After 30 years, I finally got to see the great Pogues again, and they were pretty much the way I remembered them in the early 1990s when I saw them play in Germany — fully energized, playing non-stop Irish music with a twist of folk music and punk reverberation.
The Pogues indeed were sensational in their recent concert at New York City’s Terminal 5. After losing Shane MacGowan in 2023, who was the lead vocalist for The Pogues over the course of many decades, the band are back on tour and sounded sensational in celebration of 40-years of the album Rum Sodomy & the Lash.
The feeling and vibe of MacGowan is always ever present during a Pogues show, and the band ensures that sound remains and evolves over time and plays homage to MacGowan during their current shows, including this date on Sept. 16. And hearing songs from Rum Sodomy & the Lash live and up close was one of my great concert experiences over the years.
Softplay, a punk band from the United Kingdom, opened the show with much enthusiasm and got the audience ready for The Pogues with a highly energized punk show, constantly leaving the stage and running into the stands to sing and converse with the fans.
The Pogues kicked off the concert with the lead track of Rum Sodomy & the Lash titled “Sickbed of Cuchulainn,” followed by various tracks from the album during the show. A key aspect of the show was the playing of these great songs but mixing up the track list from the album to add a different vibe to the show. Two of the highlights from show for me personally were the playing of “Billy’s Bones” and “Dirty Old Town.” However, my favorite part of the show was the playing of the “Irish Rover” song, which has become an Irish classic over the years. The Pogues had originally recorded this Irish song with the Dubliners way back in the ’80s, and it is still a standard to be played in concert.
Stream an expanded edition of Rum Sodomy & the Lash (produced by Elvis Costello!) by The Pogues on Spotify:
Simply put, The Pogues were fantastic with their stop at Terminal 5 in New York City playing to a huge, packed music hall to fans very much in need of a non-stop show that The Pogues have become known for. Blending great Irish music with guitars, accordions, banjos, and fiddles, The Pogues were able to take Irish-style songs and add the needed punk and rock feel to get their dynamic sounds. The show in New York City showed the band at their current best, and you could see the happiness of the band during the performance.
At Terminal 5, it was apparent The Pogues felt the love and greatly enjoy playing in the USA and New York, as discussed by lead singer and band leader Richard “Spider” Stacy during quieter moments during the show. Stacy even discussed playing to students only during a Pogues show from the early day but reaffirmed the crowd they were playing for at Terminal 5 that evening was exactly the way a concert should be played.
Original members Stacy, Jem Finer, and James Fearnley were part of the true Pogues experience. Part of the dynamics of a Pogues show is the fully realized energy of band members running around the stage and the great musicianship but also the use of different singers during the set to add enormous value to the overall concert with amazing vocals at various stages of the show. Stacy maintained the traditional feel of the band and provided a key leadership aspect in the absence of MacGowan.
For everyone in attendance, this was a great opportunity to go down memory lane again and see the legendary Pogues on stage again in great form. For some, it may have been the only time they have been able to see the band. While this was the last show of the current US tour, we can only hope that we get to see more shows in the future. The band are back again and in fantastic form, and we can only hope for more shows in the near future.
Setlist:
1. Sickbed of Cuchulainn
2. Wild Cats of Kilkenny
3. Pair of Brown Eyes
4. Billy’s Bones
5. Navigator
6. Planxty Noel Hill
7. Gentleman Soldier
8. Jesse James (Bentley Ball cover)
9. Man You Don’t Meet Every Day (traditional song)
10. Body of An American
11. The Old Main Drag
12. Parting Glass (traditional song)
13. Dirty Old Town (Ewan MacColl cover)
14. Rainy Night in Song
15. Pistol For Paddy Garcia
16. Poor Paddy Works on the Railway (traditional song)
17. And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda (Eric Bogle cover)
18. London Girl
Encore:
19. Irish Rover (Joseph M. Crofts cover)
20. Streams of Whiskey
21. Boys from the County Hell
22. Dark Streets of London
23. Sally Maclennane
Here are some photos of The Pogues performing live at Terminal 5 in New York City on Sept. 16, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller. (Keep scrolling for photos of opener Softplay!)
Here are photos of Softplay opening The Pogues!
