It was a Valentine’s Day show with St. Patrick’s Day vibes as the Dropkick Murphys stormed into town on night four of their “For The People… In The Pit” tour. The sold-out show at The Ritz in Raleigh, NC also brought openers Slugger, Haywire and The Aggrolites. Fans young and old packed the venue from wall to wall and from start to finish, the energy was off the charts.
Slugger took the stage first; a band which self-describes on social media as “100% Anti-Fascist Street Level Rock and Roll.” The venue was already relatively full and lead singer Tommy Ghiorso thanked the crowd for showing up early to catch them play. Their set was a hardcore mix of heavy pop-punk songs and though they may not have the popularity (yet) that their headliner does, they definitely gained some new followers that evening. Available from their merch booth was a shirt that bluntly says “Smash Fascism”, the sale of which supports local non-profits to help with immigration efforts. Tommy asked the audience, “How much can we take?” and proclaimed, “Now is the time. We need more than words.” The audience enthusiastically agreed.
Up next was Haywire, a hardcore punk band from Massachusetts who exclaimed, “New England forever!” And in true New England fashion, what better way to kick off their set than with a cover of Neil Diamond’s classic hit, “Sweet Caroline”. The crowd seemed to enjoy the brief respite after Slugger’s hard-hitting set, but it didn’t take long before the tempo kicked back up to high-speed with intense vocals to match. Lead singer Austin Sparkman, sporting a Haywire jersey with North Carolina’s 704 area code on the back, frequently leaned into the crowd with the mic, becoming one with the fans. Just as gracious as Slugger was, Haywire also thanked the crowd for showing up early. A relatively new band, they mentioned they’re used to playing 300-cap venues, and how incredible it felt to be playing at a venue of this size. After their impressive set, there’s no doubt that they’ll be able to fill venues this size on their own in the future. …