Dropkick Murphys w/ Strung Out

The Fillmore Charlotte

March 8, 2010

The Deal: Boston's finest Celtic rock band rolls into The Fillmore for a sold-out, high-intensity show.

The Good: The night started out with a set by Larry and his Flask — and unfortunately, I missed it. I heard great things about their energetic show though, so check them out if you get the chance.

Strung Out was up next with its high octane punk. No surprise that the band's performed on the Warped Tour as its music would fit right in. I give the guys credit for giving everything they had into warming up the crowd.

You could easily tell that singer Jason Cruz loves what he does.

Let's face it though, the 2,000 in attendance were clearly there to see the Murphys. When the lights went out, a single spotlight hit Jeff DaRosa as he played the line to the opening of "The State of Massachusetts" — and with that, the band hit the stage like they were shot out of a cannon.

Sure, there's a bag piper on stage, but the music is more punk and heavy rock than fellow Celtic rockers Flogging Molly that were on the same stage a few weeks ago. It wasn't long before all seven band members were dripping with sweat.

Singer Al Barr hit the stage running - literally - and rarely settled down. He used a platform in front of the stage, as well as the barricades, to stay close to the crowd during the show. His growl in perfect form, Barr did everything he could to get the crowd going and feel every syllable of the lyrics he was singing.

There was plenty of singing along during the show on songs like "Finnegan's Ball," "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya" and "The Warrior's Code." Halfway through "Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced," the band invited up about 35 women onto the stage — most of whom knew every word being sung. The ladies stayed on stage for the final song, "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," as well.

The stage was cleared before the band returned for a four-song encore. Halfway through, roughly 40 more people - men and women - hit the stage to sing along with the band in a all-out party atmosphere. There was plenty of crowd surfing going on throughout the night, but you could tell those on stage had clearly gotten a second wind when they were under the lights with the band.

The Bad: Didn't know the show was sold out? Keep an eye on our music homepage or my Twitter feed, I posted the sold out notification at roughly 7 p.m. Also, this should be a good sign that shows in Charlotte will in fact sell out and you should buy your tickets in advance if you really want to go.

As for the show itself, I can't imagine people complaining it was too short. Sure, it only lasted for an hour and a half, but the band played 28 songs. Could they really do more?

The Verdict: If you enjoyed the show, check out the band's new CD/DVD that's being released on March 16 — Live in Lansdowne, Boston, MA. It's about as close as you can get to last night's show if you couldn't get in the door. You'd imagine that the band puts forth more energy in its hometown, but I can't imagine them having anything left after a show like last night's...

DM Setlist

The State of Massachusetts

Captain Kelly's Kitchen

Citizen C.I.A.

Black Velvet Band

Which Side Are You On?

As One

Buried Alive

Surrender

The Fighting 69th

Echoes on "A." Street

Bastards on Parade

Dirty Glass

Time to Go

Sunshine Highway

Fortunes of War

Finnegan's Wake

Your Spirit's Alive

The Warrior's Code

Far Away Coast

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya

Walk Away

Heroes From Our Past

Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced

I'm Shipping Up to Boston

Encore

Barroom Hero

Boys on the Docks

Skinhead on the MBTA

Alcohol

Cage the Elephant with As Tall As Lions, Morning Teleportation

Amos' Southend

Feb. 21, 2010

The Deal: Kentucky-based rockers entertain large crowd with high-energy live show.

Black Eyed Peas w/ LMFAO

Time Warner Cable Arena

Feb. 20, 2010

The Deal: Pop hip-hop group brings its The E.N.D. Tour to Time Warner Cable Arena to entertain with highly-choreographed two-hour set.

Flogging Molly with Frank Turner

The Fillmore Charlotte

Feb. 19, 2010

Setlist

Paddy's Lament

Likes of You Again

Swagger

Requiem for a Dying Song

Every Dog has Its Day

Worst Day

Drunken Lullabies

Won't Make a Fool

Man With No Country

The Wanderlust

Us of Lesser Gods

Factory Girls

Float

Punch Drunk Grinning Soul

Tobacco Island

Rebels

Devils Dance Floor

World Alive

Salty Dog

Lightning Storm

What's Left of the Flag

Encore

Wrong Company

Black Friday Rule

Seven Deadly Sins

Celtic Woman

Ovens Auditorium

Feb. 18, 2010

By Nicole Pietrantonio

Photos by Jeff Hahne

The Deal: Promoting their new album, Songs from the Heart, Celtic Woman, performs live for a packed house at Ovens Auditorium.

Them Crooked Vultures

The Fillmore Charlotte

Feb. 10, 2010

The Deal: Latest supergroup lives up to its name during hour-and-45-minute set at sold out show at The Fillmore Charlotte.

Crash Kings w/ The Activity

The Milestone

Jan. 20, 2010

The Deal: Crash Kings impress small crowd at the Milestone, Charlotte's The Activity and Natural History open.

Neko Case w/ Deer Tick

Knight Theater

Nov. 18, 2009

The Deal: Neko Case zips through 22 songs during Charlotte concert, brings along Deer Tick.