definitely at the top of the list. While Haywire are the new kids on the block, they have definitely drummed up a massive following over the last two years. Their young fans love to get rowdy, and I spent most of their set ducking and covering, but they really are one of the most fun bands out there right now, and I strongly suggest you go see them on any of their non-stop tour dates!
Next up were The Vigilantes, who formed in Boston in the late 90s and consist of DKM mandolin player Jeff DaRosa on bass and accordion/guitarist Tim Brennan on drums. Singer Jasper McGandy gave me some of my favorite photos of the weekend, as well as some of the best singing of the show. And guitarist-turned-chef Fernando Strohmeyer absolutely slayed. Original drummer Patt Melzard couldn’t make the show, so Jeff told me he asked Tim, knowing how much Tim loves to play drums and how rarely he gets the chance. Friends know of my mild obsession with the tour de force that is Tim Brennan, and it was such a blast to get to see him smiling ear to ear as he crushed it on the drums. I have to say that The Vigilantes were one of the highlights of this amazing weekend, and I’m trying my best to get them back together for a tour! Feel free to go to their Instagram and let them know how much you would love to see that too!!!
Showcase Showdown. Where to even begin? None of my DKM friends were old enough to remember these guys, but I had been fortunate enough to see them twice back in the day. Earlier last year, I was standing beside a couple at Punk Rock Bowling who were the only ones on the rail singing along to Pegboy like I was. We started talking and became fast friends, and Art had mentioned to me, somewhere along the way, that he was planning to travel to Boston to see Showcase Showdown. I met him in line earlier in the day and told him to find his way up to me at the rail, which he and his wife did. When it came time for the band to come on, my husband kindly switched places with them, and Art and I were, once again, the only ones singing along on the front row. To say Showcase killed it is an understatement. Art was in tears, and all my friends kept saying it was their favorite set of the weekend. It had been two decades plus since the last time this quartet had performed together, but it seemed like they had never stopped. Ken told us that the band originally said absolutely not when asked to play, but they called back the next day and said they would do it. And thank the goddess that they changed their minds. They ripped through old classics like it was 1996 all over again. Albert was a blast to listen to as they belted through such classics as “Fuck You, Norway” and “Merry Christmas, I Fucked Your Snowman." They played a banging 15-song set that had us all on our feet and screaming for more.
Night two I knew was going to be a favorite, as my guys, The Aggrolites, were going to play. It was the one show of the four days with only two openers, so I was looking forward to an early night that was hopefully quite a bit calmer than the night before. The Aggrolites absolutely lit the house on fire, giving what was one of my favorite performances I’ve ever seen from them. I was kind of bummed I wasn’t shooting that night, as both Eric and Chris were all over the stage, jumping and boot-stomping; Krees was destroying the drums, and all the while Jesse was as animated as I’ve ever seen him. The crowd was really eating it up, and it was so much fun to see all my friends dancing away to the infectious tunes.
My friend, Joey, whom I had met at last year’s St. Patrick’s Day shows, had messaged me earlier in the day to ask if I was going to be there that night. He had said he was going to try to get up to me at the rail, and I let him and his cousin know that we would try our best to hold a spot for them. Joey always sings “Worker’s Song” onstage with Ken whenever he is in the audience, and we found out that the band was going to play that song first this evening. My friend Jesse and I made sure that our security friend, Kyle, knew that we were going to have to get Joey up onstage during the first song. Joey was so excited, which made the night all the more special for us! Jesse and I spent the evening with our arms locked, protecting Joey. Behind us, Sam, Joey’s cousin, and a stranger that we met that night had their arms around each other, protecting us. Every time a drunk dude would come rushing at us from the pit, we’d point to Joey, and they would get really respectful and back off. This happened over and over again throughout the night. Security looked out for us, and we looked out for him and for each other. I was fortunate enough after the show to share with Ken Casey how incredible our little punk rock community was that night. I was close to tears as I thanked Ken for creating a family that was so thoughtful and special. He kept insisting that Jesse and I were the ones to be thanked, but I explained that she and I would never have met were it not for DKM. We all hugged and got teary-eyed, and it reminded me all over again why I continue to support this band.
