KICKS OFF FEBRUARY 18 IN CLEVELAND, WITH TWO NIGHTS AT NEW YORK CITY’S WEBSTER HALL AND BAND’S ANNUAL HOMETOWN RUN OF BOSTON SHOWS ST. PATRICK’S DAY WEEK, HIGHLIGHTED BY 20 YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW AT AGGANIS ARENA MARCH 19.
Dropkick Murphys have announced dates for their 20 Year Anniversary Tour, which kicks off February 18 at House Of Blues in Cleveland and wraps with the band’s traditional hometown run of Boston shows St. Patrick’s Day week (March 17-20, 2016). The trek also includes performances at many of America’s most historic venues, including Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom, the Civic Theatre in New Orleans, and two nights at New York City’s Webster Hall.
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to do this band for twenty years,” says Dropkick Murphys’ bassist/vocalist Ken Casey. “Considering the band started on a bet, I’m pretty damn proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish. After twenty years, we are more grateful and enthusiastic than ever…The best is yet to come!”
The Dropkick Murphys’ 20 Year Anniversary Tour also features very special guests Tiger Army, who will be touring behind their first new album in over seven years, along with Boston’s Darkbuster.
Tickets for Dropkick Murphys’ 20 Year Anniversary Tour go on sale Friday, November 27 at www.DropkickMurphys.com.
Dropkick Murphys’ Boston dates will be highlighted by a special 20 Year Anniversary Show at Boston University’s Agganis Arena on Saturday, March 19 that will also feature performances from a very special surprise band, plus Boston hardcore legends Slapshot, and The Fenian Sons. Doors open at 3:30 PM and music starts at 4:30 PM.
Following the Agganis Arena show, the band will host an official after party at House Of Blues on Lansdowne Street in Boston from 9:00 PM through 1:00 AM featuring pro boxing and “some musical surprises.” A limited number of tickets for this special event go on sale to the general public Friday, with the remaining tickets being held for the band’s friends and family. All proceeds will benefit The Claddagh Fund charities (www.claddaghfund.org).
Details for the additional March 17-20 Boston shows will be announced soon.
Dropkick Murphys—Al Barr (lead vocals), Tim Brennan (guitars, accordion, whistles, vocals), Ken Casey (lead vocals, bass guitar), Jeff DaRosa (banjo, bouzouki, mandolin, harmonica, acoustic guitars, mandola, vocals), Matt Kelly (drums, vocals), James Lynch (guitar, vocals)–are touring in support of their latest release Signed And Sealed In Blood, which debuted in the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 and features “Rose Tattoo,” “The Boys Are Back,” as well as “Out of Our Heads,” which served as the theme song for TNT’s police drama Boston’s Finest.
Now celebrating their twentieth year, Dropkick Murphys remain bigger than ever, having sold over 6 million albums worldwide. The band continues to sell out venues around the world, including a concert at the historic Paris Zenith Arena in February 2015. In the summer months, the band remains a festival-topping act at all the premier European festivals. They’ve headlined Boston’s Fenway Park and been personally invited to share the stage with everyone from Foo Fighters to Mumford & Sons. They ignited the Boston Pops’ annual July 4 concert for a crowd of 250,000 in 2012. Their yearly tradition, the St. Patrick’s Day tour, concluded with a sold out headliner at TD Garden in Boston in 2013, while in 2014, they delivered nine songs floating on the USS Constitution on its final voyage, honoring its 217th birthday.
Their myth far exceeds music. They launched The Claddagh Fund in 2009, a charity focusing on children’s and veterans’ organizations, as well as drug and alcohol recovery programs. The band’s charity has raised $2.5 million to date, including $400,000 for families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The group also continues to support workers’ rights and union causes. Dropkick Murphys’ legacy is just like that of the city they call home—it’s only getting bolder, brasher, and better with age.
Visit www.DropkickMurphys.com for more details and to purchase tickets.
