Irish eyes are smiling
There's no denying that The Dropkick Murphys are a damn good live band, they just go out and do it! It's classic punk with a celtic tint, they have no frills and none are required, practically every song has a classic riff. The sound is excellent (even the accordian comes through) and the band give it everything as they whirl around the stage.
The Irish flags are out in force in the crowd and it's a surprise that there isn't more frenzied activity nearer the front of the stage, other than the first few rows. They don't seem to go down that well with the fringe elements of the crowd, perhaps a bit too punk for many tastes. They have come a long way since their early offerings and these days are a much better band both in terms of performance and strength of material.
A version of the Wild Rover just begs to be punked up but isn't, this is followed by the introduction of bagpipes to the set. The guitarist at one point runs down off the stage towards the crowd and rather amusingly loses his bearings for a second, struggling to find the way back! He makes it though and we are treated to a version of 'Amazing Grace' (not the best song I have to say). If you were going to make criticism it would be that the faster songs start to sound rather similar after a while, however they do break up the set by playing the odd slower song.
A good all round performance that really demonstrates just how far the band have come, finishing with a cover of 'The Auld Triangle' they leave to a good reception and deservedly so.