On the countdown to St. Patrick’s Day, Boston’s Dropkick Murphys blew the roof off The Anthem in DC with openers The Menzingers and Teenage Bottlerocket. Steve Satzberg was there to capture the action in photos!
The following article is adapted from a press release.
Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey said, “2025 is year 29 of Dropkick Murphys — and we’re excited as hell to bring our annual St. Patrick’s Day Tour to 14 cities leading into our hometown stand in Boston!!”
During this 2025 trek, fans heard Dropkick Murphys’ classics at The Anthem on Feb. 27. Dropkick Murphys plan to release a new album via their label Dummy Luck Music / [PIAS] later this year, and they played a song, “Stand with Us,” from that album in the latter half of the show.
Of course, the Dropkick Murphys packed their show with furious energy and singalong jams like their famed signature tune “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” which appeared in the encore.
Watch the official music video for “I’m Shipping up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys on YouTube:
Dropkick Murphys are Ken Casey (lead vocals), Tim Brennan (guitars, tin whistle, accordion, piano, vocals), Jeff DaRosa (guitars, banjo, mandolin, vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, percussion, and vocals), James Lynch (guitars and vocals), and Kevin Rheault (bass). Joining the band for The Anthem live show was bagpiper and multi-instrumentalist Campbell Webster.
Dropkick Murphys proudly remain Boston’s rock ‘n’ roll underdogs turned champions. Since 1996, the boys have created the kind of music that’s meant to be chanted at last call, in packed arenas, and during the fourth quarter, third period, or ninth inning of a comeback rally. Their celebrated discography includes four consecutive Billboard Top 10 album debuts (Turn Up That Dial, 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory, Signed and Sealed in Blood, Going Out In Style), along with 2005’s gold-selling The Warrior’s Code featuring the near double platinum classic “I’m Shipping Up To Boston.”
Whether you caught a legendary gig at The Rathskeller (The Rat) under Kenmore Square, found the band by taking the T to Newbury Comics to cop Do Or Die in ’98, discovered them in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award-winning The Departed, or saw ‘em throw down at Coachella (or one of hundreds of other festivals), you’ve become a part of their extended family. Dropkick Murphys’ music has generated half-a-billion streams, they’ve quietly moved 8 million-plus units worldwide and the band has sold out gigs on multiple continents.
In 2020, the band was one of the first to embrace streaming performances, starting with their Streaming Up From Boston St. Patrick’s Day virtual performance. It was followed by their landmark Streaming Outta Fenway livestream, which drew more than 5.9 million viewers and held the No. 3 spot on Pollstar’s “Top 2020 Live Streams” chart. Dropkick Murphys St. Patrick’s Day Stream 2021… Still Locked Down, was No. 1 on Pollstar’s Livestream chart for the week ending March 22, 2021, logging over 1 million views. Dropkick Murphys returned in 2022 with their first-ever all-acoustic album, This Machine Still Kills Fascists (Dummy Luck Music / [PIAS]) and seated theater tour. This Machine Still Kills Fascists — and their follow-up album Okemah Rising — breathe musical life into mostly unpublished lyrics by the legendary Woody Guthrie, curated for the band by Woody’s daughter Nora Guthrie.
Here are some photos of the Dropkick Murphys performing at The Anthem on Feb. 27, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of The Menzingers opening Dropkick Murphys at The Anthem on Feb. 27, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Here are some photos of Teenage Bottlerocket opening Dropkick Murphys at The Anthem on Feb. 27, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
