Local band Marching Orders are the first band to kick off proceedings this evening. The five-piece specialise in classic punk, very much influenced by the British Oi! punk bands of the late 1970s, such as Sham 69 and The Exploited. They also display a beautifully melodic and fluid guitar sound, like that of classic Australian punk/indie bands such as Bodyjar and The Cosmic Psychos. The band does a good job getting tonight’s crowd warmed up for the main act, with a strong sound and focus to them that hopefully will take them places. Strong tracks such as “Last Train Home” and “Nature Of Ghost” stood out amongst their half hour set.
Next up this evening were Lucero. A six-piece from Memphis, Tenessee, Lucero continue a strong tradition of what could be best described as southern fried rock/country, made famous by bands such as Lynard Skynnard and The Allman Brothers in the 1970s. What sets Lucero apart is the way that they display their rock and country influences, but very much play with a punk attitude and style. They were a very complementary fit on tonights bill with The Dropkick Murphys.
Bearing a more than passing resemblance to the actor who plays Sam on the TV series True Blood, singer/guitarist Ben Nichols possesses a wonderfully expressive raspy, too-much-whiskey-and-cigarettes voice, similar to that of both Tom Waits and Mark Lannegan. In that respect, the band struck this scribe as being very much spiritual cousins to Bob Seger and his Silver Bullet Band. Lucero are definitely coming from a similar place in terms of musical inspiration. Song highlights includede “Tears Don’t Matter Much” and “Nights Like These”. Not very well known on these shores, hopefully things will change for the very talented Lucero after this tour judging by tonight’s very enjoyable and accomplished set.
Arriving to the crowd battle cry of “Let’s Go, Murphys!” Boston’s favourite sons, The Dropkick Murphys proceed to completely tear up the Forum with a blistering set. The seven-piece were here late last year as part of the “No Sleep Till….” festival. On that tour, they won a lot of fans who discovered the band at that festival. Many of them are here tonight as part of the full house, along with both those seeing them for the first time and the faithful who have seen them on many of their numerous visits to these shores.
Opening with the anthemic “Hang ‘Em High”, from their most recent release Going Out In Style, Dropkick Murphys prove themselves once again to be one of the best live bands in the world at the moment. Lead by vocalist Al Barr and co-lead vocalist/bassist Ken Casey, this evening featured many tracks from the latest album, their most accomplished and mature release to date. Highlights from Going Out In Style this evening include a compelling and acoustic version of “Take ‘Em Down”, a striking track about unions and standing up for your rights in the workplace. Tracks such as “Cruel” and “Deeds Not Words” take on an even more powerful vibe and impact on a live front than they do on record.
For fans of old school Murphys tracks, the band definitely doesn’t disappoint. The rocking “Gonna Be A Blackout Tonight” and the striking beautiful “Forever” are two great standouts on this front. Other highlights in regards to older material include “Echoes On ‘A’ Street” and their track for the Boston Red Sox, “Tessie”.
Metallica fans have, for years, had a reputation for being the most mad and passionate fans a band could have. This was completely disproven this evening. Dropkick Murphys fans, particulary on evidence from this evening’s stunning performance, are completely insane! The Forum security guards didn’t quite know what they were in for this evening. There is crowd surfing, stage diving and moshing, with one of the scariest mosh pits this scribe has seen in years! There is even a bit of shoe-throwing at one point; to quote Austin Powers, who throws a shoe, honestly?!
Particularly impressive is the guy who got up and sang with Al for a bit, as was the female streaker; when was the last time you saw one of those at a concert? There is an intangible something about this band that makes their fans utterly passionate and crazy on a live front. That is to always be commended and applauded.
Musically, the band members have played together for many years. Celebrating their 15th year together, the Murphys sound better than ever live. Every element of their sound and their combining of punk with more Anglo-Celtic musical elements remains a winning formula for the band. Most importantly, it’s beautifully clear by their performance this evening that they are passionate about and truly love what they do.
The moments that make this night truly special occur towards the end of the evening. First of all, the final song of the main set is “Shipping Up To Boston”, made famous by the Martin Scorsese film The Departed, which was set in the Murphys home town of Boston. The crowd proceed to erupt in an absolute frenzy, singing along with every word.
Just when one thought things couldn’t get any crazier this evening, the band does their classic, anthemic “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced”, off the Blackout album, as the first song of the encore. Eschewing their traditional routine of letting girls up on stage with them to sing this due to Forum safety regulations, Casey sung the song in the middle of the crowd. The result can only be described as sheer, utter pandamonium! This scribe hasn’t seen a crowd this passionate or vocal for a very long time. This was one of those classic moments where you threw your arms around complete strangers and sung along, united in song. A heartfelt and beautiful moment on what was a fantastic night.
The band finished off with a great cover of AC/DC’s “T.N.T’, displaying their love for both Australia and a band that has strongly influenced their attitude and style of music over the years.
A sensational night from not only Boston’s finest, but a truly world class band.
– Neil Evans
