Dropkick Murphys – The Tossers – She’s a Kreeper – The Parkington Sisters – at The Fox Theater – Pomona, CA

This 4th of July weekend started off with a bang! On Friday night, Dropkick Murphys headlined at The Fox Theater in Pomona. Not knowing how traffic would be, I arrived way too early. Thankfully, the Fox Sports Bar & Grill next door has a great happy hour, which includes a buy one, get one free beer deal and half-off appetizer special. Sweet!You could tell that most of the patrons in the bar were there for the Dropkick show - other than St. Patrick's Day, how often do you see kilted men wandering around in Pomona?

The doors opened just before 8 and the first band went on around 8:15. The Parkington Sisters hail from Cape Cod, MA and started the night with a more traditional Celtic sound. They opened their set with an untitled song, which was full of driving fiddle melodies, and let me just say, these ladies rocked it! After, Ken Casey came on stage to join in with them for their cover of The Pogues "Dirty Old Town".

Throughout their short set, they went between original material, cover songs, and more traditional tunes. In each case, they kept the audience's attention with their spot-on musicality, talent, and stage presence. I grew up in an east-coast, Irish-Catholic household, and if the Parkington Sisters were around when I grew up, I would've liked Irish music a hell of a lot more than I did. This group brings a fresh sound to an ofttimes stale genre. Though the readers of Big Wheel are mainly into punk, if you want to branch out into the more traditional Irish feel, the Parkington Sisters are definitely a band to check out. Dirty Old Town (with Ken Casey) from a show around St. Patrick's Day: http://youtu.be/4Ha3fjY4Nso  Website and Facebook: www.parkingtonsisters.com
Set list: Untitled, Dirty Old Town (Pogues cover), There There (Radiohead cover), Cruel, Morning Dew Jig (traditional), Untitled, Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash cover)

Where the Parkington Sisters brought the trad sound, She's a Kreeper delivered the punk. The trio, hailing from Riverside, opened their set with "I'm Not Gonna Lie". Though they only had a 20 minute set, they used their time very well and packed it full with their hardcore/pop-punk/ska sound. In between songs, Zak (bass/vocals) joked about having a "Warped Tour" sunburn and seemed awed and humbled for being one of the opening bands for Dropkick Murphys.

Their song "Sephia" got the crowd riled up with a mini-pit, but a part of me wished they incorporated their song "Baggage Claim" into their set. The members of She's a Kreeper are all talented musicians individually and they are definitely a band to watch. If you are looking for an opening band to book, hit them up now before they hit it big. Myspace and Facebook: facebook.com/shesakreeper
Set list: I'm Not Gonna Lie, Fischer Mold, Fuck My Life, Are You Gonna Eat That?, Kreeper Girls, All This Blood, Sephia, Riverside Nocturn

The crowd was getting anxious for Dropkick to take the stage, but then? The Tossers came out and made the fans forget who they were there to see. Formed in the early 90's, the guys (and girl) from the South-Side of Chicago have continually brought their take on the so-called "Paddy Punk" to the masses and have never disappointed. Tonight was no different. They grabbed the crowd by the throat with their opening song, a high-energy version of "The Irish Rover", and didn't let go. A long-time friend of mine had never listened to punk, nor Celtic punk, but was curious about the whole thing. I brought him along for the night, and when I found him standing along the edges of the pit that formed during The Tossers set, he just brushed me off. "This band is great! I'm not going anywhere!" I had to agree. The Tossers put on a fabulous show, complete with original songs and recreations of trad tunes. I wasn't going anywhere either.

During the break, I ran into T. Duggins of The Tossers and asked if he would get me the set-lists for the bands. He went above and beyond in doing so. The next time y'all have a chance to see The Tossers, buy the band a round of Coors Lite - they deserve it. (Okay, maybe they don't actually *deserve* a Coors Lite, but that was their drink of choice, so ... )

You can find them here: thetossers.com
Set list: The Rover, Siobhan, Paddy Railway, Emerald, No Loot, Teehans, Katie Races, I'll Tell Me Ma, Aye Sir, Preab San Ol, Good Morning, Altercation, Holy Ground, Whiskey Crazy

Finally, Dropkick Murphys took the stage. At Punk Rock Bowling they used "The Boys Are Back In Town" as their waiting song. This time, they used Sinéad O'Connor's version of "Foggy Dew". Between the the crowd chanting "fuck you!" and "Let's go Murphys *clapclapclap*", the anticipation was palpable. The curtains opened and Dropkick killed it with "Hang 'em High", with Al running hither and yon at the front of the stage. The fans went ape-shit, singing along and bouncing up and down, fists raised high. Dropkick started their set at a very high energy, and built on it for each song.

The bouncing turned into a pit, once they started to play "Barroom Hero". About halfway thorough their set, I had to step outside to get some air and cool off. The energy carried through - the people out in the alley heard "Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya" from the venue and each and every one started singing along, fists raised high (myself included). They teased us with songs that began slow (such as "Cruel"), so we thought we could catch our breath. But that was not to be - it seems that they want us sweating at the end of their show, and I am am one to give them their wish.

During their first encore, they covered "TNT" by AC/DC and called as many fans up onto the stage as they could. We thought that was the end. The stage lights came up, and people were pouring out of the front doors. A few minutes later, they came back on the stage and gave a second encore - those who left couldn't come back in. But those of us still inside got more than we bargained for.

Dropkick Murphys have been around for a while, but their energy feels new each and every time I see them live. If you missed them this time around, what are you waiting for? Buy a ticket for their next West Coast show. You won't be disappointed.

Set list: Hang 'em High, The Fighting 69th, Barroom Hero, The Gang's All Here, Time to Go, Deeds Not Words, State of Massachusetts, Take 'em Down, Going Out In Style, Johnny I Hardly Knew Ya, Sunday Hardcore Matinee, The Auld Triangle, The Hardest Mile, Cruel, Wild Rover, Peg 'O My Heart, Blood or Whiskey, The Dirty Glass, Broken Hymns, Captain Kelly's Kitchen, Shipping Up To Boston, Kiss Me I'm Shitfaced, Skinhead on the MBTA/TNT.

Some random thoughts: the staff at Fox Theater were really personable. Ladies? Make sure you keep your lipstick in the car, since they won't let you bring it into the venue. Security at the venue were NOT assholes - in fact, they were the opposite. Thank you for answering my questions and having a sense of humour. T. Duggins and Bones (of The Tossers) were just great guys, all around. Thank you for hanging out and talking about the love/hate that comes from growing up in an Irish-Catholic family, and tracking down the set-lists from the night, complete with laughter and bizarre limousine photos. Dropkick Murphys put on a great show at Punk Rock Bowling, but they really raised the bar at The Fox Theater.

-Anni Thyme-
Big Wheel music scene reporter

 

 

 

                   More photos of the show can be seen HERE

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