The Boys Are Back! Dropkick Murphys Raise The Roof In Charlotte

Opening Night of The St. Patrick’s Day 2023 Tour Kicks Off at The Fillmore

Ladies and gentlemen, start your livers! It’s the beginning of March and the official kick-off to the St. Patrick’s Day season has begun. What better way to get things going than hitting the opening night of the Dropkick Murphys’ St. Patrick’s Day 2023 Tour? That’s right, last night I found myself shipping up to the Fillmore Charlotte for an evening of music from everyone’s favorite Celtic Punk band, Dropkick Murphys. In honor of the occasion, I rummaged through my dresser for my only green shirt and headed out for what I knew would be a memorable evening.

When I arrived at the box office, I found out that show was officially sold-out! Heck yes! It’s been a bit since DKM made a stop in Charlotte and everyone was fired up for a great time.

Kicking things off was singer-songwriter Jesse Ahern. Jesse made his way to the center of the stage, guitar in tow, and got things going. His set was a great mix of heartfelt ballads and kick-up-your-heels songs. Musically, he’s a mixed bag of folk, Americana, rock, roots, and everything in between. But, he fit the common theme of the evening. Jesse is music for the people, your everyday average Joe or Joanne as the case may be. This is no frills, vocals, harmonica, and guitar and it was absolutely spectacular. Admitting that he got nervous at first when he faces a big crowd but then decided he didn’t care what anyone thought of him as the crowd laughed. Ahern was engaging throughout the set as he had the audience clapping and singing along, even when they didn’t know the words. His vocals were outstanding and his songs are top-notch. Overall, Jesse Ahern was an impressive start to a fantastic night. If you’re heading out to a show, be sure and get there early enough to catch his set. You will be pleasantly surprised. Jesse has new music coming out in 2023 so be sure to be on the lookout for that as well.

The crowd was starting to really fill in by the time The Rumjacks took the stage, making it a packed house for their set. Originally formed in Sydney, Australia, The Rumjacks really made a name for themselves with their viral hit “An Irish Pub Song” and have been steadily kicking ass ever since. In 2021, the band introduced new lead vocalist Mike Rivkees on their fifth studio album Hestia and he is a perfect fit both in the studio and on the stage as I witnessed last night. The band is a mix of Celtic Punk and folk and even a little harder rock too.

The Rumjacks came in hard, getting us stomping our feet and pumping our fists in the air from the first notes of “One for the Road.” The band was firing on all cylinders as they got everyone in the party spirit, taking the energy level up a notch and leaving us wanting more. They’re rough and raucous and not to be denied. From the accordion to the guitars to the drums to the tin whistle, The Rumjacks were on fire and we were all having a fantastic time. When it was time for their last song, I think everyone knew what was about to go down, and go down it did. They cranked into “An Irish Pub Song” and soon everyone was dancing a jig, clapping along, and that’s really what The Rumjacks are all about. It was another great set and the perfect appetizer for the main course yet to come.

It was only a few minutes after The Rumjacks left the stage before the chants of “Drop-kick Mur-phys!” began in earnest. The fans at the barricade were pumped up and ready to freaking go. The merch table was hopping and the beer was flowing as we awaited the arrival of The Boys.

Finally, it was the moment we were all waiting for as the lights went off. The stage was set up similar to a church altar with various crucifixes, white lace, and statues of the Virgin Mary everywhere along with a ton of beautifully lit candles. Screams and shouts and whistling were piercing through the venue as the band ran out on stage. We may have been in North Carolina but the vibe was all Boston as they kicked right into “The State of Massachusetts.” It was a whirlwind of activity as lead vocalist Ken Casey was running all over the stage, making his way out onto the platform that extended from the front of the stage to the barricade. He stepped up onto the barricade, greeting the exuberant fans up front and we were officially off!

This right here is what we were all waiting for. The band sounded amazing and the energy level was off the charts. If we could have bottled it up, we could fuel the entire city of Charlotte for the rest of the year. Jeff DaRosa’s banjo had the words “This Machine Kills Fascists” markered on the front of it as he blazed past me on his way to the fans up front. Before I knew it, my favorite Dropkick Murphys song was beginning as I heard the opening strains begin.

“The boys are back

The boys are back

And they’re looking for trouble…”

Oh yes indeed, Dropkick Murphys were back and we were all looking for a least a little bit of trouble. Tim Brennan came down to the center platform to jam on his accordion as Ken punched his fists in the air, running, diving, and jumping everywhere. Call it Celtic Punk, call it rock, call it whatever you want, but this is the music of the working class and I can’t help but feel it whenever I get the chance to see DKM live. The band is for the fans, one hundred and ten percent. This stuff right here is for our grandfathers who worked in the dirty mines, our fathers who worked crappy hours in the factory, and our mothers, brothers, husbands, wives, sons, and daughters who bust their butts every day to survive. This is our middle fingers in the air salute to the establishment and nobody does this better than Dropkick Murphys.

The party didn’t stop all night and I encountered more than a few dancing and stomping as I made my way around the venue. The sonic quality was world-class but it’s the band’s passion for what they do that makes them really stand out above the crowd. It was a rollercoaster of a ride. People were laughing, crying, singing, and dancing. Emotions were high and the band took that energy the audience provided and used it as tinder to fuel their fire. The setlist was a mix of songs that spanned their career from the early days of “Barroom Hero” to “Cadillac, Cadillac” of their latest record. Of course, no Dropkick Murphys show would be complete without a few tunes and by the end of the set we were all in for a huge treat of some DKM classics. We were all ready to go for “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” and “Worker’s Song.”

But even after the band ended on such a high note, nobody moved an inch because we knew it wasn’t over yet. DKM came back out for a three-song encore. “Rose Tattoo” was having us all in the mood and I saw more than one actual rose tattoo being shown off by the fans near me. The band brought out Mike from The Rumjacks to help out on “Boys on the Docks” before closing with the final song of the evening, “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced.” It was definitely a fitting end to a spectacular evening as I’m pretty sure there were more than a few who were in that frame of my mind by the end of the show.

What a night! The boys are back indeed and I couldn’t be happier to have been a part of it. This tour is selling out fast, so don’t wait on tickets or you might be left out. To coincide with the opening of the tour, Dropkick Murphys has announced a brand new album Okemah Rising due out this May, their second album featuring the lyrics of Woody Guthrie. You can pre-save the album here.

Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!

If you happened to capture any shots of the night, feel free to tag us on social media at Shutter 16 Magazine and throw in #Shutter16 and #TwitFromThePit for the world to see.