Story by Matt DeBow
Photos by Marcie Giovannoni
The seven-piece Celtic/punk band, Flogging Molly played a sold-out show at the McDonald Theatre on Wednesday, June 1. The floor was packed with people, a few sporting mohawks and wearing kilts. Colored lights moved over the band while the audience in the dark. The sold-out house hardly reflected the Recession theme of their new album, “Speed of Darkness.”
The album opened with pure feedback and moved into a loud, fast and angry guitar riff while a violin played in the background to start the title track for “Speed of Darkness.” With lyrics written from the perspective of the American working man, the album critiques the American economy. Only a few songs were somber, with the majority staying upbeat and angry.
That fast-paced attitude, however, couldn’t match the high energy of the band’s live performance,especially the energy of frontman Dave King. Throughout the Wednesday show, King constantly interacted with the audience, encouraging them to sing along and dance in what he called “a space-saving fashion.” He demonstrated his own space-saving dance by jumping up and down in front of the microphone. While sipping on a beer between songs, King also moved around the stage, playing guitar and slapping hands with people in the front rows.
“This song is about being pissed off, but it’s all right if we all stick together,” King told the audience before he went into the second track of the new album, called “Revolution.” He started by singing, “I spent twenty-seven years in the factory.” “Come on, Eugene,” he yelled, repeating this throughout the concert. The song continued, “I’m a working man without any work.” This song performed live matched the mood of the album and the mood of the night’s audience.
The band created quite a variety in its set by mixing styles from all of its previous albums and by even playing a three-song acoustic set (except for the electric bass guitar). Numbers included the classic hit song “Drunken Lullabies” with the crowd going crazy with the space-saving dance as shirts started to fly off and the theater began smelling of sweat.
Near the end of the show, Flogging Molly played “So Sail On”, which was a slow and acoustic duet between King and his wife. The song has a beautiful tone on the album and pleasant mandolin with a simple violin. But played live, this song didn’t match the upbeat atmosphere of the crowd or the quality of the recorded version.
One of the last songs of the night, “The Worst Day Since Yesterday,” began with King’s note of explanation: “This song’s about tomorrow, not today.” The song deals with a hangover, a theme King says he can’t get away from playing in an Irish band like Flogging Molly. The recession could even close the pubs, he added before jumping into the song, and what a bloody shame that would be.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gallery • 3 Photos

Flogging Molly Rocks McDonald Despite Recession