From left: Jesse, Sam, the stranger who helped us, me, and Joey. photo by Michael Sparks Keegan
Leading up to the Boston shows, I was chatting with DKM’s PR person, Kristine, trying to decide which night I wanted to photograph. After some back and forth, we agreed that Sunday night was going to be the night to shoot. It would be Haywire’s last show of the tour, so that should be nuts. Ducky Boys might bring out James Lynch (unfortunately, that didn’t happen), and The Unseen were going to be an absolute blast to shoot. From the start, I spent most of my time in the photo pit ducking and hiding from all the crowd surfers and stage divers. It was definitely one of the hardest shows I’ve ever shot, mostly because the platform that Ken uses to bridge the space between the stage and the barricade made us sitting ducks for the insane crowd who kept coming over the rail. But it felt a bit like I was back in my Syracuse hardcore days, trying to get a great shot while protecting my camera (and my head) from any incoming boots. Ducky Boys put on an incredibly fun set, and The Unseen, whom I had not seen since my first Punk Rock Bowling in 2015, were a complete blast, rallying the crowd up into a frenzy.
Of course, the House of Blues was going to be the best night of them all, as it always is. Big Bad Bollocks opened that night, and we had all seen them at the St. Patrick’s Day show the year before. Talented and really fun, this foursome of white-haired guys has the energy of Haywire and the chops of the Dropkicks. They started the night off with whimsy and delight, paving the way for an amazing evening.
Reducers SF, like The Aggrolites, are from the West Coast but have toured with Dropkicks since back in the day. They put on a helluva show that night and were a great replacement for the heavier sounds of Haywire, who had left for their tour with Drain.
Longtime Boston legend Lenny Lashley brought his old band, Darkbuster, out of retirement as The New Darkbuster and played a great mix of old tunes and ones off their last release, Revolution. It was a great time seeing Lenny up onstage, and I hope this means a tour is brewing.
Dropkicks held their usual pre-show events, like the Union show and the kids’ show, this weekend, as well as featuring Punk Rock and Paintbrushes, who had a ton of DKM art for sale, including an amazing polyed skateboard deck by Mike Gallo of Agnostic Front. If you like me and my stories, feel free to show me by raising the $1200 to buy me this deck! It all goes to charity!
Speaking of charity, the Dropkicks’ personal charity, the Claddagh Fund, raised a ton of money over the course of the tour and presented a $10,000 check to the mother of Welles Crowther for the charity in his name. Welles was a volunteer firefighter and an equities trader who was working in the twin towers on Sept. 11. He is credited with saving at least 18 lives, as he kept running back into the burning building and carrying people to safety. No one knew who this man was who had saved them, but they all talked about the red bandana he was wearing. As the stories started trickling out in the news, Welles’s mom heard about this hero and realized they were talking about her son, who always wore the red bandana his father had gifted him. Dropkick Murphys memorialized Welles in a song called “A Hero Among Many” on their album “For The People," which was released last year. Lead singer Ken Casey presented the check to Welles’s mother as she threw red bandanas into the crowd. The UCF-Boston Marching Band (the school Welles had attended) then joined the Dropkicks onstage for the performance of the song, and there was barely a dry eye in the house.
But the biggest shock of the weekend came during the Dropkick’s encore at the House of Blues on St. Patrick’s Day. Rumors had been swirling all day, and my friends and I may or may not have confirmed it during soundcheck when we saw a shadowy figure singing onstage through a slit in the HOB doors. The anticipation was palpable all night as the crowd had their fingers crossed for a surprise guest appearance. So when Ken came out to the first chords of “Worker’s Song” during the encore and announced, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome Al Barr to the stage!” the crowd simply exploded! Thankfully, I had insider knowledge, so I had my phone at the ready, and I captured all three songs Al sang during the encore. It truly felt like a homecoming to see our friend back up there again after his prolonged absence. For those who don’t know, Al has been singing with the band for most of their existence, but he had been on a leave of absence since late 2021, when his mother had a stroke and Al stepped away to help with her care. We had all been hopeful of a return when he was credited for singing “The Vultures Circle High” on the album “For The People” last year. It was truly a beautiful moment when our hopes came true, and Al seemed as if he had never been gone.
As to whether or not Al is back to stay, that is yet to be seen. Any rumors I’ve heard I’m keeping to myself—for now. Maybe if you buy me that Mike Gallo DKM skateboard, I’ll tell you what I know!
Thank you, Dropkick Murphys, for once again giving us memories for a lifetime. Can’t wait for next year, but this year is definitely going to be hard to top. I’ve got them on my Bingo card a few more times this year at various Warped Tours and, perhaps, even a show or two overseas. But, for now, I’ll be basking in the afterglow of yet another EPIC St. Patrick’s Day Weekend!
My boy, George, got to go up onstage and play mandolin with the band! Sorry for the blurry photo, but I was jumping up and down when I took it! photo by kim moenich
I was with Aaron for his first DKM show and helped show him what the DKM fam is all about. He got to prove his love this weekend by singing with the band not once but twice! photo by kim moenich
