The crowd was the usual Molly troupe, guys with news-boy caps, couples on a beer filled night of fun and of course many Irish people. It was a sea of green in the dimly lit and industrial style music hall. However, this year the merry Floggers in the crowd seemed a little subdued, less moshing and more swaying. Maybe it was the venue’s always present security staff.
By the time Dave King began the hearty thump of “Rebels of the Sacred Heart,” the crowd was ready to be deluged with Irish punk dreams of rolling green hills, the sorrow of loss and the immutability of being one’s self. A high point of the show for me was “Tobacco Island.” The visuals of swaying palms and the transition to acoustic really set the mood and made a lasting memory.
It was a great night, and a great show. For many people this band, this tour makes their March, hell maybe even their whole spring. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all, and to all a Drunken Lullaby.