Dropkick Murphys – Mayo Civic Center – Rochester, MN – October 23rd, 2024

By Kate Klaus 3 months ago

Dropkick Murphys with Pennywise and The Scratch – Mayo Civic Center – Rochester, MN – October 23rd, 2024

Review and photos by Kate Klaus

It was a wild night of punk and rock music in Rochester, as Celtic punk rockers Dropkick Murphys were joined by Pennywise and the Scratch at the Mayo Civic Center.  Dublin rockers The Scratch started off the Irish themed night with an animated set of rock infused Celtic beats.  Lead singer and percussionist Daniel “Lango” Lang sat atop his box drum and provided powerful beats to match his commanding vocals.  The rock sound was mixed with traditional almost fiddle-like guitar riffs and also driven by thumping bass to create a captivating fusion of traditional and heavy that made for a strong opening to the night.

California punk rockers Pennywise were up next and delivered their characteristic high energy, angsty punk performance.  Frontman Jim Lindberg got the crowd fired up as they opened with “Peaceful Day”.  As they powered through their set, including “Straight Ahead” and “Same Old Story”, the crowd was fully engaged with the energy of the show, and the center of the floor quickly became a mosh pit.  Lindberg really connected with the crowd, and toward the end of the set, covered a sing-along of “Stand By Me”.

With the crowd revved up and the energy high, the stage exploded as Dropkick Murphy’s started their set.  After a bagpipe intro, frontman Ken Casey immediately took to the catwalk outcropping of the stage, and whipped up even more engagement from the crowd.  During the set he frequently took to the front of the stage, allowing audience members to sing along into his microphone, and taking signs from the crowd to read and indulge.  After one fan requested “Mick Jones Nicked My Pudding” they proceeded to honor this request after warning the crowd they hadn’t played it in a while, but then delivered a perfect performance of it.  They also treated the crowd to their newest release “Sirens” and toward the end of the set, crowd favorite “Rose Tattoo”.  Their music has such a fun mix of traditional Irish sounds and instruments and high energy punk vibes, and it was a great night of high caliber music and performance by all three groups for this stop for the lucky fans in Rochester.