Casino Connection Nevada

Beantown Brawlers

by Staff

I don’t know if it was the song in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed—which has since shown up everywhere, including in an episode of The Simpsons—but Dropkick Murphys have really come on strong lately.

This punk rock band has become the pride of the Beantown punk scene thanks to the song, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.”

But these guys have been playing together for 12 years, mostly performing in smaller clubs while they toured in support of their earlier albums on Hellcat Records (an offshoot of the legendary punk label Epitaph). The hard work has paid off, and in 2007 the band released its major label debut, The Meanest of Times. The new album has enjoyed commercial success, debuting at No. 20 on the Billboard charts.

That’s a mixed bag for long-time fans, because it means that in addition to dealing with the damned skinheads, there will also be neophyte punkers, drunken frat boys and Top 40 fanboys at the show.

Dropkick Murphys play poolside at the Hard Rock Hotel May 16 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $27.50 and $275.