NYS Music 20​18

Tag: Flogging Molly

  • Celtic Double-Bill: Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys Rock Forest Hills Stadium

    Two of the biggest names in celtic punk/rock, Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys recently stopped by Forest Hills Stadium in Queens.

    Flogging Molly gave Forest Hills several mainstays from their library but also played two new songs, “The Hand of John L. Sullivan” and “Crushed” from their recent album Life is Good, both welcomed by the fans. Aside from a few easier moments in the set to let the rowdy dancers rest their feet, Flogging Molly kept a fast pace throughout. Frontman Dave King made several Guinness toast between songs, rallying the crowd who was quick to start up a small circle pit.

    Dropkick Murphys took to the stage with building anticipation while Sinead O’Connor and The Chieftans’ recording of “The Foggy Dew” played out on the PA. Without hesitation they got right into “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen” and “The Boys Are Back” making their way up close to the rail-riders. A couple of new Dropkick songs made their way into the set including “Blood” and “Rebels With A Cause” and just as with Flogging Molly’s debut of new music was greeted well. Keeping with the spirit of getting close with the crowd, Dropkick Murphys invited a bevy of their punk rocker fans on stage for the encore with an important message on the screen behind them: “only jackasses take selfies on stage” (a friendly reminder about enjoying the moment of a show rather than getting absorbed in taking 15-second videos).

    Flogging Molly and Dropkick Murphys shows are always reliable for hitting the mark of a fun night of their flavor of Celtic rock. With both bands having a bit of a fanbase in the New York community of first responders, a running joke of the night was about the FDNY and NYPD getting along. But joke aside, the show brought out the friendliest in everyone there – a big piece of what makes for the jollity of seeing Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly, especially on the same bill.

    Flogging Molly setlist:
    (No More) Paddy’s Lament, The Hand of John L. Sullivan, Drunken Lullabies, The Likes of You Again, Swagger, The Days We’ve Yet to Meet, Requiem for a Dying Song, Float, The Spoken Wheel, Black Friday, Rule, Devil’s Dance Floor, Crushed (Hostile Nations) / We Will Rock You, If I Ever Leave This World Alive, What’s Left of the Flag, The Seven Deadly Sins, Salty Dog

    Dropkick Murphys Setlist:
    Captain Kelly’s Kitchen, The Boys Are Back, Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya, Sandlot, Famous For Nothing, Blood, Barroom Hero, Caught in a Jar, Buried Alive, The State of Massachusetts, Rebels With a Cause, Paying My Way, Rocky Road to Dublin, Rose Tattoo, Out of Our Heads, Going Out in Style,
    Encore: The Body of an American (The Pogues cover), I’m Shipping Up to Boston, Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced, Skinhead on the MBTA, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

  • Celtic Punk Rock Makes a Pit Stop in Central New York with the Dropkick Murphys

    In Big Flats, New York, there isn’t necessarily a lot to see, but it has the Tag’s Budweiser Summer Stage bringing in people from all over central New York. On June 2, the stage was packed with fans of Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly with both bands stopping there on their summer 2018 co-headlining US tour.

    Dropkick Murphys performing during encore at Tag’s Budweiser Summer Stage. Photo by Nora Hones.

    Flogging Molly performed first with the Dropkick Murphys following, but nothing about the line-up made it feel like the two bands weren’t equals. During both of their sets, they were constantly boosting each other up and dedicating songs to each other. The set-up of Tag’s Budweiser Summer Stage aided to this sense of equal partnership. The merch was equal, the stage set ups were equal, the excitement from the the crowd was equal.

    Flogging Molly pulled out an array of classics including, “Devil’s Dance Floor,” “If I Ever Leave This World Alive”, and “What’s Left Of The Flag,” but also included new music in their performance that the crowd really seemed to enjoy. Dropkick Murphys also played many fan favorites like “Rose Tattoo”, “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”, and “The Boys Are Back” which the crowd went wild for, and did a multi-song encore, even bringing out some of the members of Flogging Molly on stage with them and pulling up members from the crowd.

    For a pile of punk rockers, the crowd was as pleasant and polite as can be and so were the bands. It was all smiles, laughs and mosh pits. Ken Casey, who is usually the bass guitarist (he wasn’t playing bass during the show due to his recent back surgery, just singing) and co-lead singer and songwriter of Dropkick Murphys, explained to the the crowd the rules of mosh pitting at his shows. Right in front of the stage, it’s an anything-goes, mosh-pit-frenzy, where you can get a sneaker to the face and that’s totally acceptable, but if he sees anyone going too crazy in the outer areas of the crowd, like where there were kids, he made sure that the crowd knew, to use his language, that anyone who starts something where they shouldn’t be has the right to have the shit kicked out of them.

    It was one of the politest crowds and band combinations I’ve seen at a show like this and would be something I would definitely look to attend again. Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly continue their 2018 summer tour throughout June and show dates can be found below.

    Show dates:
    June 5 – Masonic Temple Theatre – DETROIT, MI
    June 7 – PMC Amphitheater -KANSAS CITY/BONNER SPRINGS, KS
    June 8 – The Armory – MINNEAPOLIS, MN
    June 9 –  Stir Cove – COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA
    June 10 – Fox Street Compound – DENVER, CO
    June 12 – Pop’s Outside – ST LOUIS/SAUGET, IL
    June 13 – Express Live! – COLUMBUS, OH
    June 16 – RI Bold Point Park – PROVIDENCE, RI
    June 17 – Stone Pony Summerstage – ASBURY PARK, NJ
    June 18 – Stage AE – PITTSBURGH, PA
    June 19 – Red Hat Amphitheatre – RALEIGH, NC
    June 21 – Festival Pier – PHILADELPHIA, PA
    June 22 – Forest Hills Stadium – QUEENS, NY
    June 23 – Bank Of New Hampshire Pavilion featuring Professional Boxing – GILFORD, NH