Dropkick Murphys
Hollywood Palladium
February 20, 2009
Big burly white dudes, some bagpipes, and a newly “remodeled” Palladium- not much else to note for the Dropkick Murphy’s latest LA gig. I’m all for the so-called “celtic punk,” but for whatever reason, I wasn’t feeling it that night. For one thing, the typical Dropkick crowd is not my scene- loads of blonde guys twice as big as me drinking Guinness or Jack and wearing those floppy hats that my boyfriend wears… wait, come to think of it, maybe it IS my scene- my boyfriend fits right it. Don’t tell him I said that.
Anywho… the openers were, uh, whatever. Longstanding New York hardcore band H2O opened up the show for DKM, but I was too busy noticing the smell to notice the band. Whatever they covered up with paint at the Palladium sure stunk. Kind of reminds me of the gay bar in downtown Riverside- cheap prices, but you don’t want to linger too long because of the smell. Smells like years of…something…covered up with wall paper and paint. The remodeling could have done a much better job- the ceiling was still covered in that nasty 70’s popcorn-type spray acoustics, complete with dusty stains around the air vents, as is typical with that type of covering.
Dropkick came out amidst fan cries of “Dropkick Murphys!”- or possibly it was “Let’s go Dodgers,” I think everyone was too drunk to get it together and the clapping confused some. DKM came on stage with loads of energy, and who doesn’t like seeing a burly man- known as Scruffy Wallace- in a kilt playing the bagpipes? More fun than your typical drums, guitars, and bass, that’s for sure. And from there, it was all a DKM fan could have expected- growly lyrics with an Irish lilt, fist pumping, large circle pits in the middle of the floor (I think I even saw one on the balcony across from us- br00tal), a mix of musicians and instruments you won’t get at your aforementioned rock show. At one point (I couldn’t tell you the song), the formerly bagpipe-playing Scruffy whipped out his Irish whistle and started playing… Shut it, you know what I mean. Also fabulous- eee, sorry, I mean fantastic in the most manly way possible- was Jeff Darosa, arguably one of the more talented members of the band who could be seen playing various types of instruments- from an electric banjo to a bouzouki.
Over all- DKM are fun times, especially if you are big, manly, and like watching dudes in skirts play their whistle. I kid, I kid (sorry mom).
–Caitlin Elgin