The new Dropkick Murphys DVD gets a great review!
The Dropkick Murphys have been touringed, recordinged music, preachinged to the common man and just generally gotetting drunk together for about nine years and a good chunk of it is finally fully documented. The Murphys employ a blend of Irish Celtic folk and street punk with lyrics that deeply touch deeply on their Irish heritage, their hometown Boston and what it is to be working class. The band has employs the your usual rock instruments of guitar, bass and drums, but also features bagpipes, a tin whistles and mandolins which ensures that you're in for a very unique look on what you thought punk rock was.
In the age of hour-long music DVDs, this one pulls plays the over-achiever card with its four-4 hour long duration. Packed with all of DM's the band's music videos, rare footage, home videos, a full live show from the 2002 St. Patrick's Day weekend in Boston and a mini-feature film about life on the road titled "65 Days Of Hell"," this DVD is a must for the average fan of 'the rock'.
"65 Days of Hell" chronicles their appearance on the 2003 Warped Tour and, based on its content, might be more appropriately called "65 Days of Fun" or "Why You Want to be a Rock Star, Volume 1". It features behind-the-scenes footage of the The band is shown drinking lots and lots of brew (sometimes via the classic 'beer bong') and , celebrating the Fourth 4th of July in Canada with an Americans-only celebration called "Kamp Krusty",." There's also a look at a performing various band rituals like whenas Al Barr (vocals) and Ken Casey (bass) get into a slapping contest right before a show. In fact, most of the film documents anything but hellish conditions, as and just generallymost of it focuses on the band having a good old time with each other and their roadies. The only moments of hell would be at the end of the documentary where the Murphys experience a wee bit of homesickness for their native Boston. As could be predictable, the film ends with their gig in Boston and shows the Murphys at their finest, both musically and emotionally.
The live show from the 2002 St. Patrick's Day in Boston shows why you might want to spend money to see these guys in the flesh. From the bagpipe orchestra's opening performance that's serves as an intro into their set to the four-4 song encore that they perform at the conclusion of their performance, The Dropkick Murphys show that they know how to please their crowd. Not only do they please their crowd, but they also spend a good part of the show letting the crowd play 'sing-a-long'. In the realm of a live showWhile on stage, DM band members jokes about the fact that they're not the best at their instruments or at vocals, but this video proves to be athat's just a lie. The Dropkick Murphys ooze with raw energy and& tight musicianship as they put together an hour- long set. The relationship between the band and the crowd is one of reciprocal benefit; as the crowd gets louder, The Murphys become tighter musically and& more at ease with their 'between song banter'. This live set, above all else, should serve as an education to bands of all genres on how to connect with your audience.
If you're a fan of the Dropkick Murphys, then this DVD is the ultimate addition to your collection as it documents the boys more completely than anything else they've released to date. If you've never heard of DMthe act, but fancy yourself a true rock n' roll fan, than you should own this as proof of your great taste in music.
- Dustin Reed
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