Dropkick Murphys

PUNK O RAMA TOUR
Dropkick Murphys • Bouncing Souls 
• The Dwarves • F-Minus 
June 9, 2000 @ The Palace, Hollywood, CA
By: Scott Harding
Pics by: Scott Wulfestieg

Man, what a day this has been! First of all DeadOnTheWeb.com was invited to go to the Epitaph Records BBQ and enjoy some great BBQ food and beer with some of the best bands Epitaph has to offer, and then some! (Special thanks to Mary!) Voodoo Glow Skulls, The U.S. Bombs, Union 13, all the bands from the Punk O Rama tour and Dr. Know were just a few of the bands and people that were enjoying the festivities! We were even fortunate enough to interview The Dwarves and Union 13 so be sure to check out our July issue and take a look at what they have to say! And then to top it all of it was time to check out Dropkick Murphys, Bouncing Souls, The Dwarves and F-Minus at one of the best spots to see bands play, the Palace in Hollywood!

Being a bit intoxicated by this time, we got to the show a bit late and I was unable to see the full set of F-Minus. But I was still able to feel the power of this band from the few songs I did see! And, like always when I see this band, I was able to enjoy the view of the ever so hot Jen and Erica! Hot Damn! Ok, so I'm a bit of a pervert..... but that's ok! Anyway, if full punk force F-Minus tore up the filling Palace floor!

Now it was time for The Dwarves. God damn I love these guys! From Hewhocannotbenamed busting out wearing nothing but his mask and a jock strap to front man Blag stealing the hat of a stupid bouncer's head, The Dwarves entertained like no other band could. The appreciated crowed showed their respect to these punk legends by forming a very impressive slam pit. Kicking out tunes off of first release "Lick It" to the newly released "The Dwarves Come Clean" the Dwarves were only missing two things that are on some of these albums.....naked chicks and midgets! Oh well maybe next time. 

Well it was time for another beer and also time for Bouncing Souls to take the stage. These East Coast ass kickers were ready to show the West Coast how it was done. And that they did. The Bouncing Souls are all about audience participation at their shows. Playing classics to brand new cuts and even a few covers songs like The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" turned this audience in to a huge mass of participation! Front man Greg Attonito kept the crowd going by talking to them as if they were all close friends. I think there is nothing better that a band that treats the people like people and not just another way to pay their bills. Some bands are just meant to be seen live. I love these guys on their albums but one gains a better idea of what these guys are all about by seeing them at a live venue. Beer, fun and real life experiences are what these guys are about and you can hear it in their lyrics. With throbbing bass licks, mean guitar riffs, harmonic vocals and mind boggling drum beats The Bouncing Souls created their own style of atmosphere of good time mixed with streaming slam pits. 

And now it was time for yet another beer, come one you can't see Dropkick Murphys with out one in your hand! Before the band came on stage a big fella sporting a kilt and bagpipes kicked off their set in true Irish fashion! And then came the Murphys to join him. At this time the crowd went ape shit so bad I spilled my beer. Good thing I was double fisting and had a back up! Now picture this, you sitting in your favorite Irish pup sucking back a few Guinness beers with a few friends and a live band. Well take that thought and add about 1000 punks and a real live band and you have the scene for the night. When I took a look around the Palace, I could see just about every person singing along! In fact the were so loud I could barely hear the Murphys! The high throttle style that Dropkick Murphys play in is enough to stimulate an army of fat gorillas. The power that they feed to the audience is very impressive. And I hate nothing more that a band that just stands there while they perform, Dropkick was nothing like this. All band members were in full force as they ruled the stage. Well so you have it, the Punk O Rama tour was a success once again! A perfect end to a perfect day! Lets just hope Epitaph keeps them coming!

-Scott Harding