{"id":171451,"date":"2026-02-19T15:29:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:29:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/171451\/"},"modified":"2026-02-19T15:29:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:29:08","slug":"dropkick-murphys-drop-into-houston-to-remind-us-f-i-c-e","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/171451\/","title":{"rendered":"Dropkick Murphys Drop Into Houston To Remind Us: F I.C.E."},"content":{"rendered":"

Dropkick Murphys
House of Blues
February 18, 2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Freud said about the Irish is: We\u2019re the only people who are impervious to psychoanalysis.\u201d
\u2013 Colin Sullivan, The Departed<\/p>\n

I have no idea if Freud actually said that, but the quote is relevant to Dropkick Murphys in two ways. First, it\u2019s from the The Departed, the movie that gave DM a wider (outside of Boston) audience. Second, it alludes to the proudly Irish band\u2019s Celtic-punk origins. Whether any of its members have actually been to therapy, I couldn\u2019t say.<\/p>\n

What I *can* say is that Dropkick Murphys have never been a band to shy away from their feelings. And the band, fronted by sole remaining founding member* Ken Casey**, has only become more vocal in their support of the working class. Last night\u2019s show at House of Blues, drew from their latest release, For the People. The album features tracks like \u201cWho\u2019ll Stand With Us?\u201d \u2014 celebrating those who \u201cfight wars and build buildings for someone else\u2019s gain\u201d \u2014 and \u201cSirens.\u201d The latter calling out the the billionaire who profits \u201cwhile the worker bleeds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stepping out in front of a crowd already roiling from openers Slugger, Haywire, and the Aggrolites, Casey and company opened with \u201cDeeds Not Words.\u201d The song, about a \u201cliar and a traitor\u201d getting his comeuppance, was released on 2011\u2019s Going Out in Style, but it certainly felt timely. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe State of Massachusetts,\u201d a play on the fact MA is actually a commonwealth, albeit one also beset by addiction problems. The Murphys tore through two more songs (\u201cThe Gang\u2019s All Here\u201d and \u201cThe Boys Are Back\u201d) before Casey even addressed the audience. He started by welcoming the enthusiastic HOB crowd to their 30th birthday party. Then complimented those who brought their kids for keeping the average age of the audience down.<\/p>\n

Casey\u2019s banter with the boisterous audience, while occasionally pointed, was rarely anything but good-natured. Because while it\u2019s easy for a show to slide into pure polemic, a Dropkick Murphys gig is, above all, a hell of a good time.<\/p>\n

\"dropkickFor the people in the pit, indeed. Credit: Violeta Alvarez<\/a><\/p>\n

The band then threw several bones to their die-hard fans by playing a trifecta of songs from their 1998 debut, Do or Die. By my estimation, \u201cBoys on the Docks\u201d got the most enthusiastic reaction.<\/p>\n

But the Murphys\u2019 working class bona fides were never in question last night. Casey reminded the crowd, in his inimitable Boston accent, that they\u2019ve had the same blue collar values for 30 years. This served as prelude to a frenetic \u201cWho\u2019ll Stand With Us,\u201d followed shortly thereafter by \u201cThe Green Fields of France,\u201d a song about an Irish kid killed in WWI, and dedicated to the veterans in the audience. <\/p>\n

But last night\u2019s standout was a blistering \u201cCitizen I.C.E.\u201d (repurposed from \u201cCitizen C.I.A.\u201d from The Warrior\u2019s Code). It was one of the few occasions where Casey\u2019s affable demeanor fell away, as he excoriated those \u201ctoo scared to join the military\u201d and \u201ctoo dumb to be a cop.\u201d<\/p>\n

And for the women in the audience (a not insignificant number), Casey declared a \u201cladies-only pit\u201d for crowd favorite \u201cRose Tattoo\u201d Speaking of crowd favorites, I\u2019m sure I wasn\u2019t the only oldie who appreciated them eschewing the usual will-they-or-won\u2019t-they encore charade before closing out with \u201cShipping Off to Boston\u201d and \u201cThe Big Man\u201d (dedicated to Pennywise\u2019s Fletcher Dragge).<\/p>\n

I\u2019m old enough to remember people opining that the election of George W. Bush would lead to a punk resurgence, a la the Reagan \u201980s. That didn\u2019t really materialize, and nothing against dedicated anti-fascist smaller acts (including Slugger, one of last night\u2019s openers), but Dropkick Murphys have really been the highest profile punk outfit leading the charge. I\u2019m grateful for it, even if I can\u2019t bring myself to say, \u201cGo Sox.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"dropkickShredding mandolin solos are a highlight of a DM show. Credit: Violeta Alvarez<\/a><\/p>\n

*It should be noted that current members Matt Kelly (drums), James Lynch, and Tim Brennan have been with the band for over 20 years.
**Not be confused with this guy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Personal Bias: I last saw Dropkick Murphys<\/a> in 2012, when Al Barr was still singing (he\u2019s been on hiatus since 2022). They haven\u2019t slowed down much, even if I mostly hung around edges of the pit.<\/p>\n

The Crowd: About what you\u2019d expect, except for the guy and two girls wearing fishnets. The hell<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Overheard In The Crowd: [to me]: \u201cDid you say you wanted *two* shirts?\u201d<\/p>\n

Random Notebook Dump: \u201cIs that dude in a banana costume?\u201d<\/p>\n

SETLIST
Deeds Not Words
The State of Massachusetts
The Gang\u2019s All Here
The Boys Are Back
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
Gonna Be a Blackout Tonight
James Connolly (Black 47 cover)
God Willing
Caught in a Jar
Boys on the Docks
Never Alone
Sirens
Who\u2019ll Stand With Us?
School Days Over (Ewan MacColl cover)
The Green Fields of France (Eric Bogle cover)
Barroom Hero
Citizen C.I.A. (Citizen I.C.E. version)
The Bonny (Gerry Cinnamon cover)
Finnegan\u2019s Wake (traditional)
Rose Tattoo
Out of Our Heads
Worker\u2019s Song
I\u2019m Shipping Up to Boston
The Big Man<\/p>\n

\"dropkickThose forehead ashes were gone by the end. I\u2019m sure God was cool with it. Credit: Violeta Alvarez<\/a><\/p>\n

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