Bad Religion and Dropkick Murphys Bring Punk Power to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor
Earlier this week, BG&E, the power company serving much of the Baltimore, MD area, warned customers of the possibility of an electricity shortage due to transmission problems with one of its suppliers, combined with the 90°F (32°C) heat expected throughout the area. There was no shortage of power, however, at downtown Baltimore’s lovely Pier Six Pavilion, tucked away in a corner of the fabled Inner Harbour near the National Aquarium, as Bad Religion and the Dropkick Murphys, with support from upstart punkers The Mainliners, brought all the power and then some during their stop on the Summer of Discontent Tour.
There was no discontent this evening as all three bands cut through the heat and humidity to a crowd seeking respite from what Mother Nature hath wrought. The Mainliners started the evening with a solid set, proving that they earned their slot opening for two legendary bands. The band, featuring Cash Mathieu on vocals, Colin Martin on guitar, Adrian Morris on bass, and Jackson Fox on drums, emerged from the LA punk scene.
Of the two co-headliners, Bad Religion was up first this evening, and they came out swinging for the fences. Power punk supremo from the first bars of 1993’s “Recipe For Hate,” with founding member and vocalist Greg Graffin, imploring us.
Can’t you feel it, can’t you see the promise of prosperity? It’s overwhelming you and me It afflicts us like a disease
Hometown hero Jamie Miller is a dervish on the drums, sticks flying, bringing the thunder throughout the 75-minute set. Miller joined the band 10 years ago and has been a perfect fit for the manic pacing of a Bad Religion show, in this case, 24 songs in roughly 75 minutes. One of the interesting things about co-headline shows is seeing who the crowd is there to see. When asked who’s seeing us (BR) for the first time, a good showing of hands was raised. For existing Bad Religion fans in the crowded house, the set touched on songs from 12 different albums. Joining Greg and Jamie on the tour are Bad Religion regulars Jay Bentley (bass), Brian Baker (guitar) and Mike Dimkich (guitar).
In a nutshell, it was bam-bam-bam. These guys have been doing this for a long time and know how punk is done. The crowd was feeding off the non-stop flow of punk rock pandemonium, with a natural crescendo coming at song 23 of 24, their masterful “Sorrow,” recognised by almost everyone in the crowd. Their set ends with “American Jesus,” a perfect set-up for Dropkick Murphys and their particular political leanings. “American Jesus” makes a mockery of the concept of US exceptionalism and those who believe that our nation has been divinely chosen, is right all the time in it’s international intentions and interventions, no matter what.
After a 30-minute stage change, Dropkick Murphys took the stage. This Celtic punk band put on a 20-song set to cap off a fantastic night at Pier Six Pavilion, starting with “The State of Massachusetts,” a hard Irish tune about losing one’s children to the State.
She had excuses, and she chose to use them. She was the victim of unspeakable abuses. Her husband was violent, malicious and distant. Her kids now belong to the state of Massachusetts
This is a band not afraid to tackle social issues head-on. Lead singer and the only member from the beginning, Ken Casey, covers the whole stage like the father of the bride at a wedding, pacing back and forth, stopping to reach out to fans he has likely seen at shows before. In fact, at one point during the show, two young boys crowd surfed up and were welcomed onto the stage by Ken. I joked to their mother that once they make it to the stage, the band doesn’t give them back, but she said, “Oh, they know them!” At one point, four crowd surfers came like waves at a California beach, and security folk were giving each other looks like “is this for real???” but they handled everything with kindness and professionalism.
The band wears its politics on its sleeve, and the crowd responds in kind. After “First Class Loser”, a spontaneous chant of “f*ck Donald Trump” rang righteously throughout the venue, with a later video documenting current governmental abuses.
Joining Casey are Matt Kelly (drums), James Lynch (rhythm & lead guitar), Tim Brennan (lead guitar & multi-instrumentalist), Jeff DaRosa (guitars, banjo, mandolin, vocals), and Kevin Rheault (bass). It’s not often you get to a punk show with bagpipes, so if that’s your dream, DKM will satisfy that particular item missing from your concert quiver!
Photos (c) David Fang
