A beautiful day and a festive crowd estimated at 10,000 fans marked the Dropkick Murphys’ free concert Saturday in Quincy Center, as the homegrown Celtic punk rockers delivered 23 songs over their 95-minute set, to a raucous reception from an adoring crowd.
Some quick impressions would include the unforgettable sight of singer Ken Casey walking out into the crowd to sing “The Big Man” while leading the circular pit of dancers, an audience so family-friendly that this day must’ve set a record for the number of kids-in-strollers at a punk-rock show, the merchandise stand selling out of the Dropkicks tee-shirts that had “Fighting Nazis since 1996” on the back, a grand finale with members of the three-time champion pro rugby New England Free Jacks on stage and not a whiff of trouble or protest.
To be totally honest, the 15-year-old walking his motorized scooter through the crowd wearing the infamous red hat was the only disparate note, and fans just ignored him – and, really, kudos for walking that scooter, as driving it through the crowd with all the little kids around would’ve been dangerous. Outside the nearby T station, one of the “Repent Now!” guys familiar to Boston concertgoers was quietly standing with his posterboard, but nary a real protester was seen or heard…