The Dropkick Murphys headlined the Mullins Center on Sunday, Oct. 27, closing out the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Family Weekend. The concert, featuring openers Pennywise and The Scratch, marked the final show of their North America fall 2024 tour.
The event drew a mixed crowd, including many parents who have likely followed the band since its inception in 1996. The merchandise stand, prominently placed, supported the Dropkick Murphys’ Claddagh Fund, which aids various charitable foundations as well as a cause supported by The Scratch.
After purchasing a T-shirt, people joined the crowd on the floor, a mix of flannel-wearing 40-something-year-olds, college students, and surprisingly, many who may have been under the age of 15. The Scratch opened the night, urging donations to a GoFundMe for a Palestinian family: “It belongs to a woman named Maryam who is trying to raise money so she can leave Palestine and not be under the threat of being murdered each and every day,” lead singer and percussionist Daniel Lang said. This is not the first time the band has discussed or referenced the ongoing mass atrocities in Gaza, as they frequently play shows with a Palestinian flag draped over set pieces on stage.
Later in the set, someone with access to the stage and a mic jumped into the crowd and kick started the mosh pit for the night by running around and violently bumping into people in the crowd. This soon became a recurring event of the night, as the bands often welcomed and encouraged the mosh pit by egging it on, and even later by rewarding a fan with cash. This was nostalgic for many of the older concertgoers as it brought back fond memories of the heydays of moshing.
Pennywise’s set can be summed up in about two words: chaotic, yet personal. The set’s beginning song already set the tone for the rest of the performance when the mosh pits became increasingly chaotic and almost dangerous, with more people getting knocked down. The chaos was then broken up by the very personal interludes between songs that included personal jabs, crowd work and a hyping up of the mosh pits. The setlist ended with their cover of “Stand by Me,” by Ben E. King, which was accompanied by the audience singing along. It was also during this set that attendees began crowd-surfing, much to the delight of the bands but the dismay of the venue security. Many were escorted from the floor by security staff before being allowed to return to the floor.
Finally, as the crowd was awaiting the Dropkick Murphys, the band burst onto stage with Ken Casey leading them in a performance of their song, “The Boys are Back.” The energy brought by not only the Murphys, but also the crowd during the first song set the tone for the remainder of the night. As was typical for the night thus far, the mosh pits kept going, but this time they included much more of the older attendees than previously participated. It was also at this point that the crowd-surfing resumed, and Ken Casey was more than happy to high-five the ones lifted high above the rest of the audience before they got led away.
Many of the band’s greatest hits were played throughout the night with the notable exception “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye,” which is usually played in concert by this point. The audience soon found out the band had a special message to go along with the song this time around. Casey got the crowd’s attention and began to go over the band’s history in politics, referencing the band’s clash with neo-Nazis, frequent pro-union activities and support of the Democratic party. This all culminated in a “F*ck you Trump,” screamed by Casey to a response of thunderous applause and cheers from the audience.
The band closed out the night by coming back onstage after exiting and playing “Shipping up to Boston,” which is their best-known song and perhaps the most beloved.
Both the Dropkick Murphys and the atmosphere throughout the night were incredible.
Dylan Podlinski can be reached at [email protected].
