An outsider might have thought that there had been a mistake in the show’s advertising. This weekend Magic City Music Hall welcomed both mohawk-sporting punks and collared shirt-wearing college students. One couple appeared to be in their 40s. If the crowd a band draws is a musical litmus test, the results would have been inconclusive Sunday night. After all, it is hard to imagine one act drawing such a diverse range of people. Unless, of course, that act is Dropkick Murphys.
The night started like many other rock shows. The first act, Everybody Out, opened with the standard punk rock sound many would have expected, with frontman Sweeney Todd exciting the crowd in his thick accent. Next, the Horrorpops took the stage, boasting a unique, goth-like look and upright bass playing frontwoman, Patricia Day.
As the lights dimmed and the song ‘The Foggy Dew’ by Sinead O’Connor played, the anticipation began to build. Slowly the chant started, and soon most of the crowd was shouting ‘Lets go Murphys!’ and clapping their hands. When Dropkick Murphys finally took the stage, the crowd became ecstatic and did not stop until the show ended.
Drawing such a mixed and dedicated crowd is unique among musicians, and uniqueness is a trait that Dropkick Murphys no doubt possess. Where most punk bands employ the basic guitar-bass-drums sound, DKM adds mandolins, accordions, tin whistles and bagpipes, all staples of traditional Irish music. Many of the band’s songs, like ‘Captain Kelly’s Kitchen’ and ‘Wild Rover,’ are covers of traditional folk music that has filled Irish homes for years. Others, like ‘Sunshine Highway’ and ‘Bastards on Parade,’ are originals, not only lyrically, but musically as well, with the latter song’s mandolin-driven and distorted guitar backing solo a one-of-a-kind sound.
While Dropkick Murphys became more well known with the release of ‘The Departed,’ a film that prominently features the song ‘I’m Shipping Up to Boston,’ the 10-year-old band’s fan base has been active for quite some time.
‘I saw them about two years ago,’ John Marhevsky, a Binghamton senior, said. ‘They put on an awesome show.’
Dropkick Murphys formed in Boston, Mass., in 1996, and has just released their sixth studio album, ‘The Meanest of Times,’ last Tuesday. Their punk rock-inspired covers of traditional Irish songs made them popular in Boston, as well as other areas with large Irish populations. The current lineup features Al Barr and Ken Casey singing lead vocals, with Casey also playing bass. Matt Kelly is on the drums while James Lynch plays guitar. Marc Orrell plays guitar, as well as mandolin, accordion and keyboard. Tim Brennan plays mandolin, accordion and banjo, while James ‘Scruffy’ Wallace plays perhaps the most unexpected instrument in a rock show: bagpipes.
Songs that would normally occupy a pub filled with shillelagh-wielding grandfathers were background music for mosh pits, crowd surfing and stage diving. This was not the typical concert with numerous security guards and fences blocking the stage. During the performance of ‘Forever,’ the women in the crowd were invited on stage and the band was largely invisible during the finale, with the stage packed with eager fans.
As the concert ended, Magic City Music Hall reeked of a combination of beer and sweat, the cologne of punk rock shows. Sweaty fans piled outside, looking like they were on fire as they walked through the cold. As the smelly, wet and slightly deaf crowd wandered about, one could only wonder what kind of band could wreak such havoc with so many different kinds of people.