MaltBlog

Dropkick Murphys Rock (a very small percentage of) Syracuse

One of my all-time favorite bands, the Dropkick Murphys, played in Syracuse last Sunday night, November 20. I've traveled to Buffalo, Rochester, and even Boston on St. Patrick's Day 2003 to see this great band, so I was thoroughly overjoyed when I heard they'd be playing Syracuse's "Convention Center at OnCenter".

The fact that they were playing a venue with a name that contained the word "Center" twice should have been my first indication that this would not be a typical Dropkicks show. What is a "typical" show, you ask? Well, it involves a sea of boisterous punks, rockers, kids, and Irish folks all riveted to a hard-rockin', hard-workin' band with a repertoire that ranges from traditional Irish pub tunes such as Finnegan's Wake to working-class anthems to driving rock. It's music that moves your brain, your heart, and your butt - and sometimes makes you bang your head.

And on the performance front, the band did not disappoint. From Dropkick Staples such as "Barroom Hero" and "The Gang's All Here" to covers like the aforementioned "Finnegan's Wake", they had the crowd bouncing and shouting along. Tracks from their latest CD, "The Warrior's Code", were right at home with the older material.

So what was so odd about this show? Well, the venue was atrocious. It would have been great for a convention (hence the name "convention center") but for a concert it was abysmal. Anywhere further than 50 feet from the stage, the sound dissolved into virtually unrecognizable noise thanks to the echoes from the polished floor and concrete walls. And because the room was enormous, designed to hold perhaps 2500 people, the 500 bodies in attendance meant that the sound had plenty of room to bounce.

This reflects badly on Syracuse for two reasons. First, when I've seen this band in Rochester, it's been in packed-full venues such as Water Street Music Hall or RIT. The show here was originally scheduled to be at the Magic City Music Hall in Binghamton, which is an excellent club venue that's actually designed specifically for music (what a concept!). Here, the band and its fans were thrown into a huge, generic box. Syracuse has no decent club (read: general admission) venue of sufficient size for this band - they're too big for Club Tundra and way too small for the War Memorial.

The second reason is that Syracuse could only muster (at most) 500 people for a band this great. Syracuse, the city with the second-largest percentage of self-described Irish residents in the USA (behind Boston). Syracuse, where there ain't much else to do on a Sunday night in November when the football team is 1-9 and the basketball team isn't on TV. Syracuse, which seeks an identity beyond a mega-mall and a horribly disfigured downtown thanks to urban "renewal" and two bisecting interstates. Syracuse, which fights for respect among upstate cities and loses to the likes of Albany, Rochester, and (at least for the purposes of this review) Binghamton.

But none of that is the fault of the band - even if their label's press guy never got back to me regarding my requests for press access, which would have at least gotten us all better photos with this article.

No, the band worked its collective ass off, as usual, and delivered a tight, powerful set. In addition to the songs highlighted above, I enjoyed their moving tribute to Sgt. Andrew Farrar, "The Fields of Athenry". Unlike the album version, this one was performed quietly, solemnly. The band is selling a CD of the song with all proceeds benefitting the memorial fund set up in the soldier's memory for his family.

Most Dropkick shows now consist of a few (or sometimes a lot) of women jumping on stage for the raucous "Spicy McHaggis Jig", and this night was no exception. And they always end the show with "Skinhead on the MBTA" and everyone who can fit gets up on stage and sings along. The show was terrific, everyone looked and sounded great close-up, and I got to see the band for a relatively small investment ($20) and close to home.

You might wonder why all this is on Maltblog, other than all the whiskey references in the song "Finnegan's Wake". Guinness sponsored the show, and their beer was being poured from many stations (for $4.75 for a 14-ounce can). Most people opted for Bud Light or Labatt's instead, but at least we had the option of Guinness. I hope next time -- if there is a next time for this band or any others considering the Salt City -- that the venue is better.

Turbo Tap Ready for Home Use

The Turbo Tap - a device which allows beer to be poured quickly and with less risk of foaming - is not just for stadiums any more. The makers are now marketing the device for home use Methinks I've got to check this out!