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Boston is one of the few St. Patrick’s Day meccas that you must visit once in your life.  The city seems to come alive, wear green and get drunk when this holiday comes around. Dropkick Murphys commemorate this by playing a few shows every year.  I went a few years ago on St. Patrick’s Day and it’s an experience that doesn’t even compare to any other celebration.  Everyone’s friendly to everyone, singing along and just having a great time.

Dropkick Murphys released a live album this past Tuesday from their live shows last year, which spanned from March 12 to March 17, called Live on Lansdowne.  The name comes from the street the House of Blues is located on. The record features 20 live songs with special guests including The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

The CD starts off with the crowd chanting “Let’s go Murphys,” a common cheer at any show, but even more enthusiastic at these St. Patrick’s Day shows. It then leads off to the song “Famous for Nothing,” which practically sounds like a song recorded in a studio.  This album has great sound quality, which can be heard in this song and throughout the rest of the record.

Next is “The State of Massachusetts,” which is one of the many Dropkick songs that is my favorite.  I think it’s difficult to have just one favorite of theirs because there are so many legendary songs.

Later on the album is a great version of “Bastards on Parade.”  It’s heartfelt and it’s never sounded better.  This is their ninth year doing these annual shows and it seems that they always maintain their live sound. They stay true to who they are as a band and the music they create together.

“Caught in a Jar” will leave you singing along to the band and with the crowd.  Just make sure you don’t look like a fool singing along to yourself whether it is in your car or in your room.

“Fields of Athenry” will always hold a special place in my heart and it’s great to hear the live version of it.  Hearing the bagpipes is always very interesting and cultural, as corny as that may sound.

“Tessie” is another favorite of mine.  It brings me back to baseball games—one of my favorite parts of summer. Plus, it’s such a lively song that if you don’t get into it, there must be something wrong with you.

The album closes with “I’m Shipping Up to Boston,” which was performed with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  It sounds like it was part of an encore with the crowd cheering for Dropkick.  I couldn’t really hear too much of a difference from the original version, but either way, it was well done.

I’m sometimes skeptical about live albums because they lack the appeal of a studio-recorded album or even the excitement of their live show, but this one is definitely an exception.  Turn the volume up loud enough, close your eyes and you can imagine yourself there.  The fun that the crowd had can be felt through the speakers, which I think is a hard thing to accomplish. It’s a quintessential St. Patrick’s Day band to listen to as well as throughout the rest of the year. Plus, if you’re a nerd like I am, there are some really cool pictures in the CD’s booklet from the shows.

For Fans Of: Flogging Molly, Tossers

Listen To: “Shipping Up to Boston,” “The Warrior’s Code,” “Tessie”

Rating: 10/10

Track List:

1. Famous For Nothing

2. The State of Massachusetts

3. Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya

4. Time To Go

5. Sunshine Highway

6. Flannigan’s Ball

7. Bastards On Parade

8. God Willing

9. Caught In A Jar

10. Captain Kelly’s Kitchen

11. Citizen C.I.A.

12. Fields Of Athenry

13. Your Spirit’s Alive

14. The Warrior’s Code

15. The Dirty Glass

16. Tessie

17. Forever 2009

18. Worker’s Song

19. Kiss Me, I’m Sh*tfaced

20. I’m Shipping Up To Boston (featuring the Mighty Mighty Bosstones)