Review: Kelly Besaw
Photos: Chris Besaw
Boston based punk rockers, the Dropkick Murphys, made a stop on their 2024 St. Patrick’s Day tour at the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, NY on Saturday evening. They brought along with them The Scratch and Pennywise.
Kicking things off, all the way from Dublin, Ireland was the Scratch. The Scratch is currently on tour for their latest release Mind Yourself available now. The band took center stage to perform a stripped down high-energy Irish rock music set. This was my first-time hearing of the band, and I did listen to some of their studio stuff prior to the show. I will say that their live performance blew the studio stuff out of the water. They were a lot of fun and were the perfect opener for a fun-filled night of music.
Next up were California based punk rockers, Pennywise. No strangers to the punk world, these guys have been on the scene since the late eighties. As they took the stage, the crowd consisting of young and old, and every age in between filled the pit. Pennywise has an extensive catalog to draw from and they played a nice variety including some of their more well-known hits like “Fuck Authority” and “Let Us Hear Your Voice.” Moshing, crowd surfing and circle pits erupted all over the floor. They also treated fans to an awesome punk rendition of the Beastie Boy’s “Fight For Your Right.” It was an impressive set and at this point the crowd was sufficiently warmed up for the Dropkicks.
It was time for the night’s headliner, The Dropkick Murphys. Despite member Al Barr being on hiatus to take care of his ailing mother, the band has been super busy touring and putting out new music. I have been a fan since the early 2000s and have had a tough time keeping up with their recent frequent releases. They have released three albums since 2021, Turn Up That Dial (2021), This Machine Still Kills Fascists (2022) and Okemah Rising their 2023 release. Prior to 2021 their most current release was in 2017.
One thing I can say about the Dropkick Murphys is that they know how to put on a live show, from setlist choices to interacting with the crowd, they are top notch. The band took the stage to enthusiastic cheers from their fans and kicked off their set with “Worker’s Song,” “The Boys Are Back” and “Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya.” The pit was crazy. Lead singer, Ken Casey, paused the show to have a kid pulled out of the pit stating, it’s not safe for ya up here.” I appreciate that Ken makes sure the fans stay safe. At one point, he admitted to now understanding crowd surfing claiming it felt “very 90s Pearl Jam.”
I was excited to hear some of the older songs that they haven’t played in a while especially “Curse of a Fallen Soul.” It was great to hear some of the less played stuff. Of course, they did not disappoint the less hardcore fans and played the ever popular “Rose Tattoo” “Shipping Up to Boston” and closed the evening with the hilarious sing along, “Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced.” It was a great show and if you missed it, don’t worry, they seem to like playing this area and I am sure they will be back.
Setlist:
Worker’s Song
The Boys Are Back
Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya
Smash Shit Up
Going Out In Style
Skinhead on the MBTA
Flannigan’s Ball
Bastards on Parade
Curse of A Fallen Soul
The Gang’s All Here
The State of Massachusetts
All You Fascists
God Willing
Barroom Hero
Never Alone
The Hardest Mile
Tessie
Captain Kelly’s Kitchen
Out of Our Heads
Rose Tattoo
Encore:
I’m Shipping Up To Boston
Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced
