Flogging Molly are hands down one of the best live acts EVER! Last night’s show at Seattle’s historical Paramount Theater was no exception. They came on stage and waited while the last notes of The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly” waned (which everyone in the audience sang along to) before bursting out the chords to “Another Bag of Bricks.” The crowd surfing began immediately.
Banjo/mandolin player Bob Schmidt wasn’t present as he had to fly back home to be present for the birth of his second child. No further word about that. In his stead, a member from openers Mariachi El Bronx took his place. With long, dark hair and looking even cuter than FM bass player Nathen Maxwell, he added a certain flair to “Drunken Lullabies.” As FM front man Dave King stated, “all he needs is a fucking haircut.” “Saints and Sinners” followed, in which Dave threw his hands in the air half way through and yelled, “help me, Jesus.”
“A Prayer For Me In Silence” was sung as a duet between front man Dave and his wife Bridget Regan who plays fiddle and tin whistle. Bridget has a crystal voice that’s coated with honey. In other words, beautiful. Seriously, she should sing more often and her duet with Dave was pure nectar to the ears.
Dublin born and raised, Dave King is the band’s primary songwriter and. As a result, many of Flogging Molly’s songs mention Catholicism. (Dave claimed to be a recovering Catholic). The band then ripped into “Rebels of the Sacred Heart.” At that point I felt the floor heave like a trampoline from all the pogo dancers and the crowd surfing went into overdrive. The energy didn’t abate one iota when the next song was “Devil’s Dance Floor,” then “Seven Deadly Sins.”
Security caught crowd surfer after crowd surfer as they tumbled one after another over the barricade. It often took two to three guards to assist them over the barricade without anyone getting kicked, landed on or otherwise maimed and to ensure the surfer had a safe landing. I felt almost like I was watching a ballet performance along with a rock concert.
When Flogging Molly finished their set, the break tape resumed, this time blasting Monty Python’s “Always Look On the Bright Side.” Not only did everyone sing along, members of FM stayed on stage and led everyone in the chorus (complete with whistles). Drummer George Schwindt emerged from behind his drum kit (bald as a cue ball and wearing polka dot pants) to toss souvenirs into the crowd. Meanwhile various band members took turns twirling hand in hand along with the handful of fans on the stage. This was one fun night. Ya shoulda been there!
Opening the show was a band from Germany called the Donots. These guys were in full swing when I wound my way down to the dance floor and then stage front. But I had to dodge a circle pit to do so. The singer, who goes by the name Ingo, was screeching out a raucous cover of Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” The Donots let loose with the raw energy of a speeding freight train and didn’t let up. For the finale, Ingo dove into the crowd and performed the Twisted Sister song on top of outstretched arms, intermittently shoving the mic at audience members so they could screech the vocals along with him. I’d love to see The Donots at their own show. They were incredible!
Following the Donots was Mariachi el Bronx, from LA (not NY). I didn’t think anyone could top the Donots’ performance, but these guys did. They all came out wearing matching outfits of black pants, black shirts and boleros with white designs on them. Singer Matt Caughthran leads this eight-piece band dripping with charm. He worked the crowd like putty in his hands, getting them to do his bidding. This is a true mariachi band that puts on a high-energy show although none of them seem to even break a sweat. They never even removed their matching jackets. I still haven’t figured out how they pulled that off. They left the stage looking every bit as prim as they did when they started their set. They put on a very well received and fun show and for some reason, left me craving a margarita when they finished their set.
All in all this was one fun filled night. As I said earlier, ya shoulda been there!
Photographs property of Holly Homan, all rights reserved.
