I'm not sure how I missed out on these guys for as long as I did but fortunately at the recommendation of a close friend I looked into the band just in time to lend my thoughts to their latest studio release The Meanest Of Times which came out in a 2007 and became my introduction to a lively blend of Celtic music and boot stomping Punk called The Dropkick Murphys. I loved the album and was happy to find it eventually expanded to include a number of bonus tracks and a DVD with videos and live footage. Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA presents the band in the live sense and was recorded across the span of gigs that the group does annually for Saint Patrick's Day and believe me this is one rousing release. How could it be any less with the band performing on home territory. It's the second of such releases in the band's catalog and while it does feature a number of songs from The Meanest Of Times, it also lends heavy attention to The Warriors Code and Black Out. By focusing on these last three albums and not repeating any tracks from the first live go round the band is able to deliver what amounts to be a live "best of" set from these three releases. That's a great thing for the legacy listener since there is no duplication that finds them rolling their eyes and it's the perfect jump on point for a newer fan like myself. It is without question that I will be looking into those other releases as soon as time allows me to do it. My only problem with the song selection was the omission of "Tomorrow's Industry" from The Meanest Of Times but I am ok with that as they ended up using the time wisely and introduced me to many songs that I was a complete novice at. Who can complain under those circumstances?
For the concert the band sounds great and is very energetic on every track. The listener feels the liveliness of the show and it's very difficult to play this recording at a minimal volume. As it spun in my player, I found myself pushing the volume knob a bit higher and higher as the songs progressed and there were times were I found myself playing air drums and even getting up out of my seat to offer up a chorus when it seemed necessary. The album made me want to partake in one of their live shows because it seems like so much fun to be in the mix when they are doing their thing. There is no phoning it in during the show and the singers speak to the crowd on a number of occasions which only gets them screaming louder and obviously getting a swirling pit brewing at the show. Like I said, a good old fun time for sure and you can tell just by listening. The guys seem genuine about their appreciation of the fans and we find this before the updated version of their song """Forever" where they thank them for supporting them as they reach thirteen years of having the best job in the world. It also seemed to be the only point in the show where the audience and band take a slight breather. The band even kicks it up a notch by inviting The Mighty Mighty Bosstones up for the final number and it closes the night out with a climatic finish. I cannot recommend this enough for any fans of Celtic sounding Rock and Punk since these guys deliver it so effectively well. I loved the use of bagpipes and accordion on top of the conventional instruments that make up a rocking band and what makes their blending these elements together is in how seamlessly they manage to do it.
The new release comes in a number of formats and one of them will feature a DVD which I guess is of this same show. We only had the audio CD for the purpose of review and can safely say that this is one of the many versions that you can get a hold of. Get your Irish up with The Dropkick Murphys and Live On Lansdowne, Boston MA, it will do you good.
Track Listing:
1. Famous For Nothing
2. The State Of Massachusetts
3. Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
4. Time To Go
5. Sunshine Highway
6. Flanigan's Ball
7. Bastards On Parade
8. God Willing
9. Caught In A Jar
10. Captain Kelly's Kitchen
11. Citizen C.I.A.
12. Fields Of Athenry
13. Your Spirit's Alive
14. The Warrior's Code
15. The Dirty Glass
16. Tessie
17. Forever 2009
18. Worker's Song
19. Kiss Me, I'm Sh*tfaced
20. I'm Shipping Up To Boston
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