Two shows in one day with Murphys- Part I: Matinee on March 15th

The first two nights came and went so quickly that it was bizarre and little disheartening to realize the weekend was halfway over.  That didn't stop us from having a great time and knowing that we had a fantastic double header to attend which consisted of a Saturday afternoon show and then a Saturday night show.  Instead of three openers in the afternoon, it was the same as the other two shows consisting of Lucero and Skinny Lister who both played a quick but heartfelt set.  Just before mid afternoon, round three of Boston's best was ready to hit the stage.

The lights went down and the rumble of the Foggy Dew came over the speakers.  Soon there after, bagpiper Scruffy Wallace walked out to open with the classic Cadence To Arms from their debut release, Do or Die.  Knowing that there was more families and younger kids there, much respect for the band giving them a taste of history with that opener.  Soon after, they exploded right into Do or Die and into the crowd rousing Get Up.  Going from a couple of older tunes to newer, they jumped right into Going Out In Style, The Irish Rover, Rose Tattoo plus The Prisoner's Song.  Another song that you don't hear too often is 10 Years of Service which was a perfect fit in the set.  As baseball season was surely around the corner and they were playing a slew of shows right next door to Fenway Park, Tessie was right in the mix for all the baseball fans, too.

Older gems such as Curse of a Fallen Soul, Rocky Road To Dublin, Spicy McHaggis Jig also made the cut.  Some of those songs I haven't heard them play frequently in the last four years or so and it brought back several memories to when I was younger.  The solemn Fields of Athenry off of the album Blackout was played early on.  Throughout the weekend, it was fantastic to hear Road of the Righteous off of their debut release and then for all the hockey fans, Time To Go was in the mix.  About half way through the first part of the set, the band brought out the acoustic guitars to mellow out for a few.  They dedicated My Hero to all the parents who were good examples for bringing their kids to the show that afternoon.  Next to that, was the folkier sing along union song called Take 'Em Down.  It didn't take too long until they plugged back in and cut right into Your Spirits Alive from their 2005 release, The Warrior's Code.  Toward the end of the main set, it was great to hear Wheel Of Misfortune which is rarely played.  It really pleased the fan's of their second album and earlier material.

One song that was my first time hearing live was New American Way from the 2001 album Sing Loud, Sing Proud and then launched right into Boys On The Docks.  From there, the opening riffs of the Standells, Dirty Water instantly amped the crowd right up. It simply offered much participation and singing back and forth between the band and the show goers.  To close the main set, Shipping Up To Boston was expected and the band gave the crowd the responsibility to take over lead vocals and were prompted to do so.  The encore started with Captain Kelly's Kitchen, then into End Of The Night where all the female fans rushed the stage.  This was followed by the male stage invasion for the classic, Skinhead On The MBTA.  Of course, the encore isn't an encore without ending with a kick ass cover of Alcohol by Boston hardcore greats, Gang Green.  Overall, the matinee show was much more powerful than I expected with the setlist variations and much more.  The day was not over as another full Dropkick Murphys show was to be attended later in the day!