April 9th, 2012 
Tyler Osborne 
The Dropkick Murphys has always been one of my favorite bands. I’ve been listening to them since I was a freshman in high school, they were the band that I always warmed up to before I wrestled (I will always remember the match I terrified this kid as I got super stoked on “The Rocky Road to Dublin”, and then all but murdered him), but most importantly, they are the band I share with my father. He always loved the idea that I listened to a bunch of working-class punks with Irish roots for some reason, and because of that he always made a point to put them on in the car without me asking. He hates a lot of my music because I generally listen to really rowdy stuff, but he really loves the Dropkick Murphys. My sophomore year in high school my Dad scheduled a business trip (I’m 20 now) to the Boston area around St. Patrick’s Day, and it just so happened he made sure I could come along and see my favorite Boston punks play their legendary holiday weekend tour. This past St. Patrick’s Day I went with my best friend Keenan to relive that experience, and to be frank, it was not like the first time I saw them purely because the memory I forged with my dad is so powerful and meaningful. It’s not a memory I want to replace. Despite this strong memory, the Dropkick Murphys proved to me again why they are one of my favorite bands, and why sharing them with my best friend was such a great idea.
Keenan is my best friend, and it only seemed right to drive 8 hours with him from Pennsylvania to Lowell, MA to see them play. For those who don’t know me personally, i’ll proudly tell you I am straightedge, so St. Patrick’s Day is somewhat of a weird holiday for me since I don’t drink. Every year around St. Patrick’s Day I try to think of something super Irish to do surrounding music or movies so that I’m not getting pressured or more often berated into drinking on the biggest beer drinking day of the year. So I know what you’re thinking, “Then why the hell did you go to Boston on St. Patrick’s Day, that seems entirely counter productive?” Well for me, going to shows is my favorite thing in the world, and what other band would I want to spend my St. Patrick’s Day with?
But enough about me.
We got to the show, and the line was wrapped around the building, but we didn’t really care since we knew we were going straight for the pit anyway. Once we eventually got into the show, I checked out the merch booth and met one of the most genuine dudes I’ve ever met, Frank Turner. His music is fantastic and since he was coming from England it’s really cool to see him in the States. After a quick chat with him about punk and his bad night of drinking Jack Daniels, we moved down into the general admission area and caught The Parkington Sisters, the Dropkick Murphys string accompaniment, play their own solo set. It was really awesome to see them do their own thing, and they proved to be a lot of fun. They had a more mellow sound but both Keenan and I really enjoyed their set.
Frank Turner was up next, and to be completely frank (GET IT?), I was most excited to see him tonight, as I’d never seen him and he doesn’t come through the United States as often as Dropkick (I’ve seen them 4 times). Frank Turner did not disappoint in the slightest, engaging the crowd on every single song, making me laugh, smile, dance and everything else. Still don’t get the crowd’s need to mosh during his set (I’ll chalk it up to the alcohol), but honestly Frank Turner’s set was one of the most enjoyable sets I’ve ever seen. The guy has his head screwed on just right, and knows what he is doing, and if you’ve ever been skeptical about listening, or if you haven’t heard of him before, please do yourself a favor and check him out. He’s more punk than any of the bands you will see this decade, and he plays an acoustic guitar.
And then it was time for the Dropkick Murphys. The waiting period at a Dropkick Murphys show more than any other band I like to refer to as “the calm before the storm.” It’s kinda quiet but there is a general tension within the room that just wants to erupt, because everyone is ready to just go off. I can honestly say I definitely contributed to this, as all I wanted to do was mosh more than anything in the world. I had just driven 8 hours to see this band, and I’d be damned if I didn’t go as hard as I possibly could. The lights went out, the crowd went nuts, I can imagine about 5 different pits opened, and the show started. Keenan and I saw Dropkick Murphys last year at Shamrock Festival in DC, and we both came out kind of disappointed. He for one is a huge fan of dancing (not necessarily moshing), but at an all day festival everyone is REALLY drunk and no one could keep pits open, making it impossible to dance. I was bummed because his first time seeing them wasn’t satisfactory (this was not Dropkick’s fault by any stretch, but merely the nature of a festival of this sort). But Keenan got the full experience with wild dancing with grown men in kilts, women who were bigger than me, and coming out completely drenched in beer and exhausted. Dropkick is always so solid live, and this did not change at all this year around. They played a disturbing amount of songs, to the point where we were so burnt out by the end and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. A little disappointed they played “The Warrior’s Code” acoustic (come on, I want to go NUTS during that song and brawl with Irishman who are bigger than me), but seriously I wouldn’t have chosen the setlist any differently. The whole show was a giant celebration, filled with confetti, irish dancers, a ton of bagpipers, local boxing legends fighting on stage, it literally was a huge affair.
The Dropkick Murphys newest album is called Going Out in Style, and despite the length they’ve been a band in comparison to other punk bands, they are far from going out. At the show they announced they’re working on a new album, which I am very very excited for. I honestly cannot think of a better way to spend my St. Patrick’s Day with my best friend, and while it’s not the same as the time with my Dad’s, it’s almost as special but in a different way. Dropkick Murphys always reminds me that family is the most important thing in this world, and on that 8 hour drive home I couldn’t help but smile because now I have shared my favorite band and place in the world with two of the most important people in my life.
Written By: Tyler Osborne
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