Dropkick Murphys - Live on Lansdowne: Boston, Ma
Review by Jack Foley
THEY make an awful lot of noise but there’s no denying the spirit of revellry that exists when listening (or seeing) a Dropkick Murphys show.
Those Irish, Oirish, Boston natives don’t do things quietly but their anthemic odes to good times and partying have become a part of their city’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations, and even found their way onto the soundtrack of Martin Scorsese’s gangster epic, The Departed.
But there’s a brash, likeable quality about them that’s utterly infectious. You can well imagine partying til the crack of dawn with them if heard on the jukebox of an O’Neill’s public house on a weekend night, or are lucky enough to catch them in the flesh in their home city.
The release of Live on Lansdowne: Boston, Ma (as recorded between March 12-17, 2009) marks a fine opportunity to hear and see them in all their sweaty glory.
Released as a joint CD/DVD, the package is intended to capture the intensity and camaraderie of their annual Boston hometown St Patrick’s Day shows, and features 20 fan favourites recorded at seven of those events.
Their seminal hits are all present… and admittedly stand head and shoulders about some of their material. But when they get it right, you’ll be hard pushed not to let your inhibitions go and feel like raising a glass of the black stuff to the craic.
The tracks in question are, of course, their show-stopping I’m Shipping Up To Boston, which featured so memorably on The Departed, and their sing-along favourite The State of Massachusetts – a song so energetic and downright brilliant it defies easy explanation.
In live form, the thrilling guitar intro and then drum kick-start is a major headrush in waiting and the sort of live anthem that is perfect for just letting yourself go. Although, admittedly, you have to have plenty of energy (and alcohol) to go the distance at a Dropkick Murphys show – thanks to their keen, high intensity mix of classic punk rock, Celtic folk and American rock ‘n’ roll.
Some songs reverberate with nothing more than noise and energy. But there are others that are worth raving about… Famous For Nothing emerging as a calling card for low-achievers, Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya, which combines a well-known Oirish ditty with some gritty lyrics, and (F)lannigan’s Ball hitting you hard and fast with more headrush emotion.
Throughout, the band’s lead singer is grateful for the years of support offered by his fellow Bostonians, while encouraging of them to partake in the craic.
And it’s hard not to… at times. And with the DVD/CD release timed perfectly to coincide with St Patrick’s Day, it’s a record worth owning just to pull out and play on that landmark day in the yearly calendar.
Just let yourself go!
Download picks: The State of Massachussetts, Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya, (F)lannigan’s Ball, I’m Shifting Up To Boston, God Willing, The Dirty Glass, Forever 2009, Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced
Track listing:
Disc: 1
Disc: 2
- Famous For Nothing
- State Of Massachusetts, The
- Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya
- Time To Go
- Sunshine Highway
- Flannigan’s Ball
- Bastards On Parade
- God Willing
- Caught In A Jar
- Captain Kelly’s Kitchen
- Citizen CIA
- Fields Of Athenry
- Your Spirit’s Alive
- Warrior’s Code, The
- Dirty Glass, The
- Tessie
- Forever 2009
- Worker’s Song
- Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced
- I’m Shipping Up To Boston – Dropkick Murphys & Mighty Mighty Bosstones