For the second of two shows in Philadelphia I expected the crowd to be thinned out a bit, but was I wrong. The Electric Factory was packed full of Dropkick Murphys fans. First to the stage was the eminently forgettable The Parkington Sisters. What I thought was a sound check turned out to be their first song, and it didn’t really get any better from there. This was one of the most joyless and melancholy musical sets I have ever witnessed.
Next up was the only marginally better Off With Their Heads. The music itself was pretty well put together and the band played their instruments surprisingly well. However, something still seemed to be wrong and after about four songs I finally managed to put my finger on it. The lead singer just seemed awkward and uncomfortable on stage and the guitarist was trying way too hard to be cool. It all just seemed to come off a bit contrived and over acted. But at least the music was decent.
Against Me! was next with an amazingly good showing and was quite frankly a breath of fresh air after two decidedly disappointing opening acts. The crowd by this point was beer soaked and rowdy, but in good spirits. Never having seen Against Me! before, by the end of their set I was a true fan and was singing along with the choruses as hard as everyone else. These guys really know how to whip the crowd into a frenzy and keep them wanting more. Had they been the headliners I could have left happily by the end of their set, and yet there was still more to come.
Then from out of the darkness we suddenly heard the dulcet tones of a banjo and the haunting wail of bagpipes. Then in came a heavy base line and some accordion. Add a gravelly voice that sounds like equal parts beer and broken glass and you have the arrival of the Dropkick Murphys. From note one to the final phrase the crowd was chaos in motion and we loved every second of it. Beer is spilled, feet are stepped on and everyone is having the time of their lives. With old favorites like “Tessie” and the always magnificent “Field of Athenry” to tracks from their newest album that just released like “Going Out in Style.” With fans in attendance ranging in ages from about twelve to about sixty, these guys have a little something for everyone. If you’ve never seen Dropkick Murphys live, you owe it to yourself to see them at least once. I promise you will not be disappointed. My only regret is that I only went to one of the two shows they did while in town.
