Flogging Molly @ The Egyptian Room — Indianapolis on March 8, 2014
For the 10th and final time, the Green 17 Tour – Flogging Molly’s annual countdown to St. Patrick’s Day – is underway, and after skipping Indy for one year, it has come back to the Egyptian Room at Old National Centre. Of course, they’re not alone. Along with them is The Drowning Men and Lockstep.
I’ve been a fan of Flogging Molly for years, and they’ve always been one of my favorite live bands. While I’ve never been big on celebrating St. Paddy’s Day, but this tour has always been a nice way to make up for it. Having been to two previous incarnations of it, can it live up to expectations? Let’s find out. After paying for parking, standing in a line that basically wrapped around itself (it pays to get there early, I did not. Oops), being amazed at how fast it was going, and picking up my ticket, it’s time to go in. Let’s do this thing.
It’s around 9:00 p.m.; the Guinness has already started flowing; and it’s already starting to feel like being packed into a sardine can. Despite my social anxiety going off like crazy, I’m determined to have fun. It’s been about 3 months since I’ve reviewed a show, and it’s good to be back. Now let’s get this show on the road…
Up first, we have Lockstep, a four-piece punk outfit from Indianapolis. Local openers are nothing new during shows like this, and I’ve seen many impressive ones over the years on this very stage. While I’m no stranger to the local music scene, I’ve never seen these guys before. Let’s see what they can do.
Performing first is never easy, especially when you’re a little-known act that a majority of the crowd didn’t pay to come see. Regardless, they played a very tight, energetic set that bands like The Ramones or Operation Ivy have done before them. On the other side of that, they seemed to play a little stiff starting out. Chalk it up to nerves or the somewhat non-existent crowd response. Fortunately, they did loosen up a little towards the end, and a few audience members were getting into it. There was even a small mosh pit that broke out towards the middle of the floor. Overall, not a bad way to kick things off. Before they go, they urge everyone to support local music. Not bad advice at all if you ask me.
As for who makes up this crowd, it’s a pretty mixed bag. This includes your hardcore punks, the teenagers who frequent the Warped Tour every summer, the burly men in kilts and beards that would make any Duck Dynasty fans jealous, and of course, the college-aged crowd clad in green who seem more interested in kicking off St. Patrick’s Day early.
By my estimation, this is a sell-out, and most have congregated either in the Egyptian Room or the lobby where the bar and the merch tables are. It might be a claustrophobe’s nightmare, but music heals all, right? Anyway, enough rambling. After squirming through the crowd and running to the restroom (and enduring the long line), it’s time for act #2 to take the stage.
Speaking of beards, The Drowning Men is next, and unlike our first band, I have seen these guys before. Actually, the last time I saw them was when the Green 17 Tour came through Indy a few years ago. Alright then, what have you got for me this time?
For those who have ever seen them, The Drowning Men is an indie quintet with enough tattoos and facial hair to make you think they belong in the backwoods or on the docks of their Oceanside, CA home than on stage playing music. If Lockstep was a band to get the crowd going, then this was the “back down to earth” portion of the show. Compared to the other two bands on the bill, they do not utilize power chords or high octane energy. Actually, they might feel more about home opening for a band like The National, but what they lack in that they make up for in expert musicianship.
They have a lot of tools at their disposal, including a piano/organ, traditional guitar/bass/drums, a mandolin, a Moog synthesizer, and even that instrument they used to make those UFO sound effects in the 1950s, and all of which are used to create a catchy, relatively-chill atmosphere to bring it down a few inches. Though this is a mostly punk crowd, a few people here are showing their appreciation. No, they won’t inspire mosh pits or get anyone to (try to) do a jig, but they will impress you with their sound, attention to detail, and stage presence. More importantly, if this is a come down period, it’s one that still holds the attention of the audience.
We’re getting closer to the literal 11th hour, and with the main event just moments away, this really does feel like a sardine can, you know, if sardines were taller, still alive, and are in a Guinness-induced state of euphoria. The temperature of the room has also risen, and the aroma of sweat and beer has filled at least the area where I was standing. Yes, I’m completely sober, but I’m still enjoying every minute of this night, even if I am getting a little impatient.