Current tour dates are as follows:
Date City Venue
Feb. 18 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
Feb. 19 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Feb. 20 St. Paul, MN Myth Live
Feb. 21 Madison, WI Orpheum Theater
Feb. 23 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Feb. 24 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theatre
Feb. 26 Dallas, TX House Of Blues
Feb. 27 Austin, TX Stubb’s
Feb. 28 New Orleans, LA Civic Theatre
Feb. 29 Houston, TX House Of Blues
Mar. 2 Nashville, TN Marathon Music Works
Mar. 3 Charlotte, NC The Fillmore
Mar. 4 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
Mar. 5 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle
Mar. 6 Cincinnati, OH Bogart’s
Mar. 8 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
Mar. 9 New York, NY Webster Hall
Mar. 10 New York, NY Webster Hall
Mar. 11 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Arena
Mar. 12 Washington, DC RFK Stadium (Shamrock Fest)
Mar. 13 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Mar. 17 Boston, MA Venue TBA *
Mar. 18 Boston, MA Venue TBA *
Mar. 19 Boston, MA Agganis Arena with House Of Blues Afterparty **
Mar. 20 Boston, MA Venue TBA *
* Openers to be announced
** Slapshot, surprise guest and Fenian Sons open
Website: www.dropkickmurphys.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DropkickMurphys
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DropkickMurphys
Instagram: @dropkickmurphys
About Dropkick Murphys
Known for their complex distillation of classic punk rock, Celtic folk and American rock ‘n roll, critically-acclaimed Dropkick Murphys have released 8 full-length studio albums–the three latest via the group’s own Born & Bred Records–and have sold over 6 million copies worldwide since hitting the scene in 1996. The group’s latest studio album, Signed And Sealed In Blood (2013), debuted at #9 on the Billboard Top 200, and yielded “Out of Our Heads,” which served as the theme song for TNT’s police drama Boston’s Finest. Later that year, they released the Rose Tattoo: For Boston charity EP to benefit victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The EP featured a special version of “Rose Tattoo” with guest vocals by Bruce Springsteen. DKM’s 2011 Going Out In Style CD debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200–the group’s highest chart debut to date–and received overwhelming praise, with USA Today declaring it “funny, moving, inspiring and, above all, entertaining.” 2007’s The Meanest Of Times sold over 300,000 copies worldwide. The group’s single “I’m Shipping Up To Boston”–from 2005’s The Warrior’s Code album–has sold over 1.25 million copies. “I’m Shipping Up To Boston,” a song with lyrics penned by Woody Guthrie, gained mainstream notoriety after being prominently featured in Martin Scorsese’s Academy Award-winning film The Departed. It can be commonly heard at sporting events and on television as a theme song for many sports teams (even outside of Boston). The band has sold out shows worldwide and cultivated one of the most fervent fan bases in rock music. They’re an integral part of Boston’s cultural identity and even penned the theme song (“Tessie”) to the first Red Sox World Series win in 86 years in 2004. They’ve headlined Fenway Park and been personally invited to share the stage with everyone from Foo Fighters to Mumford & Sons. In 2012, they ignited the Boston Pops’ annual July 4 concert for a crowd of 250,000. Their yearly tradition, the St. Patrick’s Day tour, concluded with a sold out headliner at TD Garden in Boston in 2013, while in 2014, they delivered nine songs floating on the USS Constitution on its final voyage, honoring its 217th birthday. Dropkick Murphys have a long history of supporting workers’ rights and union causes.
About The Claddagh Fund
The Claddagh Fund is a charity established by Dropkick Murphys founder Ken Casey in 2009. It focuses on children’s and veterans’ organizations, as well as drug and alcohol recovery programs. The band’s charity has raised $2.5 million to date, including $400,000 that the band personally distributed to families and victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. The band also donates $1 per ticket from its shows around the world to The Claddagh Fund. The Claddagh Fund is committed to the three attributes symbolized in the Claddagh ring: friendship, love and loyalty, and relies on the passion of the Dropkick Murphys’ friends, family and fans to raise funds for the most underfunded charities that support these vulnerable populations.
