To walk into the State Theater on Nov. 13 was to immerse yourself in the very definition of a punk show. At every turn there was a teenager or 20-something with dyed hair, ripped clothing, tattoos and multiple piercings. The Dropkick Murphys and their touring partners had come to assault the ears and anarchic minds of Portland.
First on the itinerary was Avoid One Thing, a young and eclectic Boston band with Amy Griffin (formerly of the Raging Teens) on guitar and Joe Gittleman of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones on lead vocals and bass. They drove their whole set with solid punk rock, and their music was a welcome departure from that of many young punk bands, with a focus on melody, catchiness, and having a good time. Avoid One Thing’s sense of humor and catchy music spread the seeds for an exciting night.
New York City’s The Casualties went up next, after an unnecessary and painfully long half-hour wait. An air raid siren announced their arrival on stage, and it was a fitting prelude to the death and destruction of anything musical. The Casualties are poster boys for the kids your parents and your government warns you about, but their physics-defying hairstyles couldn’t save this set. Their sound is a testament to where simply being loud and angry will get you, as their screaming vocals and hard drumming drowned out the guitars in each of the carbon-copy songs. The only good tune was “Punks Unite,” a punk anthem and easily the highlight of their set. While not musical, the Casualties did have a lot of raw passion, and the jolt of energy they sent through the crowd was bigger than any used in even Texas’ prison system.
Finally, to the customary chant of “Let’s go, Murphys,” a huge Dropkick Murphys banner dropped to the sounds of Irish folk music. The band, complete with a bagpiper, emerged onstage and began to play. Folk music doesn’t get any harder than this. The blend of traditional and non-traditional, of guitar and everything from accordion to bagpipes, was pulled off in a way that only the Dropkick Murphys could do it. For more than an hour, the band played their folk-influenced hard punk to an adoring and responsive crowd.
The Murphys told jokes, cursed like sailors, and played mosh-able and crowdsurf-able favorites. When they played the “Spicy Jig,” the band invited every girl in the audience to come up on stage and dance. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen more than fifty girls jumping up and down at once, but if you ever get the opportunity, do not turn it down. Trust me. Another memorable anthem was “Portland, You’re My Home,” which would make any Mainer proud.
What almost ruined the Dropkick Murphys performance for me was the stage-divers. I know that stage-diving is an important, even integral, part of any punk show, but there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. Do not get in the way. Do not stay on stage more than a few seconds. And do not try and sing the band’s songs for them. You may love them, and they love you; but it’s their show.
The Dropkick Murphys played a show that any punk fan would be happy to attend. At the end of the night the entire crowd came on stage to sing along, and the guitarist leaped off a speaker tower to crowdsurf on his own stage. The camaraderie between the band and their fans was a wonderful thing to see, especially this time of year. It’s the holiday season, and the Dropkick Murphys made damn sure that St. Patrick’s Day was included.
Jake Christie can be contacted at [email protected]