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(Intro music: There’s Nothing Left (pt 1)) The Likes of You Again Encore: Black Friday Rule (outro music: Monty Python – “Always Look on a Bright Side of Life”) ANTI-FLAG SETLIST
SKINNY LISTER SETLIST Wanted FLOGGING MOLLY Tour Dates March 11 Omaha, NE The Admiral Theater March 12 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater March 14 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre March 16 Las Vegas, NV The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas March 17 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Palladium March 18 Riverside, CA Riverside Municipal Auditorium March 19 Reno, NV Grand Sierra Resort And Casino May 24 Glasgow, UK SWG3 May 26 Walton On Trent, UK Bearded Theory Festival 2023 May 27 Hatfield, UK Slam Dunk Festival – South 2023 May 28 Leeds, UK Slam Dunk Festival – North 2023 May 31 Luxembourg-City, Luxembourg Den Atelier June 2 Nürburg, Germany Rock Am Ring 2023 June 3 Linz, Austria Sbäm Fest 2023 June 4 Nürnberg, Germany Rock Im Park 2023 June 6 Lörrach, Germany Burghof Lörrach GmbH June 7 Crans-Près-Céligny, Switzerland Caribana Festival 2023 June 9 Zagreb, Croatia Tvornica Kulture June 11 Novi Beograd, Serbia Institut Za Ispitivanje Materijala Srbije June 12 București, Romania Quantic Club June 16 Clisson, France Hellfest 2023 June 18 Strasbourg, France Artefact La Laiterie June 19 Magdeburg, Germany Factory Center Dominion Club GbR June 20 Rostock, Germany M.A.U. Club / Zabrik E.V. June 24 Ysselsteyn, NL Jera On Air Festival 2023 June 25 Antwerp, Belgium Rivierenhof June 26 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique August 25 Palmer, AK Alaska State Fair Inc Nov. 8 - 13 Miami, FL Flogging Molly's Salty Dog Cruise 2023 Read More
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St. Patrick’s Day celebrations have become week-long this year, with so many Irish-related events in the area, and longtime Celtic punk band Flogging Molly packed the VooDoo Lounge at Harrah’s North Kansas City, for the venue’s first proper show in the three years since before the pandemic began.
The three-act evening would kick off with a spirited, foot-stomping set from London folk punkers, Skinny Lister, in support of their latest album, 2021’s A Matter of Life & Love. Despite their bus breaking down the night before, the band was manic from the opening chords of 2016’s “Wanted” and kept their energy high throughout their short but impressionable set.
Co-vocalists Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas and stand-up bassist Scott Milsom kept constantly in motion, with Thomas even announcing she’d arm-wrestle anyone at the merch table as the band broke into the new “Arm Wrestling in Dresden”. From there, north to “Hamburg Drunk” (the band must really have fun in Germany), then back to their native London for 2014’s closing “Trouble on Oxford Street” and a rowdy fun set.
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The mood would turn more serious (but no less loud) as air raid sirens introduced Pittsburgh punk band Anti-Flag’s forty-five-minute set, in support of their thirteenth album Lies They Tell Our Children, (released in January via Spinefarm). Beginning with a blistering version of 2020’s “Hate Conquers All”, the mosh pit swirled speedily at the center of the floor, the group following with 2006’s “The Press Corpse” which frothed up the longtime fans, even further.
Co-vocalists Justin Sane and Chris (No. 2) Barker play off each other so well musically and vocally, like they’ve been playing together for some two dozen years (which is actually the case). Lyrical themes range from social injustice, anti-capitalism, and anti-fascism, but it seemed like most in the crowd were more about the music than its messages.
After name-checking victims of recent police brutality in their intro to 2017’s “American Attraction”, a late-set highlight was their so-called “Punk S#*t Medley” where the band blended some of the genre’s most influential songs into a crowd-clapping workout and music history journey.
They also took time to mention Punk Rock Saves Lives which focuses on health concerns, equal / human rights and more, and encouraged all to stop at their table for a cheek swab to establish a possible match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant.
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Not many bands come out to their own intro music, but LA Celtic punks Flogging Molly did just that, picking up seamlessly with their own instruments on 2000’s “The Likes of You Again” to begin their ninety-minute headlining set.
The new album is last September’s Anthem (via Rise Records) which reunited them with famed producer Steve Albini, whom the group had worked with some two decades ago.
The band itself has been around now for thirty years (hard to believe Dublin-born leader Dave King began his career singing for 80’s hair band Fastway) and has built a solidly devoted fan base, that will pack a room regardless of if they play around St. Pats, or not.
2002’s “The Kilburn High Road” is a rarity not often played, but was dug up from the vaults, and featured King’s wife, Bridget Regan on tin whistle, and despite her currently fractured shoulder. The new “A Song for Liberty” was dedicated to the people of Ukraine and “No Last Goodbyes” from Anthem, was a song of celebration ideal for crowd swaying. “Y’know it’s gonna be a great night, when you see crutches in the air!’ King smiled, noting the crowd.
“The Croppy Boy ‘98” pays tribute not only to Trad (traditional Irish music) but also to Ireland’s first rebellion, which occurred way back in 1798. The mosh pit moved with more fervor on 2000’s “Devil's Dance Floor” with King and band encouraging the crowd to “swing a little more”.
The audience chanted along with 2017’s “Crushed (Hostile Nations)” and then everything moved even more in fast-forward on “Seven Deadly Sins” with Regan playing a hyper and dizzying fiddle. The new “These Times Have Got Me Drinking” lyrically came to life on the venue’s floor as you could easily witness people “tripping up the stairs”, but all was in the spirit of good fun and some friendly rowdiness.
The main set ended with a 2002 favorite, “What's Left of the Flag” with King singing, “Walk away me boys, walk away me boys” which they did following, but quickly returned for a two-song encore. King began “Black Friday Rule” (one of their earliest songs) alone on acoustic guitar, with the band magically appearing out of the darkness towards the end, to join in with musical muscle.
The band’s high-speed pirate song, “Salty Dog” (also the name of their seventh annual cruise that sets sail from Miami this November) would end the night with fitting howls, jigs in the audience, and a final lifted salute of Guinness.
They say on March 17th that everyone is Irish for the day, but when a legendary folk punk band like Flogging Molly comes through town the weekend before, it’s more than enough of an excuse to dig out the green early and raise a toast to celebrate.
(Click on any image to enlarge and see in full)
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| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com |
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