Dropkick Murphys, Against Me! | Val Air Ballroom | Concert Review

Story by Mitch McCann 

| Published Mar 15, 2011

Mid-March in Des Moines, Iowa is nothing to scoff at. The level of cold increased with every passing second, as did the frequency and volume of patrons’ cursing. Plotting to destroy the all-powerful gatekeeper who prevented upwards of 2,000 people from enjoying the comforts of over-priced merchandise, sweaty dudes, and flat beer seemed to be the general theme. After the door-Nazis shuffled an entire high school’s worth of frost-bitten people in through just two doors and violated common decency with TSA-brand search, they sent us into the venue mid-way through the first band’s set.

Although their name may not have been on the marquee, second band Against Me! was clearly the motivation for large portion of the audience, who showed up just to see Tom Gabel’s smiling face shout some of the loudest and finest punk songs of the last decade at them. With barely time for a breath in between each tune, Against Me! charged through a setlist of roaring oldies and plenty from latest release ‘White Crosses.’ Fan favorites “Don’t Lose Touch” and “Thrash Unreal” even forced the Irish crowd awaiting the Murphys into the action.

Dropkick Murphy’s newest album opener “Hang ‘Em High” sent the Jameson’s-fueled audience into a fit of raw energy. The famed “first push” of fans attempting to hit the stage was enough to snap the venue’s metal barricade like a twig, in what singer Ken Casey told Val Air was record-breaking time -- “twice as fast as Chicago.” Never one to disappoint, the Murphys’ wall of guitars, bagpipes, and gruff vocals exported a pure sound easily apparent in choruses of ‘The State of Massachusetts’ and ‘Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya,’ leaving fans with well-deserved bruises, headaches and lost voices.

An unforgettable experience for anyone with a fondness for fine punk rock, the Murphys belted ‘Dirty Glass,’ ‘Shipping Up To Boston’ and even invited the female population of the ballroom onstage for encore ‘Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced.’ Security soon lost what little control they had of the crowd, however, and the stage turned into a riot. How the Murphys hung onto their instruments long enough to rock a finale of ‘Boys on the Docks,’ I’ll never know.