Photos/Review: Dropkick Murphys on Long Island

The boys are back. For many years now, the Dropkick Murphys, holding an East Coast tour through St. Patrick’s Day, has become a highly anticipated part of the winter months for many music fans. The Celtic Punk band out of Quincy, Massachusetts, are at it again, and fans couldn’t be happier. Ken Casey (Vocals), Tim Brennan (Guitar / Tin Whistle / Accordion / Piano), Jeff DaRosa (Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin), James Lynch (Guitar), Keven Rheault (Bass), and Matt Kelly (Drums) announced the 2025 iteration of the tour back in October of last year, tickets sold quickly, especially for those in the Boston area where the tour is set to wrap up.

The band wrapped up a tour with Pennywise and The Scratch at the time and upped the ante by announcing their tourmates for the St Patrick’s Day 2025 Tour would be Teenage Bottlerocket and The Menzingers for a majority of the trek while The Bouncing Souls and others join in for some gigs once the band hit their final destination. The tour kicked off in Long Island, New York, in the sold-out Paramount Theater in Huntington on Wednesday, February 26th.

Fans wrapped around the block ready for a fun night. Once inside, fans made their way upstairs. The bar area outside of the general attendance area of The Paramount had the usual merch booths and snacks set up, but also had an additional booth set up for The Claddagh Fund, a charitable foundation set up by the band in 2009. The foundation works with charities that strive to help children, veterans, and those in alcohol and drug recovery.

The booth had several different items for sale, both signed and unsigned, including shirts, hats and vinyls with the proceeds going towards these amazing causes. Even fans not able to attend a live show can show their support through the foundation’s websites, Claddaghfund.org.

Upon entering the stage area of the Paramount, fans got a good idea of how Dropkick Murphys wanted to celebrate. In front of the stage was a large platform that reached almost all the way to the barricade. The band wanted the chance to get up close and as personal as possible with the fans who came to see them. It was quickly apparent that this was a sold-out show as the dance floor felt full even for opening act Teenage Bottlerocket. Many fans celebrated the night with a pint of Guinness in hand as they cheered on the first of three acts.

The Punk Rock foursome out of Laramie, Wyoming, made of Ray Carlisle (Vocals / Guitar), Kody Templeman (Guitar, Vocals), Miguel Chen (Bass), and Darren Chewka (Drums), brought the old-school punk feels to the show. The band kicked it off with “Post Mortem” while running and occasionally jumping across the stage. The band’s energy was infectious throughout. Humorously, halfway through the set, they admitted they were getting older, as were their fans. They then asked fans to put aside those feelings for a minute and give it their all in a circle pit for just 30 seconds with the half-minute song “Bottlerocket.”

While they didn’t get every fan in attendance in on the fun, many fans complied and started circling the dancefloor together. The fun continued through to their closing song, “Skate or Die,” before the band thanked fans and called it a night. In an eleven-song set, Teenage Bottlerocket set the bar for the night and set it high. The band was an absolute blast to see live and made the show worth the price of admission all by themselves.

Teenage Bottlerocket

Photo Credit: Spooky Media

Of course, they weren’t alone. Renowned Punk band The Menzingers were next up at bat. The Scranton, Pennsylvania group set up their office on stage and were eager to kick off the tour. In almost twenty years, Gregor Barnett (Guitar, Vocals), Tom May (Guitar, Vocals), Eric Keen (Bass), and Joe Godino (Drums) have kept together and entertained fans. Eight studio albums have given fans plenty to enjoy through the years. Surprisingly, despite seeming like an obvious matchup, this tour marks the first time the band has joined Dropkick Murphys, and it was clear they came to the party. The Menznigers dipped right into the hits with their opening track “I Don’t Wanna Be an Asshole Anymore” with Tom May hopping around the stage.

Other fan-favorite hits, including “Hope Is a Dangerous Little Thing” and “Anna,” had the jam-packed venue singing and dancing along with every track. The band added their own touch on the Saint Patrick’s Day Tour with “Irish Goodbyes” and wrapped things up with “After the Party”. A baker’s dozen proved to be a sweet deal for the Long Island crowd who roared with approval as the band saluted the crowd and pumped them up for the headlining act. The Menzingers were always going to be a welcome addition to a Dropkick Murphys tour and it’s tough to think that this is the first time it’s come into fruition. Hopefully, it will not take another two decades before these two bands join forces again.

The Menzingers

Photo Credit: Spooky Media

Two bands down and one to go. Fans kept the party going between sets as various punk and rock tracks blared through the loudspeakers. The lights soon went down, and Dropkick Murphys came to the stage to a rapturous reception. “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen,” “The BoysAre Back,” and “Prisoner’s Song” marked the band’s first three tracks for the live crowd and gave fans a good idea of what to expect throughout the night as nearly every member save for the drummer took their turn on the extended platform to play right up against the energetic sound. Ken Casey took the most of the opportunity, waving the mic in front of fans and doling out fist bumps to fans, media, and security guards as he sang through the tracks.

He even gave the guards their well-deserved due later in the evening, saying that the platform made their job a bit more difficult and asking fans to give security some love for their hard work.

Throughout their performance, the crowd was just as much a part of the show as the band was. Sure, there were the obvious staples such as fans moshing, crowd surfing and singing along, but the fans were even ready to throw the band some curveballs along the way. At one point, Ken Casey even remarked, “That’s the first time we’ve ever seen that in America!” as fans in the pit sat down in a line and started rowing. For a band going strong for nearly thirty years to still be seeing new things while they perform on stage gave this show an extra special feel. During “Rose Tattoo,” a young fan who couldn’t have been older than five was taken on stage by Casey.

He humorously tried to get the fan to tap her foot and clap her hands, but she was too awestruck to comply. Finally, he was able to at least get a fist bump out of her as she took in the sights and sounds of the energetic crowd.

Surprisingly, their newest released track “Sirens” wasn’t on the set list, but that didn’t stop fans from having fun during cuts of tracks including “(F)lannigan’s Ball” and “The State” of Massachusetts” before the band closed up their main setlist with a cover of Joseph M. Crofts’s “The Irish Rover”. Of course, fans knew the band had more planned even as they left the stage and soon the group rejoined the sold-out crowd with an encore for the ages. “Dig a Hole” and “Worker’s Song” acted as the bookends, with megahit “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” rounding out the trio of songs on tap for the night’s encore.

The marquee outside the Paramount told the story. Punk isn’t dead; it’s selling out venues. Even in a world where everything is costing more, including ticket prices, bands as good as Dropkick Murphys can continue to thrive. The St. Patrick’s Day 2025 Tour continues to put smiles on faces as it rolls through the East Coast, concluding with a quartet of shows in Boston, of course, on Saint Patrick’s Day for a show that’s been sold out well in advance. Between this tour and a new, currently unnamed album in the works, this year already feels big for Dropkick Murphys as they approach thirty years as a band next year. If this is how the band celebrates now, fans are surely in for a treat when the band hits that dirty thirty mark next year.