Dropkick Murphys came back to the House of Blues Orlando for their headlining St. Patrick's Day tour on March 6th, 2025, supported by special guests Teenage Bottlerocket and The Metzingers! This show was sold out at max capacity, with hardly enough room for me and my cameras to get through the crowd, let alone the average concertgoer, but with good reason!
To kickstart the night, Teenage Bottlerocket shifted into gear with a heated performance to get the night's energy hyped; they even did so a tad earlier than scheduled, I'll add, before I could even get through the door! Right off the rip. Playing known hits like "Skate or Die," "Don't Wanna Die," and "Necrocomicon," making a notable connection with fans with each song played off their setlist. For those of you unfamiliar with Teenage Bottlerocket, they are a 4-piece punk-rock band formed in 2000 from Laramie, Wyoming.
Up next was The Metzingers! Without a hiccup, in keeping the momentum from the crowd going, The Metzingers unleashed favorited tracks from the setlist like "I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore," "After the Party," and "House on Fire," maintaining a solid energized connection with fans throughout the set. The Metzingers are a punk-rock group from Scranton, Pennsylvania, home of Dunder Mifflin! (If you know, you know.)
At last, headlining this kickass show, came The Dropkick Murphys! The 6-member band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1996 and has been coming to The House of Blues here in Orlando for many, many years since then. This year, delivering a 90-minute set, fueling the flames of excitement and energy from the eager fans. They delivered your favorite Celtic punk-rock songs, like "The Boys are Back" and "The Warrior's Code" from their setlist, just some of the many well-known and energetic songs that were heard echoing through the venue.
Frontman and Lead Vocalist Ken Casey delivering a high energy by engaging with the front row of the audience with fist bumps, aiming the mic at the crowd to capture their excited and enthusiastic takes on their favorite songs on and off throughout the night.
As the band orchestrated the act of "closing out" the show, and the lights dimmed out, you began to hear the crowd roar in unison: "let's go Murphys!" Followed by 5 claps over and over, til the lights began to come back on and the band fell back into position, this time with Ken wearing a Jersey with "Boston" across the front. The longtime fans knew exactly what time it was, as the bagpipe and flute began to play to the iconic tune of "I'm Shipping up to Boston" and lyrical echos of the tune could be heard throughout the House of Blues as fans sang along.
The energy was at it's peak for the night as I watched from above, where smiles of all ages could be seen alongside a steady motion from the moshpit. The show ended with a fulfilled feeling of enjoyment after seeing the one and only Dropkick Murphys rock out, here in Orlando!
This show was number 8 out of 17 for this tour, which will come to an end on St. Patrick's Day in Boston, Massachusetts at the House of Blues.
