Dropkick Murpheys
By Paul Monahas
Dropkick Murphys kicked off their Summer Of Discontent tour co-headlining with punk rock legends Bad Religion, and a new up and coming band, The Mainliners, on July 22nd, 2025. Getting to experience the concert they performed in Baltimore at the Pier Six Pavilion on August 12th was extremely important to me because I have been listening to both bands since I was in 5th grade. This was my first time attending any show at the Pier Six Pavilion and it definitely won't be my last, with a helpful staff, and beautiful waterfront, it was a great venue for this part of the tour to take place! Getting to see everyone in line, young and old, excited to see the two legendary punk bands really set the mood for how the night was going to go.
Dropkick Murphys line up consists of Ken Casey (lead vocals), Tim Brennan (guitars, tin whiste, accordion, piano, vocals), Jeff DaRosa (guitars, banjo, mandolin, vocals), James Lynch (guitars and vocals), and Kevin Rheault (bass). Formed in 1996 in Quincy, Massachusetts the celtic punk group has traveled all over the world. Expressing it through each note and every smile on stage the band continues to express their love for punk and the ideology that it brings.
She Moved Through the Fair" by Shane MacGowan and the Popes came on the house speakers as the Dropkick Murphys walked onto the stage, from there they perfectly transitioned to their song "The State Of Massachusetts". "Who'll Stand With Us?" off of their new album "For The People" was the second song of the set. I have seen the Dropkick Murphys so many times now, and it was great having the opportunity to hear a lot of the songs off the new album such as "First Class Loser", "Longshot", and "School Days Over". During the show I had a very personal moment to their new song “Chesterfields & Aftershave" and actually ended up shedding some tears because of the lyrics and beautiful melodies. Like I stated earlier in the article, fans of all ages were enjoying the music and singing along. A couple of the younger fans were even brought up on stage (with their parents permission of course) and were allowed to experience the show from side stage
As the night continued, people danced and moshed, and the Dropkick Murphys played through one of my favorite sets I've seen from them to date. With multiple members switching to different instruments for each song kept up the energy being displayed on the stage. Having a platform attachment from the stage allowed each member of the band to get the the edge of the rail and interact, sing along, and really bond with their fans on such a personal level. The band ended the night with an encore of their songs "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" and "The Big Man" written as an ode to Pennywise guitarist, Fletcher Dragge
Walking back to my car, I got to really take in my whole experience at the show and look through all of the photos I took of the night. No matter how many times I've seen the Dropkick Murphys I'm always left in a better mood than when I entered. I highly recommend seeing them on their future tours and getting to experience the community that is the Dropkick Murphys fan base.
Photos & Review by Paul Monahas