MINDSET: Flogging Molly!

(*Said in a high-pitched, leotard-wearing, 80's hair band style*)

Personally, I still can't believe that we got them to come here, but I choose not to question. As they are the kings of Irish punk, and one of the few out there now with a member who was actually from Ireland, Flogging Molly's arrival at ND warranted not only lining up outside Legends at least 4 hours in the pouring rain before the doors opened at 9 PM, but also the opening of the back wall of Legends with a tent set up in the lot behind, complete with projection screens, to accomodate the massive, over-capacity crowds that could not possibly fit inside. (Oh man, that was such a run-on sentence...The English major in me is shuddering...) As I have become the unofficial Legends correspondent of Mindset, here's my review.

Any criticisms I have of this show really have nothing to do with the band. First of all, Legends made a bad decision not to have the barricades set up before the show, though I admit I never expected any show at ND to get so chaotic. However, they did a fantastic job of getting that put up quickly and keeping it reinforced against the semi-moshing crowd. My other main complaint is about the leaky roof. Granted, this isn't really something the Legends staff could necessarily control, but it simply looks sloppy to have the roof leaking not only on the audience, but also on the band. Anyway, onto the actual show!

As Flogging Molly needs no introduction, there was no opening act. The show began with the entire house dimming; only a low blue light shone on the stage as flute music (my friend Alyssa said it was reminiscent of Passion of the Christ music) played over the sound system. This band knows how to make a crowd anxious, because they waited what felt like 10 minutes (it was probably less than 5) before coming out. Once onstage, they did not delay another second and went straight into the music. Here, I pause to give a Fonz-like thumbs-up to the Legends staff, who finally mastered the art of the sound system! There was only one instance of unwanted guitar feedback that I can recall, all the mics were perfectly balanced, and the volume was at the perfect level where it was justloud enough to blow out your eardrums, but not permanently.

This was my first Flogging Molly live show, and it did NOT disappoint. Unlike other bands, who refuse to play their old songs in concert, they played a huge set that included songs from all their albums, fan favorites and new songs alike. (An incomplete and disjointed set list will follow the review.) These guys play an extremely laid-back show, drinking beer from blue plastic cups (Haha, inside joke from the show) between songs as lead singer Dave King shared stories about his childhood in Ireland or went on tangents about politics and peace. Interaction with the crowd seems to be one key to the magic of a Flogging Molly show, which explains why they kept it at Legends rather than moving it to larger venue like Stepan.

The other key would be their amazing music. Some punk bands sound like crap live because they simply play as loud and as fast as they can, and, while this can get synched up and polished in a studio, it just sounds like audio vomit live. NOT the case with Flogging Molly, who have actual discernable melodies and utilize more than a 3-chord progression in their music. Plus, they have a slightly more diverse set of instruments at their disposal, including a violin, mandolin, banjo, and accordion. I never thought it would be possible to rock out on an according. Apparently, I was wrong. It didn't take long for the crowd to get energized and thrashing around, which is awesome that people get so into it, but decidedly not so awesome when you're 5 feet tall in flip flops in the middle of the crowd with guys wearing riveted jackets on each side. (FYI: I still have both flip flops and all my toenails, thank you very much!) And again with the anxiety for the encore! Most other bands go backstage, count to 3, then come back out, but these guys made you wait, and therefore crave it more. At first, just Dave came out and began a gorgeous acoustic version of "Black Friday Rule", which made everyone stop thrashing for probably the first time all evening, then the rest of the band joined him onstage about halfway through the song to finish it with a full set.

Okay, so here's what I remember that they played. I know for a fact they played more than this, but I can't remember! I'll ask my friends what they remember and possibly edit this later...