Sound check looks like it’s almost complete, and a chant of “Ole Ole Ole!” has broken out. As the Beatles once said, “it won’t be long now,” but it will feel like an eternity. I don’t want to leave my spot for fear of losing it, but like I could move anyway.
At long last, the lights go out and frontman Dave King greets the capacity crowd to much applause while the rest of the band follows. From there, it’s right into “Screaming at the Wailing Wall,” and we’re off and running.
Now if you’ve never seen Flogging Molly live before, there is a lot of clapping, singing and dancing along to the band’s furious blend of punk-inspired blast beats, power chords, and of course, the Irish influences from which they’ve made their name. It’s late on a Friday night, and King takes a few moments to explain that it’s a good thing because they’ll be here for a long time (almost two hours). It doesn’t look like anyone here has a problem with that.
As for their set, it’s a pretty mixed bag, including some familiar staples (“Drunken Lullabies,” “Tobacco Road,” “Devil’s Dance Floor”) to a few they haven’t played in a few years (“Life in a Tenement Square” and “The Rare Ould Times” among others). They even take a break from the fury to delve into a quick acoustic set, dedicating one song to who they called the world’s biggest a-hole (hint: he’s the current Russian President and seems to have a affinity for riding horses while shirtless. There were quite a few middle finger salutes…). Basically, if you picked up their Live at the Great Theatre CD/DVD, it followed a similar format.
This would be my fourth time seeing them perform, and what always impresses me is their ability to engage an audience. Not just with catchy music, but also by interacting and acknowledging them. They compliment one woman in the front with a pretty inspiring mohawk, talk to a few kids off to the side of the stage, urge participation throughout the show, they even crack a few jokes. This isn’t a band that takes itself too seriously, and they remember what’s important about going to a show:
Having fun.
Having a great time with your friends, enjoying a few drinks, and dancing and singing the night away. This works inversely to the one person who was escorted out of the room by security, but for the most part, it’s all about having fun. After all, how many bands will break out into “Safety Dance” during the break in one song? (Note: this was after King received a piece of paper that said “no dancing” and joking that the show had turned into Footloose).
Over an hour and a half later, we’re still going strong, but the good times can’t last forever. We get one last song in the form of “What’s Left of the Flag,” and they bid us all adieu.
Of course, this isn’t enough. The crowd never stops clapping in unison, and there’s even a fairly disjointed “Ole Ole Ole” chant. An odd sense of timing and key, but hey, it still works.
Dave King makes his way back to the stage to being an encore, which kicks off with a sing along of “Black Friday Rule” before everyone else makes their way back. From there, it’s the pirate-inspired “Seven Deadly Sins” to send us all into a frenzy one last time. As we approach the two-hour mark, we get one last sing along moment with “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” before the show ends for good, capping off the 10th and final round of the Green 17 Tour. If these words sound alarming, don’t worry, they assure us that they’re not going anywhere.
The show has ended, and those around the stage are jumping like proverbial snakes for discarded set lists and drum sticks and even a few stray cans of the band’s trusty “Irish spring water” (that’s Guinness to the rest of us). Meanwhile, Monty Python’s “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” is blaring through the speakers, prompting one last sing along moment. The rest head towards the exits, bruised, battered, exhausted, and some feeling a little festive.
Final verdict?
While I’m not someone who is entirely on board with St. Patrick’s Day, I do look forward to this tour every time it comes through town, and if this is the last time it does, it goes out with a bang. The actual holiday may be on March 17, but I prefer having my celebration about a week later, enjoying a little Irish-inspired punk with a few thousand of my closest friends, even if I can’t afford to get a Guinness in my hand.
Long story short: this is definitely a 10th round knockout.
The Good:
There’s a lot to love about a Flogging Molly concert: the atmosphere, the crowds, the way the band can engage said crowds, and the good-time feel that ensues. I’ve seen them four times now, and they’re just as good as the first.
The Bad:
This will sound like a nitpick, but maybe the middle section felt a little bit like a lull, especially with a fast-paced opener. I appreciate a break in the action almost 24 hours after the fact, but at the time it felt like it was too much.